La Boulange owner gets real on Tartine

Pascal Rigo, who just sold his bakery to Starbucks for $100 million (in other words, 10% of an Instragam), had some choice words for famed local bakery Tartine:

“[San Francisco] is the only place in the world where a bakery will make money by having bread at five o’clock in the afternoon. And it’s what—40 or 50 loaves, and each one costs seven bucks? It’s good, yes, but to call it a bakery … it’s bull-sheet.”

We’re perfectly happy that La Boulange has made a bunch of money, especially because they deliver great product. Not sure why he’s so mad at another bakery that people are happy to line up to patronize. Read on at grubstreet.

33 Responses to “La Boulange owner gets real on Tartine”

  1. eyeballs says:

    Boulange and Tartine clearly operate on different levels. Tartine has one location, and a good amount of it’s business seems to be related to the dense concentration of aggressively narcissistic yuppies in the area. Boulange has a good 20 locations and caters to any yuppie requiring predictable-but-barely-above-average fare. good for this dude for selling out to Starbucks (no sarcasm, 100 million is super rad), but he’s clearly just being a fucking asshole.

  2. blah says:

    “You bake bread and sell it? And you think that makes you a bakery?”

    uh … Yeah, Rigo. I think that’s basically what’s involved in being a bakery. Not sure what his issue is.

    • chalkman says:

      Tartine’s “bread” at this point is more like performance art than baking, the hoops you have to jump through (order 48 hours in advance, pick up between 5 and 6) is what he is mocking. I asked the head baker what was the deal with no bread in the morning, and he said “We’d have to get up at 3 in the morning to do that….” you know, LIKE EVERY OTHER FUCKING BAKERY IN THE WORLD!

      La Boulange makes an excellent Epi by the way…

  3. Melanie says:

    Wow, Nick. Way to stay current. Not only was this published over a week ago, it’s been republished ad infinitum, even by your pals over at Uptown Almanac: http://uptownalmanac.com/2012/07/tartine-bull-shheet

    • Nick Pal says:

      Hmm. Yeah, I saw it a couple days ago, and then yesterday afternoon it came up in conversation, and I said “dang, I should’ve posted that.” Sorry I took up space on your internet. Based on the comment below, perhaps you have some reason to be mad about this? Makes me wonder, if I had posted it a week ago, would that have solved your problem or would you have thought up some other reason to be a turd about it?

      • Adam says:

        This blog is a piece of shit that publishes nonsense daily. Melanie, I surprised at your outrage that Nick would report week (or is it weak?) old news. Nick, I’m surprised at your outrage over Melanie’s dickish comments. I haven’t read this crap blog in a month, and this is what I return to read. I suppose I should know better. See you all in a month.

        And P.S. – that $7 bread is 2x the size and 5x the taste of any $4 bread at Whore Foods or Rainbow, i.e. it’s worth the price. I just wish they would invest in a fucking bread slicer.

        • GG says:

          Oh please do keep coming back. Your incisive and cordial contribution to the conversation was definitely worth the time it took you to type it.

    • Kat says:

      You’re right, Melanie. You should get your late-breaking bun news at Uptown Almanac.

  4. no.thanks. says:

    lookit that niggas face. nigga look like ivan drago on draino or some shit.

  5. z.m says:

    Yeah, and the croissants and other breakfast nonsense is available when Tartine opens, and the bread, which you are going to use for dinner anyway, is finished in the late afternoon/early evening. What is the issue again?

    Good Lord Boulange dropped off a cliff in the last two years or so…

  6. scum says:

    This whole thing is as bland as the sheeple lined up waiting to get into tardtine.

  7. someones been drinkin the haterade!

  8. Ciaran says:

    But Boulange’s baguettes are shit, so I struggle to call it a bakery either.

    • eyeballs says:

      no shit, the best baguettes are in france? oh sick, lets just run over to fucking PARIS real quick and get some good-ass bread.

    • Greg says:

      I see London
      My names not Harris
      I go pee pee on those from Paris

    • Malcolm says:

      Yes! Julien was my favorite when I lived in Paris. The rustic style baguettes would come out molten around 5pm. I would get a ball of chevre and a mini bonne maman up the street, sit down on the church steps and eat the entire thing. Oh maaan.

  9. MrEricSir says:

    Butthurt at its finest!

  10. D. Jon Moutarde says:

    Could you guys please post a bunch of new posts and get this jerk’s acromegalic mug off the front page? It’s giving me nightmares. Thank you.

  11. one time i tried to get sourdough at a boulangerie and in paris and was laughed out of the establishment

  12. george says:

    It’s hyperbole, but I guess the underlying spirit is true. Tartine is average among good bakeries in every other city, but cult in SF. Source: I lived in Paris for a few years

  13. oakey says:

    The baguettes at fresh and easy are really good too guys

  14. oakey says:

    “White people, step in here really quick. Look, what’s y’all’s fascination with bread? Seriously? It really ain’t that good. It don’t taste like chicken. And, furthermore, it smells like a baseball glove. I’m saying y’all eat bread with everything. One time I seen this dude eating butter with bread. Yep, that’s it; homie didn’t even make a grilled cheese or nuffin’. Just butter and bread. Lawd hammercy.”-Clyde Singleton