For more than a century, Helen Bernhard Bakery has been a beloved staple in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1924 and still operating in its original neighborhood, the bakery has built a reputation for craftsmanship, tradition, and an unwavering commitment to quality.
From custom cakes to European-style pastries, donuts, breads, cookies, and celebration desserts, Helen Bernhard Bakery has served generations of families marking birthdays, weddings, holidays, and everyday sweet moments. Their loyal community knows the bakery as both a historic landmark and a modern destination for handcrafted baked goods that feel timeless and fresh all at once.
Today, the bakery continues to honor its legacy while embracing new ways to serve its growing customer base. With a bustling retail counter, an incredibly active custom cake program, and seasonal rushes that challenge even the most organized teams, Helen Bernhard Bakery uses the new BakeSmart platform to streamline operations and support their next chapter of growth.
The bakery uses BakeSmart for order management, POS, and eCommerce making it a full-suite adoption designed to protect their standards while giving staff the tools they need to keep pace with demand.
When the bakery implemented BakeSmart, the team quickly felt the impact of having all orders (retail, custom, and online) working through one system.
“Using the online order system was great. It reduced phone calls and ramped us up to 20+ orders per day that we did not have to write up ourselves.”
—Mike Snaadt, Owner, Helen Bernhard Bakery
By digitizing orders that were previously taken by hand, the bakery eliminated lost tickets, improved accuracy, and gained a clearer picture of daily production needs. This change alone helped the team stay ahead during the Thanksgiving rush, where even small efficiencies can translate into major operational wins.
“All orders being digital enabled more accurate predicted counts and will help for planning purposes for 2026 holidays. The numbering system and digital tickets meant we had no lost orders.”
—Mike Snaadt, Owner, Helen Bernhard Bakery
Like with all BakeSmart bakeries, the BakeSmart team worked closely with Helen Bernhard Bakery to ensure the platform supported their full product line and holiday production flow. Even during testing, their team pushed the system intentionally and BakeSmart responded.
“Mike (Clements) said we pushed the test server to the limit… Using the platform was great and will be fine going forward.”
—Mike Snaadt, Owner, Helen Bernhard Bakery
Mike Snaadt also highlighted the value of ongoing support:
“Tech Support is always top-notch and one reason I recommend you guys when I get the chance.”
As they look ahead, Helen Bernhard Bakery is exploring additional features to improve FOH visibility, like viewing order-ready status directly from POS stations, which will further tighten communication during peak periods.
With BakeSmart, Helen Bernhard Bakery has strengthened the operational backbone behind its storied brand. They’ve reduced manual work, improved accuracy, gained better production insights, and created a more seamless experience for both staff and customers, all while preserving the heritage their community cherishes.
BakeSmart is proud to support a bakery with such deep roots, rich history, and an unwavering commitment to quality. Here's to the next 100 years of growth, connection, and beautifully crafted baked goods.