Great Harvest Bread Co

It’s a Great Harvest, so of course it’s good. But there are some things that I missed from the GH I usually go to in Minneapolis. There, no matter how busy it is, the people behind the counter greet you with a warm welcome. The Eau Claire store was quiet and low-​energy. At the Minneapolis store, they give you huge chunks of all the bread you want to sample, while in Eau Claire they gave me one small slice.
The product from the EC store was decent. I loved the white chocolate cherry scone, which had milk chocolate ganache-​type stuff drizzled over the top, and the bread I sampled. I also got the berry scone, which was not good. There was too much moisture in the mix from the berries, so they didn’t cook all the way through.
This storefront is also really hard to find. It’s tucked away amongst random small businesses in this maze of roads that lead every which way. I’ll come here again if I’m desperate and have lots of time on my hands.

While road-​tripping it up to Minneapolis, Minnesota from Chicago, Illinois, I noticed our car was low on gas. We pulled over on Eau Claire’s Highway 93 to the Speedway gas station. While exiting the parking lot, we glanced over and saw a parking lot full of cars and a sign stating «Great Harvest Bread Company.» It was like a mirage since we were starving and arguing on which greasy joint we were going to end up with.
We followed our eyes and noses into the bakery with shelves of freshly baked bread loaves. Everyone gets a free tasting chunk of bread straight from the cutting board. While they don’t technically sell lunches (like sandwiches), they do have delicious hot soup combos that come with a slice of bread. My top three bread picks are the Cheddar Garlic, Honey Wheat (all whole wheat bread with a hint of sweet honey), and Apple Crunch. No matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong! They also sell fabulously large cinnamon swirls, freshly baked dog treats (obviously much harder than the human bread) and organic granola. If you live nearby, get a stamped card to earn a free loaf after 9 item purchases. Oh and say ‘hello’ to the fun, knowledgeable and talkative lady who greets and helps you right when you enter the door.