In Bridesmaids, Annie’s failed business was a bakery. She had invested her savings and emotional energy into running a small bakery, but the venture closed before the main events of the film.
The failed bakery helps explain Annie’s difficult situation at the start of the story. She is struggling financially, living with an unpleasant roommate, and working a job she dislikes. Her business failure also makes her especially sensitive when her friend Lillian’s wealthy new friend, Helen, appears to have a more successful and polished life.
The bakery is easy to confuse with the film’s other food-centered details, especially the famous bridal-party scenes involving pastries and the disastrous dress-shopping meal. Annie’s business is not a restaurant or a catering company: it is specifically a bakery. Her history as a baker also connects to her friendship with Lillian, who was one of the people who encouraged her dream.