Introduction:
Panera Bread Company, together with its subsidiaries, owns, operates, and franchises retail bakery-cafes. The company operates through three segments: Company Bakery-Cafe Operations, Franchise Operations, and Fresh Dough and Other Product Operations. It operates bakery-cafes under the Panera Bread, Saint Louis Bread Co., and Paradise Bakery & Café names that offer daily baked goods, including freshly baked bagels, breads, muffins, scones, rolls, and sweet goods; made-to-order sandwiches on freshly baked breads; soups; freshly prepared and hand-tossed salads; pasta dishes; and custom roasted coffees and cafe beverages, such as hot or cold espresso and cappuccino drinks and smoothies through on-premise sales, as well as provides catering services. The company also supplies fresh dough, produce, tuna, cream cheese, and proprietary sweet goods items. As of April 26, 2016, it operated 916 company-owned bakery-cafes and 1,081 franchise-operated bakery-cafes in the United States, the District of Columbia, and Ontario. The company was formerly known as Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. and changed its name to Panera Bread Company in August 1998. Panera Bread Company was founded in 1981 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.