Ron Shaich, Panera’s founder, Chairman and CEO, and his late partner Louis Kane created Au Bon Pain Co. Inc. in 1981. In the 1980's, Panera founder Ron Shaich merged his cookie store with a bakery to create the Au Bon Pain Co.; in 1991, the carb-focused entity made its debut on the public market. The prices were lower than I expected, equal to or cheaper than Panera Bread. [79] The recipient of the sandwich was hospitalized briefly. [36], In January 2017, Panera announced its food menu was free of artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives. Boston-based Au Bon Pain … Panera Bread will become a new dining option on campus, replacing multiple Au Bon Pain locations, according to Penn State News. [88], Media related to Panera Bread at Wikimedia Commons, American restaurant chain specializing in soups, salads and sandwiches, 2017 class action for failure to pay overtime wages, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, List of restaurant chains in the United States, "Panera Bread Software Purchases and Digital Transformation Initiatives", "Panera Bread Company 2016 Form 10-K Annual Report", "Panera Bread Founder Ron Shaich to Step Down as CEO", "Your Favorite Summer Salad is Back at Panera Bread", "Turkey and Cranberry: A Classic Combination", "5 Things You Didn't Know About the Panera Bread Chain", "Panera's Ron Shaich Really Rolls In The Dough", "AU BON PAIN TO ACQUIRE SAINT LOUIS BREAD COMPANY", "Panera Bread, Au Bon Pain to Reunite for First Time Since 1998", "Panera Bread finalizing headquarters search", "Panera to buy majority interest in Southwest regional chain", "Panera to pay $5.75 million to settle lawsuit", "Panera Bread Settles Class Action Suit Alleging Stock Fraud", "Panera opens new headquarters in Sunset Hills", "Kiosks Keep Their Cool: Even in a smartphone era, touch-screen kiosks give brands a fun, efficient ordering innovation", "More Kiosks, Fewer Cashiers Coming Soon to Panera", "Digital orders now account for 26 percent of Panera sales, company says", "Panera avoided Starbucks' biggest mistake and reached a $1 billion milestone", "More Paradise Bakery restaurants changing over to Panera Bread Co", "Panera Bread Has Acquired a Majority Stake in Tatte Bakery [UPDATED]", "Panera Bread's 2,000th store opening in Elyria (photo)", "Panera Says Its Food Menu Is Now 100% 'Clean Eating, "Panera's Ron Shaich is stepping down as CEO, but first he's repurchasing Au Bon Pain", "Panera Bread Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Au Bon Pain", "Panera will buy Au Bon Pain to gain bigger slice of bakery-cafe market", "What's buzzing at Panera? The company operates as Saint Louis Bread Company in the Greater St. Louis area, where it has over 100 locations. Maggie McGrath is an associate editor at Forbes and the editor of ForbesWomen, the Forbes vertical dedicated to covering all angles of female entrepreneurship. The Rosenthals invested $150,000 and received a $150,000 Small Business Administration loan. Over the summer, Panera was acquired by JAB, a … Blaine Hurst, a Panera veteran who is also its current president, will become the fast-casual chain's new CEO. The main difference is that Au Bon Pain has a way of avoiding long lines by having pre … Boston-based Au Bon Pain has about 300 locations. After the company went public in 1991, it purchased the Saint Louis Bread Company, which was later renamed Panera. [77] The lawsuit was settled in June 2012. 1 for Best Healthy Option,[88] Best Salad,[87] and Best Facilities, among restaurants with fewer than 5,000 locations in 2009. Shaich stepped away from day-to-day management of Panera once before -- in 2010 -- but returned to the chief executive post within a year. [72][73] The plaintiff also said he was fired after requesting another month off after returning from three months of sick leave. [5] Offerings include bakery items, pasta, salads, sandwiches, soups, and specialty drinks. [87], Panera was also rated No. He and the late Louis Kane started Au Bon Pain in 1981. Panera Bread Company is an American chain store of bakery-café fast casual restaurants with over 2,000 locations, all of which are in the United States and Canada. The latest deal also unites Panera Chief Executive Officer Ron Shaich with his old business. [18], In 2007, Panera Bread purchased a 51% stake in Paradise Bakery & Café, a Phoenix metropolitan area-based concept with over 70 locations in 10 states, predominantly in the west and southwest, for $21.1 million. The Rosenthals invested $150,000 and received a $150,000 Small Business Administration loan. [15] At the same time, the St. Louis Bread Company renovated its 20 bakery-cafés in the St. Louis area. The decrease in interest expense is primarily due to repayment of the Company’s outstanding debt with the proceeds from the sale of the Au Bon Pain Division. [21][22], In October 2008, Panera Bread expanded into Canada, opening locations in Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Oakville, and Mississauga in the Greater Toronto Area. "We are deeply grateful for Ron’s amazing contributions to Panera’s success over the last decades," added Olivier Goudet, JAB Partner and CEO. (Photo credit: KENA BETANCUR/AFP/Getty Images). ll of the Au Bon Pain divisions were sold, and the remaining company was renamed Panera LLC. [24] The company leased additional space for its headquarters in 2013. Panera Bread is buying the Boston-based bakery-cafe chain Au Bon Pain for an undisclosed amount. [9][15], In May 1999, Au Bon Pain Co. sold Au Bon Pain to Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co. for $78 million, in order to focus on the Panera Bread chain. While Panera's former CEO Ron Schaich claimed that Panera's menus continue to be completely void of artificial flavors, sweeteners, and ingredients,[68] Tabler argues against the company's intentional redaction of the fact that their products contain traces of the synthetic biocide glyphosate. SUMMARY OF TERMS GOVERNING ACCESS / USE: Do not access or use this site/app (“Service”) if you are not authorized to do so. [26][27] Customers can also place orders and pay via an app on their smartphone or tablet. St. Louis-based Panera now has more than 2,000 restaurants and employs about 100,000. This departure seems likelier to stick. In order to focus on national expansion, Panera sold Au Bon Pain in 1999. [56][57] Several of their sites served 3,500 customers weekly. [38] The company also announced the acquisition of Au Bon Pain. Crisis Catalyzes Demand For Digital Infrastructure, MoneyStamps Of South America - As Investments, They’re Different – Part 1, Covid-19 Related Municipal Defaults Begin, The Dynamics Of Price Discovery In The Stamp Market, Covid-19 Virus Affect On The Stamp Market. Panera Bread bakery-cafes donate $100 million worth of unsold bread and baked goods annually to local organizations in need. Au Bon Pain, a chain fast-casual bakery in 24 Eastern states and Washington, D.C., was purchased by Panera three years ago and has seen its footprint decline … [53], In 2010, the company's nonprofit foundation created Panera Cares, a "Pay what you can" restaurant in its home market of St. Panera Bread announced on Wednesday that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Au Bon Pain Holding Co. Inc. EASY TO USE. Panera Bread. .2 million shares, or $400 million worth, of Panerea stock. Au Bon Pain was sold off in 1999 so that the company could focus on Panera. The food is delicious and you can tell that they use high quality, fresh ingredients. [45][46][47] Panera said the leak affected fewer than 10,000 customers and had been fixed. [29][30], In June 2014, Panera unveiled its official Food Policy which detailed commitments to clean ingredients, transparency, and a positive impact on the food system. [32], In September 2015, many Paradise Bakery & Café locations were rebranded as Panera Bread. [75][76] Covelli Enterprises is the single largest franchisee of Panera Bread with nearly 300 stores in northeast Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Florida. [6], On November 8, 2017, Panera announced that founder Ron Shaich was stepping down as CEO, and company president Blaine Hurst would take over. St. Louis-based Panera now has more than 2,000 restaurants and employs about 100,000. JAB Holding acquired Sunset Hill, Missouri-based Panera Bread, taking it private, in April 2017, and followed that with the acquisition of Au Bon Pain in November. [48], In May 2018, the company introduced delivery services to 897 cities in 43 states, employing its own drivers. Their extensive menu is equipped with a large selection of tasty soups, sandwiches, salads, breakfast foods, and sweet treats, which can make deciding what to order while dining there quite a challenge. [12], In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co., a public company, purchased the St. Louis Bread Company for $23 million. The company went public in 1991 and acquired Saint Louis Bread Company in 1993. It includes tablet kiosks with iPads, which the company calls Fast Lane, where customers may place an order and pay without approaching the counter. “With the acquisition we are announcing today, we are bringing Au Bon Pain and Panera together again," Shaich said in a statement Wednesday. Panera Bread and Au Bon Pain are getting back together, 18 years after splitting apart. Trust me, that’s a better investment. The space is large and well laid out. The company, which also owns Au Bon Pain, is owned by JAB Holding Company which is, in turn, owned by the Reimann family of Germany. [66] Panera also supports events held by nonprofit organizations serving those in need by donating a certificate or fresh bakery products. [80], In December 2017, former employees filed a class action lawsuit against the company, claiming that they were not paid overtime wages. [55] It later expanded the concept to Dearborn, Michigan; Portland, Oregon; Chicago; and Boston. And so, in 1999, a ll of the Au Bon Pain divisions were sold, and the remaining company was renamed Panera LLC. Au Bon Pain Co. was co-founded in 1981 by Ron Shaich, who acquired a chain of bakery restaurants that became known as Panera and later spun off Au Bon Pain. [37][6], On July 18, 2017, JAB Holding Company acquired the company for $7.16 billion. [78], In 2016, a lawsuit was filed after an employee at a Natick, Massachusetts store put peanut butter on a sandwich, despite being informed that the person receiving the sandwich had a peanut allergy. And so, in 1999, all of the Au Bon Pain divisions were sold, and the remaining company was renamed Panera LLC. Au Bon Pain gift cards are redeemable for purchases of food and beverages at participating Au Bon Pain cafés. Two years later, Shaich acquired the St. Louis Bread Company, a then-19-unit chain he renamed to "Panera" in order to position it for national growth. [84][85], In a 2008 Health magazine study, Panera Bread was judged North America's healthiest fast casual restaurant and one of North America's enemies of obese children. Au Bon Pain is a chain of bakeries located in 28 states. [23], In November 2010, Panera Bread relocated its headquarters to Sunset Hills while vacating its Richmond Heights headquarters and Brentwood, Missouri offices. Panera was notified privately about the vulnerability in August 2017 but failed to fix it until after it was disclosed publicly eight months later. The two fast-casual bakery chains announced Wednesday afternoon that Panera has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Au Bon Pain and its 304 locations. The company went on to acquire Saint Louis Bread Co., which was later renamed Panera. [72] Panera said it "does not discriminate based on national origin, race or sex," and that the plaintiff "was terminated because he had used all of his medical leave and was unable to return to work. Do not share access to this Service. We can smell the fear (and bread bowls). It's buying Au Bon Pain and the CEO is resigning", "Life Alive gets a makeover in the next act by Panera's Ron Shaich - The Boston Globe", "Panera launching 'clean' consulting business", "Panera wants to help other brands clean up their menus — and it shows how the sandwich chain is doubling down on a key strategy in a new era", "Panerabread.com Leaks Millions of Customer Records", "Panera Bread's website leaks customer records: KrebsOnSecurity", "Panera accused security researcher of "scam" when he reported a major flaw", "Panera almost killed its delivery test 4 years ago — now it's dominating the industry and rolling out across the US", "Panera: Why It Isn't Using a Delivery Partner", "Panera launches nationwide food delivery service", "Panera Bread launches delivery in some suburbs", "Panera adds pizza to its menu to double down on dinner", "Panera café in Lakeview allows patrons to pay what they want", "Panera Cares café in Boston let you pay full price, more than that, or less if you can't afford the food", "Panera Cares, Other Eateries Tackle Hunger With 'Pay-What-You-Can' Plan", "Panera Bread pay-what-you-want cafe near St. Louis to close", "Panera to Close Last of Its Pay-What-You-Can Cafes", "Panera to Use All Cage-Free Eggs by 2020", "Panera Bread® Shares Animal Welfare Progress and Makes New Cage-Free Commitment", "Panera Bread® Broadens Leadership on Animal Welfare Issues", "Panera Bread® Issues 2016 Responsibility Report", "Panera debuts service to help restaurants 'clean up' their menus", "450 ingredients, 122 new recipes and Panera Bread hits its goal of ditching all food additives", "Panera To Pay $5M To Settle Calif. She's worked at Forbes since 2013 and in that time has written on everything from the student debt crisis to Triple Crown-contending (and winning) horses. Louis. I returned in 2011 because our growth was slowing and we needed to reposition Panera as a better competitive alternative with expanded growth opportunities. Easy and convenient, our Au Bon Pain gift cards make a great gift for a friend or even for yourself! You may opt-out by. According to Panera's telling, Shaich realized in 1998 that Panera could be a dominant force on the national level, but in order for that to happen, ABP would need to be spun off. Many thought Shaich was crazy when, in 1999, he sold Au Bon Pain to concentrate on developing Panera , its small bakery division. On Wednesday, Panera Bread announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Au Bon Pain Holding Co. Inc. With the deal, Panera will acquire more than 300 Au Bon Pain locations around the world. To this I say, Au Bon Pain, stop buying iPads and maybe you can lower the price of your food. The Au Bon Pain … Delivery & Pickup Options - 30 reviews of Au Bon Pain "This cafe/bakery is very impressive. [59] The Panera Cares in Portland, Oregon shut down at the end of June 2016. For Panera Bread on a stand-alone basis, $.2 million or .1% of total revenues for the fifty-three weeks ended December 30, 2000 compares to $.4 million or .4% of total revenue for the fifty-two weeks ended December 25, 1999. Keurig Green Mountain [31] This policy outlines the company's values and sets a course for continuous improvement. Saint Louis Bread Company later changed its name to Panera — Latin for “bread” — and sold off Au Bon Pain in 1999 in order to better focus on Panera. I write about women who run companies, countries and currencies. [42], In January 2018, the company formed a consulting business to help restaurants remove artificial ingredients from their menus. [68] With their menus continuing to grow, Panera offers counselling to other food services to have a more holistic approach when it comes to purging their menus of artificial ingredients and preservatives. He and the late Louis Kane started Au Bon Pain in 1981. These, along with Panera's artisan breads, are typically baked before dawn by an on-staff baker. [25], In May 2014, Panera unveiled "Panera 2.0", a series of integrated technologies including new capabilities for digital ordering, payment, operations, and ultimately, consumption.