Behind the Counter at Beyond Bread: Building a Tucson Institution

Beyond Bread began as a small bakery on Campbell Avenue with a short menu, no seating, and lines that regularly stretched out the door.Over the years it grew into one of Tucson’s most recognizable locally owned food institutions.In this episode, Jane Overbey shares what it takes to operate and scale a scratch-kitchen restaurant across multiple locations while maintaining the consistency customers expect.After joining the company in 2001, Jane watched Beyond Bread evolve from a small neighborhood bakery into a multi-location operation supported by a central bread mill and a large team working behind the scenes.The conversation explores the realities customers rarely see — staffing, production logistics, food costs, delivery coordination, and the systems required to keep quality consistent across locations.Jane also discusses how Tucson’s food culture has evolved over the past two decades and why Beyond Bread has remained focused on product quality, strong teams, and disciplined execution rather than rapid expansion.Topics in this episode include:• What the original Beyond Bread shop looked like in the early 2000s• How the company expanded across Tucson• Why logistics becomes the biggest challenge as restaurants grow• Managing labor and food costs in a scratch-kitchen operation• How Beyond Bread maintains consistency across locations• The role of the Bread Mill and commissary operations• How Tucson’s restaurant scene has changed over the last 20 years• Why adaptability is essential for long-term business survivalTwo-Lane Tucson is a podcast featuring conversations with the people behind Tucson’s established local businesses.Full episode page: https://www.desertskieslocalseo.com/episode-3-season-2-jane-overbey.html