A wildly successful business supplying Las Vegas casinos and restaurants with all their fresh-baked goodies doesn’t need to also operate a retail store and sell those breads, rolls, pastries, pies, bagels and more to regular folks like you and me. But Great Buns Bakery has been doing it for decades and can’t stop, because we keep coming back for more—and because they like to see us.
“Our business is over 90% wholesale, but we’ve made so many relationships through the years,” says fourth-generation baker Tony Madonia Jr. “It’s an odd situation having the store, but it is necessary and gives an avenue for customers that don’t get deliveries to come in and pick things up. And there’s a lot of people that like to do that, who come almost every day for fresh bread.”
Great Buns celebrated 40 years with a special event on August 16, but every visit from a regular feels special here. Plenty of business people who manage those big wholesale accounts turn into “small” customers, bringing their families to the eastside bakery for a loaf of white chocolate raspberry bread “that makes the most unbelievable French toast,” Madonia says. That’s proof that there’s something special happening here beyond amazing product.
“We have such great relationships with the chefs and owners that they end up coming in themselves, and now we’re seeing different generations coming in,” says Deborah Morelli, Madonia’s cousin. They both serve as owners and operators along with Tony Madonia Sr. and his wife Lynn. “It’s amazing to see the evolution of our customers, and really fun to put a face to a name from a purchase order on a large corporate account.”
More than 35 varieties of hearth-baked rolls and deli breads are at the core of Great Buns’ success, but there are countless artisan options, along with traditional holiday breads and plenty of sweets like cookies, pies, cakes, muffins and more. The bakery’s creativity has always been driven by its customers as the staff—now numbering 120 employees—happily cranks out special requests and perfects each recipe.
“Without the amazing people we’ve worked with over the years, we wouldn’t have near the offering we do today,” Madonia says.
GREAT BUNS BAKERY 3270 E. Tropicana Ave, 702-898-0311, greatbunsbakery.net. Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.
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