Business

Panera Bread going up on Four Seasons Boulevard

By Lightning Reports, Published: October 22, 2019

Panera Bread appears poised to open a café on Four Seasons Boulevard at Coolridge Street beside the Goodwill store.
Contractor Beverly Grant Inc. of Asheville received a building permit in August for a 4,230-square-foot restaurant valued at $490,000 on leased property.
The building permit and a zoning permit application identify the development as a Panera Bread Café. A Beverly Grant project superintendent at the construction site said the building was for Panera Bread. A Panera spokeswoman said via email the company could not confirm a specific location until it has “a signed lease on file.”
Started in 1980 as a small cookie store in Boston, Panera today has more than 2,300 bakery-cafes in the United States and Canada, 140,000 associates and annual systemwide sales in the billions. An early entrant in fast-casual dining, the St. Louis-based chain specializes in breads and bagels, soup and sandwiches and salads. It also focuses on delivery partnerships with companies like Doordash, GrubHub and Uber Eats, catering and healthy eating options.