Panera Bread believes that good food, food you can feel good about, can bring out the best in all of us. Food served in a warm, welcoming environment, by people who care. To Panera, that’s good eating. The Panera Bread legacy began in 1981 as Au Bon Pain. Founded by Louis Kane and Ron Shaich, the company prospered along the east coast of the United States and internationally throughout the 1980s and 1990s and became the dominant operator within the bakery-cafe category. In 1993, Au Bon Pain purchased Saint Louis Bread Company. Today there are over 1,700 bakery-cafes in 45 states and in Ontario, Canada operating under the Panera Bread, Saint Louis Bread Co. and Paradise Bakery & Café names, delivering fresh, authentic artisan bread served in a warm environment by engaging associates. Panera Bread offer fresh from the oven breads they bake themselves.
