Uprise Bakery
At Uprise Bakery, you can get a delicious baguette, a fresh cup of coffee, or your favorite mixed drink; but the restaurant also gives you something money can’t buy: a great peek at the bikey culture of Columbia.
Located at 10 Hitt Street, the restaurant’s central Columbia location makes it an easy place for those on foot or bike to pop in for breakfast, lunch or an afternoon snack. This is evident on any given day by the full bike racks out front and the eclectic mix of the young, old, urban hip, and suburban hungry inside. While Uprises’ main focus is bread, they are also serving up a place of community where everyone feels welcome.
“Of the 40 people who work at the bakery, more than half of them regularly bike or walk to work and it's part of the culture of our workplace,” said Courtney Rottinghause, manager of staff and production. “Everybody bikes because it's efficient and because they like to be active.”
Uprise Bakery takes care of its biking customers as well. “We provide ample space for customer bike parking in front of our building,” explained Rottinghause. “We have several bike racks and plan to get more racks for bicycle parking this spring. We love seeing the front of the building and patio railing filled with bikes because it's positive for our business if more people use active transportation.”
While people watching is a great pastime here, what really brings the crowds is the food. “Uprise Bakery's main focus is bread. We offer naturally leavened bread, baked the way bread has been crafted for centuries using wild yeast. We love baking crusty bread to eat with our homemade soup,” said Rottinghause. Uprise Bakery is owned by Ron Rottinghause and Holly Roberson. Ron is Courtney’s husband and the head baker.
It’s not only about bread, though. From 6:30am to 8pm Uprise Bakery features a full menu with sandwiches, salads, soups and more. There are also fresh pastries, cookies and cakes. After 8, the bar is available for late night libations.
Uprise Bakery plans to become even more bike, environment, and health friendly in the future by adding a delivery bike service for their downtown restaurant customers.
For more about Uprise Bakery you can visit their Facebook page, call 256-2265, or email Courtney at cr7130@gmail.com
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