DEERFIELD — After a few months of a temporary closure in which its owner was determining the next steps, Bittersweet Bakery & Cafe reopened its doors this week with a revamped business plan.

Laura Thiem, who owns and operates the 6-year-old bakery and cafe located at 470 Greenfield Road (Routes 5 and 10), temporarily closed her business to take a step back and evaluate a new five-year plan at the end of the summer. That transition period is over, as Thiem officially reopened Thursday afternoon with a single full-time employee — herself — a smaller menu and a renewed focus on dinners. The cafe will be open on Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and occasional pop-up hours on Saturdays.

“The business plan that I had been working with was original to when I opened and that was in August of 2018, when the world was different, the economy was different and the workforce was different,” Thiem said. “The bakery turning six years old was a great time to reevaluate my next steps. … Change is always uncomfortable and it’s scary, both for the person changing things, but also the clientele.”

The plan, she said, is to operate on a smaller scale through the end of the year and then evaluate Bittersweet’s next steps in January, which could involve expanding the hours or adding to the menu.

As part of the new business plan, Thiem said the idea is to keep coffee, teas and a small selection of pastries on the menu, while also branching out into savory food options, such as to-go dinners, and household staples, like loaves of bread. This way, she added, she can continue using her passion for baking and cooking while providing meals to the community, as well as offering the sweets and coffees she’s known for. Additionally, with employees difficult to come by, she will be running Bittersweet by herself for the time being.

With the economy tightening folks’ wallets, she is also hoping the pivot to meals and longer-lasting staples might entice people to stop by, as homemade pastries and artisanal coffees, while a nice treat, are typically the first thing to get cut from family budgets.

“I’m going to use my passion for the hospitality industry and the service industry to still provide really good quality service for new customers and returning customers, but I’m also going to be focusing my offerings on things that customers will see more value in and that will be more nourishing,” Thiem said. “Baked goods are delicious, but they are not a necessity to live and when people need to trim their home budgets, those are some of the first things to go. Specifically eating out, but even more specifically, it’s the morning cup of coffee and the pastry that you would be getting after you do [school] drop-off or on your way to work.”

While changing Bittersweet’s focus is a major decision, this sort of adaptation is nothing new to Thiem, who operated the business throughout the pandemic and often had to adjust on the fly as safety regulations changed. During the pandemic, Bittersweet also provided meals, so this new iteration of the bakery is nothing new.

“If I did it once, I can do it again is how I’ve been going about it,” Thiem said. “I’m super happy with where things are. … Adapting is the biggest thing right now and making sure that it’s also well-received by our community, because without them, this is nothing.”

For more information about Bittersweet Bakery & Cafe, or to view its weekly menus, visit bittersweetbakerycafe.com or its Facebook page at facebook.com/bittersweetbakerycafe.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.