Why Australia's most famous bakery looks completely different in the US and Canada

Bakers Delight is an absolute icon in Australia, but if you go looking for those famous custard scrolls overseas, they may not be so easy to find.

That's because the store operates under a completely different name in the US and Canada.

Bakers Delight was already under trademark and in use in Canada, leaving its Aussie owners with a dilemma – fight to use the name, or come up with an alternative.

They came up with an alternative, deciding on Cobs Bread.

There are three different urban legends explaining the origin of the name, and we may never know which one is real.

One story states the name Cobs was selected because it is an acronym of Canada's Own Bread Store.

This story is charming in that it speaks to the company's focus on local shoppers, regardless of where they set up shop.

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Another story claims the name was a nod to the British term for a round loaf of bread; Australians left their own mark on the cob loaf by famously hollowing it out and filling it with delicious dips.

The third story is that the name came from an acronym for the phrase Celebration Of Bread.

Despite the name change, the logo style and colours are similar to Bakers Delight in Australia, and so is the product line up.

Bakers Delight was founded in 1980 by husband and wife team Roger and Lesley Gillespie, along with a third partner, Gary Stephenson, in Hawthorn, Victoria.

The business is now overseen by Elise and David Christie, the Gillespies' daughter and her husband.

The brand now operates over 500 locations across the country and 700 nationally.

Bakers Delight first expanded overseas in New Zealand in 1995 and there are now 19 sites there.

The chain opened its first Canadian store in November 2003 in Edgemont Village, North Vancouver, British Columbia.

The overseas portion of the business is run by son Aaron Gillespie, who moved to Canada to take care of the brand's overseas expansion.

Cobs Bread now has over 140 bakeries across Canada, but just six in the US, where bakery competition is fierce.

Bakers Delight in Australia is currently upgrading several locations across the country. The first, Malvern East in Victoria, reopened this weekend.

Next in line are Unley in South Australia, which will close its doors from April 27 until May 8, and Springfield in New South Wales, which will shut up shop from May 11 until May 23.

Thornton in New South Wales will be closed from May 11 until May 28, and Chirnside Park in Victoria will be closed for business from May 11 until May 27.

The refurbishments will include improvements to "efficiency and customer experience" including dedicated third-party delivery pickup zones, and updating to modern, 'breaducation'-focused signage".

Bakers Delight is also trialling a barista coffee service at hot cabinets at one location at its newly-opened Camberwell Place bakery in Melbourne.

There is potential for these features to roll out at additional stores, pending the outcome of this trial.

Bakers Delight has also added a brand new product to its Aussies stores, a delicious cruffin range. So far they come in two flavours, Choc Hazelnut and Custard, and cost $4.80 each.

And for Mother's Day on May 10, Bakers Delight will sell a limited-edition Pink Cruffin Twin Pack for $9.60, with $1 from every twin pack sold going to the Breast Cancer Network (BCNA).

This will lead into Bakers Delight's annual Pink Bun campaign for BCNA, which kicks off on May 14.

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