Great Buns' automated, high-volume line is capable of producing 19,000 small dinner rolls per hour, or 15,000 medium rolls per hour. Rolls are automatically packaged, requiring minimal handling.

The Madonias tried to take advantage of every sq. ft. when rebuilding. Future plans include purchasing another spiral cooling tower and putting it on a mezzanine with an overhead conveyor loading bread into slicers, to save floor space. The process will be more efficient and the product higher quality, notes Tony Sr. The bread must go into the bag at the proper temperature.

The Phoenix rises

One of the most unique aspects of Great Buns Bakery is its ability to test market its products in its 2,000-sq.-ft. retail space, which has clear Plexiglas shelves that open directly into the wholesale bakery. “The retail store is a huge strength,” says Tony Jr. “We're in a commercial location, but we're a retail/wholesale operation, as opposed to being a wholesaler in an industrial park or a retailer in a retail park. It gives a real strength to be able to operate two businesses in one.”

While all of Great Buns' business is currently fueled by the Las Vegas strip, the Madonias are making inroads with some out-of-state foodservice and chain business. “We feel there's a good future in some of those products as we get longer production runs on certain items,” says Tony Jr.

Still, Great Buns Bakery's strength is its ability to react to emergencies. In Vegas, with the hotels, there always seems to be some sort of emergency, which requires quick action on the bakery's part. “A customer might need 500-dozen rolls immediately, and we'll try and get them out within a couple of hours,” says Tony Sr. “We'll do whatever we have to. We keep trucks and people on site just for those situations. I believe we react faster than anyone else.”

Although the Madonias faced several challenges during the months the bakery was down, the newly built bakery puts them in a position to move their business forward. No one wants to experience a tragedy, such as the one that devastated their original bakery, but the Madonias have taken every advantage of being given the opportunity to start over. Great Buns Bakery now is poised to service the Las Vegas strip and its surrounding environs better than ever before.

Great Buns Bakery at a glance

Headquarters: Las Vegas

Ownership: the Madonia family

Web site: www.greatbunsbakery.net

Management: Anthony Madonia Sr., C.E.O. and president; Anthony Madonia Jr., vice president and general manager and Lynn Madonia, secretary and treasurer

Product lines: More than 800 baked and par-baked products, including hearty baked artisan breads and rolls, sandwich and deli breads, gourmet hamburger buns, hot dog buns, subs, Kaiser, steak and dinner rolls, bagels, ciabatta, muffins, croissants and Danish

Marketing territory: Fresh-route business, metro Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nev.; European hamburger buns shipped frozen to Texas, Arizona and California

Customer base: More than 400 hotels, restaurants, bars and taverns in metro Las Vegas and Laughlin

Plant size: 25,000 sq. ft.

Production lines: One fully automated roll and bun line, and one semi-automatic bread line

Throughput: Presently 150,000 lb./week with a capacity to run 500,000 lb./week

Sales: About $6.5 million, since reopening three months ago after having been down for 15 months following a devastating fire

Number of employees: About 50