Metropolitan Baking Co., a Hamtramck-based bakery that supplies fresh and frozen bread products to restaurants, universities, institutions, stadiums, and retail establishments across the U.S., has recently expanded its operations to more than 110,000-square-feet on 20 acres of land.
Metropolitan has been making virtually every kind of bread, bun, and roll product — more than 200 of them — since 1945. The company provides the hot dog and hamburger buns at Comerica Park in Detroit, select buns at Yankee Stadium, as well as dozens of other major league and minor league ballparks from coast to coast.
In addition, Metropolitan services schools from kindergarten to universities, hundreds of independent grocery stores, well-known names like Walmart, Kroger, Sam’s Club, and restaurants including some of the largest national chains and popular local spots.
“Hamburger and hot dog buns aren’t our only products, not by a long shot,” says George Kordas, CEO of Metropolitan Baking Co. “But they pretty much take center stage this time of year when families are in their backyards grilling. We expect to produce millions of buns during the upcoming summer season. In fact, you’ll even see our Kordas’ brand hotdog buns at Walmart stores across the country this summer.”
According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, Americans will consume 7 billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day. That’s 818 hot dogs consumed by people every second of the traditional summer season.
While the market for coney buns and other bread products continues to grow, Kordas cautions that there has been a perfect storm with a pandemic induced supply chain crunch, labor constraints, bad weather out west, and the war in Ukraine.
Still, Metropolitan is planning to expand its facility in Hamtramck to add 20-30 percent more capacity and 30 employees in the near future to increase efficiencies and continue to remain competitively priced while meeting growing customer demand.
“We’re optimistic about the future,” says Kordas. “This is not a business where you get ahead by standing still. If you’re in Michigan, the chances are that you’ve recently enjoyed one of our products. We intend to keep it that way.”
