Dog Tag Bakery

Dog Tag Bakery at 3206 Grace Street NW operates as a commercial bakery and as an employment program simultaneously. The business is the platform for Dog Tag Inc., a nonprofit that runs an 18-week entrepreneurship fellowship for veterans and military spouses with service-connected disabilities. Fellows work in the bakery during their program, gaining food production and business operation experience while taking academic coursework through a partnership with Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. The bread, pastries, and coffee sold at the Grace Street counter are the real commercial output of the program, not a simulation.

Dog Tag Inc. was founded in 2014, and the Georgetown location opened in 2016. The bakery produces breakfast pastries, quiches, soups, sandwiches, and baked goods across a menu that changes seasonally and reflects the skills being developed by the current fellow cohort. The coffee program is run with the same standards applied to the food. The results are not compromised by the educational dimension of the operation. The product quality reflects what it takes to build a real business, because building a real business is what the fellows are learning to do.

The Grace Street address puts the bakery on a quiet block in lower Georgetown, a short walk from the C and O Canal and from the waterfront. The neighborhood clientele overlaps with the canal towpath users and the residents of the surrounding blocks. Georgetown University students, who share a relationship with the program through the university’s academic partnership, are a regular presence.

The bakery’s double mission is visible from the counter without being intrusive. The staff includes current fellows and program graduates. The merchandise includes books and materials about the program for customers who want to understand what they are supporting. The operation makes it possible to buy a croissant and know exactly where it came from, which is not something most bakeries can offer.

Hours run Monday through Friday from 7am to 5pm. The bakery is closed Saturday and Sunday, which reflects its operation as a training environment rather than a purely commercial enterprise. The weekday hours serve the morning commuter and lunch crowd that passes through lower Georgetown. For visitors who want to learn more about the fellowship program, the staff are knowledgeable about the application process and the organization’s broader work. More information is available at dogtagbakery.com. The fellowship model means that the staff behind the counter changes on an 18-week cycle, which gives the operation a different texture than a conventional bakery. Each cohort brings different backgrounds, and the menu sometimes reflects the skills and interests of the current class. The Georgetown University partnership provides academic instruction in business and entrepreneurship that complements the practical training in the bakery. Dog Tag Inc. has graduated hundreds of fellows since the Georgetown location opened, and several alumni have gone on to open their own food businesses. The Grace Street address is a working training facility, and the bread and coffee on the counter are the evidence.