Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
OREM — La Brioche Argentine Bakery is at risk of needing to close its doors after over a decade of business and is seeking community support in its fight to stay open.
In January, La Brioche Bakery owner Leticia Silva was notified by the Utah County Health Department that her business would now be required to provide a customer bathroom. The bakery had been operating for 11 years without a public restroom under the supervision of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, but it is now being regulated by the county health department as a bakery with seating instead.
To comply with county food service establishment guidelines, the health department required the bakery to remove its tables and chairs by Monday and not offer seating again until owners are able to provide a public restroom. Yamila Hernandez, store manager and Silva's daughter, says removing customer seating will notably affect sales.
"This was something that caught us off guard, an expense that we did not have in the budget," said Hernandez.
This unexpected cost came when La Brioche had already been struggling to stay afloat. Silva says their financial problems began during the COVID-19 pandemic when they were only able to operate for three days a week. This caused the family-run business to acquire various debts to stay open, and they have been trying to recover ever since.
The pandemic caused a 22% decline of active businesses by April 2020 — the largest drop in history — and had a disproportionate effect on female- and Latino-owned businesses, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.
"With the pandemic and the economy for the last three or four years have been terrible, and that has been affecting us in different ways," said Silva. "We have known how to navigate it, and God has helped us and has given us the tools, the people, everything to keep going — and we have done it until today. We are still going ahead, but what we are facing now will be a very big stone on the road. But we have faith that we are going to get through it."
After already struggling to keep up day-to-day operations, the added expense of building a bathroom and potential loss in sales from removing the restaurant seating, Silva couldn't see how the business would survive. As a last resort, Hernandez and her siblings decided to create a GoFundMe* campaign and ask for support from the community.
We said to each other, 'Our options are either to close or ask for help.' Obviously, this was the last resort ... but we know that we are very much loved by the people here. The bakery is union; it's happiness.'
–Yamilla Hernandez
"We said to each other, 'Our options are either to close or ask for help.' Obviously, this was the last resort ... but we know that we are very much loved by the people here. The bakery is union; it's happiness," said Hernandez. "The bakery also contributes a lot to the community. My mother always offers her help when they ask her to be a sponsor of something for children's sports. She always goes out as a sponsor; she always tries to help as much as she can. So this place is very special, not only for us but for the community."
Since creating the campaign on April 2, the family has raised $5,200 of its $30,000 goal. Several people from the community have reached out to the family, verifying the campaign is theirs and asking them not to close, Silva said.
Though they are overwhelmed by the support they have received, the family still feels uncertain if they will be able to keep the bakery open. In addition to lacking the finances, the bakery has limited space, and they are unsure if it will be possible to build a bathroom that will be approved for the structure. Nonetheless, Silva says she is grateful for the love she has seen from the community and the joy she found owning the business.
"But, if this is my time to go, I am very happy because we have had a lot of connection with the community. Argentines, Latinos, Americans, all the citizens of the community here in Utah, and even people who have come from other states, have given us a lot of love and support in everything. We have had beautiful moments ... they are unforgettable moments that we have spent enjoying things together," said Silva.
La Brioche Argentine Bakery opened in 2008 under a different owner who offered the business to Silva in 2014 when they could no longer run it. Silva was working at the bakery at the time, and though she never saw herself owning a business, she and her husband decided to take it over.
When the bakery first opened, it mostly sold pastries and bread. Since then, Silva has expanded the menu to include Argentine empanadas, sandwiches and pizza.
"It's a very unique place. There is no place like this, at least in Utah Valley, that is so authentic, so different. It's a place that is very welcoming, and people feel very good coming here," said Hernandez.
While still running the bakery, Silva has also been dealing with a chronic illness. Since she was 28, Silva has had arthritis throughout her body, requiring her to get her hips replaced in 2007. On Friday, she had to have a knee replacement surgery — the same weekend her family would have to remove the seating and tables from the bakery — and she will require another surgery in three months.
Despite her health making it difficult at times, Silva says she pushes on because it's what she loves to do.
"Our dream is to be able to get through this and continue expanding, to be able to employ more people and have more products," she said.
Those who want to help support La Brioche can contribute to their GoFundMe campaign online*, patronize the business, or simply spread the word. La Brioche is located at 845 N. 100 West, Suite 104, in Orem, and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
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