Panera Bread is a fast casual food chain with an empathies on freshly baked food. All of the franchise’s baked goods are baked fresh daily. Restaurants donates any unsold baked goods to hunger relief organizations. There are several food offered at the store. From cheesy breads to green salads. From gluten free foods to chocolate cookies.

The chain has about 1,800 locations across the world. It is a publicly traded company. The franchise headquarters is on Sunset Hills, Missouri. There revenue is close to about $2 billion. There are about 40,100 employees of the company. The chain has had rapid expansion and success within the last few years, and is growing every day.

History

Panera was originally a different set of restaurants known as St. Louis Bread. St. Louis Bread was created by Ken Rosenthal in 1987. The chains first location was in Kirkwood Missouri. The company went on to open 20 more locations. However, there was to be a change in management, as this franchise was soon bought by Au Bon Pain Co. Inc.

Au Bon Pain Co. Inc. saw the potential in St. Louis Bread. The chain change some things. The average volume size for a restaurant was upped by 75%. It was at this time that the restaurant’s name was changed to Panera. The name has its roots in Spanish and Latin, which mean “Bread Basket” and “Time for Bread”.  Although the original restaurants in St. Louis still kept their names.

Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. knew the only way to make so the franchise could reach its potential was to sell off all of its resources. The company was completely renamed to what we now know today. Since the name change the franchise began to grow rapidly. Stock prices grew, and new restaurants were opened every 5 days. The company even bought a stake in the growing chain Paradise Bakery and Café.

Our franchise continued to grow and went on to do some very unique things. It became the first national chain to tell its customers the calorie counts of their food. Further, it was also the first to give its customers free Wi-Fi. Today the chain continues to grow and expand itself with its various menu items.

Menu

The menu of the restaurant is very good. There are several recommended menu items. There grilled cheese for instance comes with your choice of bread. Their salads offer a variety of choices for people of all types of diets. Panera also offers soups, breakfast items, pastries, soufflés, and even whole loaves. The variety is staggering. The taste is fresh and bold.

The price of menu items vary location by location, but they tend to a bit more than other fast food chains. Their Sierra Turkey sandwich costs $8.00. Their Soba Noodle Bowl with Edamame costs $8.00. A whole Chicken Cob salad with Avocado costs $9.00. One of the most interesting thing offered at Panera are their whole loaves. A Loaf of Cinnamon Raisin Swirl costs $5.00. A Sourdough loaf costs $4.00.

The ambiance is calm and private. Guest can sits at booths, tables, or even outside on a patio. There are seating types for whatever a customer wants. The music played in most stores is by and large classical music. Even during hectic lunch rushes it’s easy to feel relaxed. The hygiene tend to be stellar and restaurants are kept clean.

The service tends to also be stellar. Customers are treated well and well considered. Waiting times can often be low. Despite how busy the franchise tends to get, wait times aren’t as terrible as they could be. There are several store locations across the United States. The only states which don’t have any are Utah, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, or Wyoming.

Review

Panera now has delivery service. They also had a coupon offering 50% off on delivery for their members. This was a perfect opportunity to test out the delivery service. It looks like their delivery fee is anywhere from $3-$5 based on distance. I was surprised to see that the delivery guy was their employee (was wearing their company branded t-shirt).

The order placement process on the website was simple and intuitive esp. if you have been to a panera before and know what you want. I was in mood of some sandwich and soup.They have the ability to ask for customizations and an additional place to provide additional remarks or make notes. I asked them to toast my sandwich however it looks like they forgot to do that.

Now to the main part, how was the food. It was delicious and packed well. I was able to eat it out of the packaging so I did not have to make extra mess. Since it only took about 30 mins from the time I placed the order and it arrived at my doorstep, the food was still warm and I could eat it straight away. I am looking forward to trying more things on their menu and reporting back here.