Panera Catering
- What is the history of your company?
The Panera Bread® legacy began in 1981 as Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. and prospered along the east coast of the United States. In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. purchased a chain of 20 bakery-cafes located in the St. Louis area called the Saint Louis Bread Company®. Between 1993 and 1997 the company managed a comprehensive re-staging of Saint Louis Bread Co., and changed the concept's name to Panera Bread.
By 1997, it was clear that Panera Bread had the potential to become one of the leading brands in the nation. At that time Breads of the World, the central Ohio Panera Bread franchisee also began opening locations in Ohio.
Breads of the World is now one of the county’s largest Panera Bread franchisees and operates 48 bakery-cafes in the Columbus, Cincinnati, northern Kentucky and Dayton–metro areas. And additional locations in Colorado.
- What are your company’s strengths?
- With the single goal of making great bread broadly available to consumers across America, Panera Bread freshly bakes more bread each day than any bakery-cafe concept in the country. Every day, at every location, trained bakers handcraft and bake each loaf from scratch, using all-natural ingredients to ensure the highest quality breads.
- Panera Bread understands that great, freshly baked bread makes great meals - including made-to-order sandwiches, tossed-to-order salads and soup served in bread bowls. Our menu items, which start with our all natural, preservative-free breads, feature only the freshest, highest quality ingredients.
- At the close of each day, Panera Bread bakery-cafes donate bread and baked goods to community organizations serving those in need.
- What is your chef’s favorite dish on the menu and why?
Anthony Whitley, Breads of the World Chef, Bakery District Manager says that his favorite menu item is the baguette. He shares that the ingredients alone “aren’t much”. “Flour, water salt and yeast alone aren’t much, but, put them all together and it’s something of value – something special – our baguette.” The baguette is perfect with the You Pick 2 combo, a cup of soup or even at home with a pasta dinner.
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