BUSINESS
Panera Bread Fulfilling the Bread Lover’s Soul
by Helen Chade Mahshi S
troll into Panera Bread in the Talega Village early in the morning, and in- hale deeply to enjoy the fragrance
of fresh baked bread and coffee brewing. Ready for business at 6 am, this bakery/restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. The San Clemente village, which has always en- joyed the diversity and uniqueness of lo- cally owned eateries, welcomed this
hosts a baker on the premises who starts his or her job at 9 pm each evening. Work- ing long into the night, the baker prepares the following day’s menu. Artisan breads such as cinnamon raisin, tomato basil, and three cheese creations are ready for con- sumption at day break. Whatever doesn’t sell by night fall is donated to the Family Assistance Ministry in town. In a culture where many are
concerned about the nutritional status of foods, including the calorie count of any given item, Panera Bread has the distinction of being one of the first restau- rants to include nutritional stats on their menus. Health con- scious customers will find items there like salads, soups, sand- wiches as well as low fat smoothies prepared fresh and easy on the calories. Breaking ground in the early
The doors open at 6am.
successful restaurant chain in the spring of 2010. Panera Bread features fresh sand-
wiches, salads, soups and artisan pastries, as well as comfort foods like macaroni and cheese, hot breakfast sandwiches, and de- licious chocolate chip cookies. Top sellers there include the bacon, turkey bravo sandwich served on tomato basil bread, and the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad. Fresh- ness is guaranteed. Each of Panera Bread’s 1,500 locations
‘80s in St. Louis, Missouri as the St. Louis Bread Company, the restaurant then changed its name to Panera Bread and has expanded across the country. Sixty percent are franchise groups, and 40% are corporate owned. Its ticker symbol: PNRA is the, “#1 food traded company in the stock market,” said Sandy
McElfresh, Director of Sales and Marketing for Panera Bread. Having a strong philanthropic bent,
every October for the last ten years Panera Bread has baked a pink ribbon bagel. A por- tion of this bagel’s sales are donated to breast cancer research, and upwards of $1,000,000 has been raised for this cause. There are eleven of these cafes in Or-
ange County, with the newest restaurant launched in San Juan Capistrano last Sep- tember. Each Panera Bread café works with
Panera Bread is located in the Talega Village Center.
a hunger relief organization in their spe- cific area. The Orange County restaurants have partnered with SOS (Share Our- selves) in Orange County which serves the impoverished and working poor popula- tions. “We hope to build relationships with
more non-profits in the area,” shared Jenny Lynch, Sales and Marketing Manager for the South Orange County Region. “We were just at the Susan G Komen Race giving away 10,000 bagel bites. We catered for many of the teams there as well, and we help local schools raise money with fundraiser nights.” Panera Bread owns four
restaurants in the United States known as “Panera Cares”. These four locations operate purely off donations. For example, a customer or- ders a meal that totals $10. When given the bill, he or she may pay any amount towards the bill. If money is tight, significantly less than the amount owed can be paid. If one is feeling particularly blessed, he or she can pay over the amount owed. This system succeeds, and each location is self-sustain- ing.
Over the holidays, Panera Bread bakes Realtor®
Office: (949) 498-9800 • Fax: (949) 366-6494
MarcieGeorge@cox.net
www.marciegeorge.starsouthcounty.com DRE# 01466163
101 S. El Camino Real, 110 San Clemente, CA 92672
44 SANCLEMENTEJOURNAL
a delicious variety of breads that are beloved by their customers. Two outstand- ing favorites are the Holiday Bread: Sweet egg dough mixed with honey, golden raisins, whole cranberries and semi-sweet chocolate chips, then filled with chopped apples and cinnamon sugar, baked with crumb topping and drizzled with icing. It is sold November 17th through Christmas Eve; and Cranberry Walnut Panettone: Sweet dough mixed with cream cheese, candied orange peel, cranberries and wal- nuts, then topped with Turbinado and powdered sugars. It’s available Thanksgiv- ing week: November 23rd-28th, and De- cember 10th-Christmas Eve. Offer these at any party you are hosting, and your guests
will be forever grateful! Panera Bread also makes available busi-
ness to business catering. “Our catering business is so successful
because our food travels so well and our catering team does a fantastic job of serv- icing our clients,” remarked Lynch. “We
Manager Kate at the front counter.
only hire the best and most professional Catering Coordinators at each location. We take our catering business very seriously, and we want to make our clients look good. We can deliver at any time of the day with a few hours notice,” she added. More can be learned about the cater-
ing options on the website:
www.panera-
bread.com Although this restaurant chain boasts
many locations across the country, the key to its success is that each individual bak- ery/restaurant, including the Talega Village location, hosts its own baker. The Panera Bread experience is described well on its website, “Everyone enjoys choices, espe- cially when they’re fresh, fun and sponta- neous. Right now at Panera Bread, there are plenty of tempting selections to captivate, tantalize and energize your bread-lover’s soul as we celebrate the delicious rewards of the baker’s craft.” b Contact Panera Bread at 949.366.3800
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76