Panera Bread Company will open its 1,000th Panera Bread bakery-cafe today. Panera executives, franchisees and media will attend an opening celebration in Oak Brook, Ill., a Chicago suburb.
The new bakery-café will be open to the public on Nov. 16. Ron Shaich, Panera Bread chairman and chief executive, said the 1,000th store opening is a special event.
"This is a milestone that feels particularly significant on the back of Panera being cited by the Wall Street Journal as an industry-leading performer over the last 10 years, and as we continue to demonstrate the power of our concept through some of the highest volumes in the industry," Shaich said.