Two Lane Tucson — Episode 3: Jane Overbey | Beyond Bread

Season 2

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Delivered asynchronously (Loom + written summary). No sales call required.

Guest: Jane Overbey
Organization: Beyond Bread
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Category: Restaurant & Multi-Location Food Operations


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Episode summary

In this Season 2 episode of Two Lane Tucson, I sit down with Jane Overbey of Beyond Bread, one of Tucson’s most recognizable locally owned food institutions.

Jane joined the company in 2001 when the original Campbell location was still a tiny “hole-in-the-wall” bakery with no seating, a small menu, and weekend lines that ran out the door. What started as a part-time college job quickly turned into a long-term career as she watched the company expand across Tucson.

Over more than two decades, she’s seen Beyond Bread grow from a single small bakery into a multi-location operation with a central commissary and bread mill — and a level of internal logistics most customers never see.

We talk about what it actually takes to keep a scratch-made product consistent at scale: communication between departments, accurate ordering, catering execution and delivery, staffing, training, and the constant pressure of labor and food costs.

Jane is clear about the non-negotiable: protect the product. Because when execution slips, quality drops — and customers don’t come back.


What we cover

  • What Beyond Bread looked like when Jane started in 2001 (Campbell location, small team, no seating, long lines)
  • Why the second location opened (Speedway & Wilmot) and what Jane saw early that made her stay
  • How growth changed the business operationally: logistics, staffing, and cross-department coordination
  • Why customers assume Beyond Bread is corporate — and what locally owned looks like behind the scenes
  • What systems become critical as locations multiply: ordering accuracy and communication
  • Catering operations: scheduling, production, and delivery logistics (including third-party delivery support)
  • Where pressure shows up first: labor + food costs, external shocks, and pricing decisions
  • How Beyond Bread protects quality: refusing to sell subpar product and adjusting when production issues happen
  • What the Bread Mill changed: launching a “part Beyond Bread / part not” concept and making it findable
  • How the airport and Mount Lemmon locations work (licensed operations with product + training standards)
  • How Tucson’s food scene evolved: competition, local loyalty, and changing customer behavior
  • Jane’s leadership lesson after 20+ years: flexibility and the ability to pivot fast

Learn more about

Beyond Bread is a Tucson-based bakery and scratch kitchen that grew from a small Campbell shop into a multi-location operation. Behind the counter, it’s a logistics-heavy business built on systems, communication, and disciplined execution — all in service of a consistent product.

Business profile: Beyond Bread | Tucson Bakery & Scratch Kitchen.


Another Tucson business featured on Two Lane Tucson is

Michelle Nolen | Truly Nolen


This episode is part of the

Two Lane Tucson series.


Tucson context

Beyond Bread is the kind of Tucson business people treat like a fixture — a place to meet up, bring friends, and return to because it’s reliable. The local loyalty is real, but it’s earned through repeatable execution: bread, sandwiches, catering, staffing, and the operational work that keeps standards steady across locations.


For local businesses navigating visibility

If you’re visible but revenue feels unpredictable, the issue is often not traffic — it’s pipeline friction.

The Pipeline Profit Inspection shows exactly what’s limiting calls and booked work (and what to fix next). Delivered asynchronously (Loom + written summary). No sales call required.

Learn more about the Pipeline Profit Inspection.


Links


Transcript (indexable)

Below is a readable transcript excerpt from the conversation. Minor edits were made for clarity.

Read the transcript

Elaine: You’ve been with Beyond Bread for 20 years. What did the company look like when you first joined?

Jane: I started in 2001. It was a tiny “hole in the wall” spot off Campbell. Small menu, small team, no seating — and on weekends the line would go out the door.

Elaine: What drew you in?

Jane: Everything was made from scratch. Bread in the morning, roasted turkeys in the afternoon — it was a small operation, but everyone worked shoulder to shoulder and made it happen.

Elaine: When did you realize you were going to stay long term?

Jane: When the owners decided to open the Speedway and Wilmot location. I saw the following the product had, and I wanted to be part of the team. The bread is the heart of Beyond Bread.

Elaine: What became more complicated as the business expanded?

Jane: Logistics. The bigger you get, the more complicated it gets — especially staff and coordination between departments. You have to streamline processes to execute the product. If you can’t execute it, it’s subpar, and no one wants to come back.

Elaine: Where does pressure show up first?

Jane: Managing people, and managing labor and food costs. That’s one of the major issues for every local restaurant.

Elaine: How do you protect quality at scale?

Jane: You don’t put out a product that isn’t 100%. If something comes out underbaked or not right, you don’t sell it. People pay for a quality product — you give them a quality product.

Elaine: What’s the leadership lesson that’s stuck with you?

Jane: Be flexible. You have to think on your feet, adapt, and be ready to pivot.