10 fun facts about Franz Bakery

If you are driving to or from Spokane Valley, you will likely see the sign for Franz Bakery from the highway. Franz Bakery’s branches are located across the city in Monroe and Market and in the Spokane Valley. And by the time you’re at the grocery store, you’ve likely bought Frank Bakery’s bread, pies, and the company’s range of donuts, from raspberries and chocolate to pumpkins, blueberries, and lemon.

Here are 10 fun facts about the bakery business from Franz’s website:

1. Franz is a family business founded in 1906 and based in Portland, Oregon.

2. The founder, Engelbert Franz, moved to the United States when he was 15 to work in his uncle’s bakery in Portland.

3. The original bakery was called the United States Bakery.

4. Franz’s brothers followed him shortly after he moved to the USA and soon took over the bakery from their uncle.

5. In collaboration with the owner of Yaw’s Top Notch Restaurant – now permanently closed – Engelbert Franz invented the hamburger bun with a diameter of 5 inches.

6. Franz holds the Guinness world record for the longest hot dog bun. The record breaking bun measured 104 feet, 9½ inches.

7. The Spokane Franz facility makes the rolls for all Wendy’s franchises owned by Wenspok.

8. Before Franz took over, the facility in Spokane was called Boge Bakery.

9. There are three Franz Bakeries in Washington. In addition to the Spokane location, there are two in Seattle.

10. In 2014, the Spokane location was the first of nine Franz bakeries in the northwest to achieve 100% landfill-free status.

Further information is available at www.franzbakery.com.