Panera Bread (called
St. Louis Bread Company in the
St. LouisSt. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. With an estimated population of 354,361 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of Greater St. Louis, population 2,866,517, the largest urban area in Missouri and sixteenth largest in the United States...
metropolitan area) is a
chainFranchising is the practice of using another person's business model. The franchisor grants the independent operator the right to distribute its products, techniques, and trademarks for a percentage of gross monthly sales and a royalty fee...
of
bakeryA bakery is an establishment which produces or/and sells bread, pies, pastries, cakes & cupcakes, biscuits, cookies, muffins, rolls, pretzels, doughnuts, and other baked goods prepared by bakers. Many retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to enjoy the freshly...
-
caféA café , also spelled cafe, is an informal restaurant offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches. This differs from a coffee house, which is a limited-menu establishment which focuses on coffee sales. Depending on the jurisdiction, a café may be licensed to serve alcohol. The term...
restaurants in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
which sells
breadBread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and possibly more ingredients. Doughs are usually baked in the Western world , but in some cuisines breads are steamed, fried, or baked on a hot skillet. It may be leavened or unleavened...
s, sandwiches, soups, salads, bakery items, and
organic foodOrganic foods are made according to certain production standards. For the vast majority of human history, agriculture can be described as organic; only during the 20th century was a large supply of new synthetic chemicals introduced to the food supply...
s; some locations offer dinner pizzas. Panera is considered a "fast casual" restaurant and offers
cateringCatering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose. Mobile catering is common at outdoor events , workplaces, and downtown business districts.-Event catering:Event ranges...
as well. It is headquartered in Saint Louis,
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
.
In 1993,
Au Bon PainAu Bon Pain is a fast-casual bakery and cafe chain headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Louis Rapuano and Louis Kane founded the first Au Bon Pain in Boston, Massachusetts in 1978....
Co.
Panera Bread (called
St. Louis Bread Company in the
St. LouisSt. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. With an estimated population of 354,361 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of Greater St. Louis, population 2,866,517, the largest urban area in Missouri and sixteenth largest in the United States...
metropolitan area) is a
chainFranchising is the practice of using another person's business model. The franchisor grants the independent operator the right to distribute its products, techniques, and trademarks for a percentage of gross monthly sales and a royalty fee...
of
bakeryA bakery is an establishment which produces or/and sells bread, pies, pastries, cakes & cupcakes, biscuits, cookies, muffins, rolls, pretzels, doughnuts, and other baked goods prepared by bakers. Many retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to enjoy the freshly...
-
caféA café , also spelled cafe, is an informal restaurant offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches. This differs from a coffee house, which is a limited-menu establishment which focuses on coffee sales. Depending on the jurisdiction, a café may be licensed to serve alcohol. The term...
restaurants in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
which sells
breadBread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and possibly more ingredients. Doughs are usually baked in the Western world , but in some cuisines breads are steamed, fried, or baked on a hot skillet. It may be leavened or unleavened...
s, sandwiches, soups, salads, bakery items, and
organic foodOrganic foods are made according to certain production standards. For the vast majority of human history, agriculture can be described as organic; only during the 20th century was a large supply of new synthetic chemicals introduced to the food supply...
s; some locations offer dinner pizzas. Panera is considered a "fast casual" restaurant and offers
cateringCatering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose. Mobile catering is common at outdoor events , workplaces, and downtown business districts.-Event catering:Event ranges...
as well. It is headquartered in Saint Louis,
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
.
Corporate history
In 1993,
Au Bon PainAu Bon Pain is a fast-casual bakery and cafe chain headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Louis Rapuano and Louis Kane founded the first Au Bon Pain in Boston, Massachusetts in 1978....
Co. purchased the Saint Louis Bread Company, which was founded by Ken Rosenthal. At the same time, the St. Louis Bread Company was renovating its 20 bakery-cafés in the
St. LouisSt. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. With an estimated population of 354,361 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of Greater St. Louis, population 2,866,517, the largest urban area in Missouri and sixteenth largest in the United States...
area.
In May 1999, to expand Panera Bread into a national restaurant, Au Bon Pain Co. sold its other chains, including Au Bon Pain, which is now owned by
Compass Group North AmericaCompass Group plc , a British company, is a leading food service business. It provides catering services to many types of institutions, which include: schools, hospitals, prisons, airports, companies and resident healthcare homes. It is headquartered in Chertsey, Surrey to the south west of London...
. Au Bon Pain Co. then renamed itself Panera Bread. The company operates or franchises 1,272 Panera Bread bakery-cafés in 40 states and 17 facilities that deliver fresh dough to the bakery-cafés every day. Panera Bread's CEO is Ron Shaich.
In its headquarters city of St. Louis, Panera Bread still operates under the name St. Louis Bread Company. The St. Louis metropolitan area has over 50 locations.
In 2005, Panera ranked 37th on
BusinessWeekBusinessWeek is a business magazine published by McGraw-Hill. It was first published in 1929 under the direction of Malcolm Muir, who was serving as president of the McGraw-Hill Publishing company at the time. BusinessWeek is a business magazine published by McGraw-Hill. It was first published...
s list of "Hot Growth Companies", earning $38.6 million with a 42.9% increase in profits.
Panera Bread expanded into
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, beginning in 2008 with Richmond Hill and Mississauga, both in the
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
area.
On January 25, 2008, a class action lawsuit was filed against Panera Bread on behalf of investors who bought company stock between November 1, 2005 and July 26, 2006, alleging that Panera Bread failed to disclose material adverse facts about the company's financial well-being, business relationships, and prospects.
In a 2008
HealthHealth is an American magazine focused on women's health. It was purchased by Time Inc. in 1991 after the closure of its original owner, Family Media. The company now operates as a part of Time's Southern Progress Corporation. The magazine's topics range from diet and recipes to fashion tips and...
magazine study, Panera Bread was judged America's most healthy
fast food restaurantA fast food restaurant, sometimes known as a quick service restaurant or QSR, is a specific type of restaurant characterized both by its fast food cuisine and by minimal table service...
.
In 2009, the restaurant review service
ZagatZagat Survey Zagat Survey Zagat Survey ( was established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979 as a way to collect and correlate the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, covering New York City, the Zagats surveyed their friends. As of 2005, the Zagat Survey included 70 cities, with...
named Panera one of the most popular restaurants for eating on the go. Panera was also rated #1 for Best Healthy Option, Best Salad, and Best Facilities, among restaurants with less than 5,000 locations.
Internet access
Most locations offer free wireless Internet (
Wi-FiWi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance for certified products based on the IEEE 802.11 standards. This certification warrants interoperability between different wireless devices....
) access to customers. Panera operates the largest free wireless network in the United States. This service includes
SonicWALLSonicWALL is a public company that provides Internet security solutions and appliances. SonicWALL has three business units: Network Security, Content Security, and Business Continuity...
Internet filtering, which queries a central database before blocking or allowing access by category; the filter has been known to incorrectly categorize sites. Many locations restrict the duration of free wi-fi during peak hours to 30 or 60 minutes.
External links