A nationwide sandwich maker confirmed that massive changes and closures are coming.
New Yorkers who love Panera Bread may soon notice some major changes.
Panera Bread Confirms Massive Closures
The company is closing all remaining fresh dough facilities over the next 18 to 24 months, marking the end of its long-running scratch baking operations.
This means the bread at Panera will no longer be baked fresh.
The dough used in bread, bagels, and pastries were produced by the company’s fresh dough facilities. Now, products will arrive half-baked and will be fully-cooked on-site in ovens.
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“Our bread is our superstar and the homage to our brand,” Buchanan said. “We wanted to make sure that the product in store was top quality, using the best ingredients based on our recipes,” Panera chief corporate affairs officer Brooke Buchanan told Nation’s Restaurant News.
Getty Images for IMG
Getty Images for IMG
The goal of this change is to make sure that baked goods are available all day at each location.
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“The hardest thing for our team members is to say, ‘No, we’re out of that product’. If you walk into a bakery-cafe at 4pm and you want an Asiago bagel, you should be able to have that, and you will through this model,” Buchanan added.
The new business model will see Panera partner with external bakeries that will follow the company’s recipes.
Getty Images for Panera
Getty Images for Panera
Panera says affected bakers at its closing fresh dough facilities will be offered positions in bakery-cafés or assisted through company-hosted job fairs.
The company insists quality won’t suffer.
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