Operations

Panera named ' Employer of Choice'

May 14, 2024

Panera has received the Employer of Choice award in the fast casual restaurant segment from Black Box Intelligence, a provider of restaurant industry data and insights. The award is based on workforce data and recognizes Panera's low hourly and management turnover rates, competitive compensation and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, according to a company press release.

"When our team members are happy, our guests are happy, and we are focused on our employees' experience through business training, education on leadership and life skills, ways to serve the community and more," KJ Payette, chief people officer, Panera Bread, said in the release. "We're committed to maintaining our company as an employer of choice in fast casual and to ensuring Panera is a place of warmth, belonging, growth and trust for all."

Through a simplified and more efficient operating model that streamlines Panera's pantry of high-quality ingredients and reduces operational complexity, Panera team members may now more easily deliver a great guest experience faster and accurately, while achieving better consistency and quality any time of day.

"At Panera, we believe our general managers are our most important leaders, and we aim to empower them to look after our team members who can in turn delight our guests," Panera COO Debbie Roberts said in the release. "We believe that our approach improves operator performance and quality, bolsters management retention and fosters team stability, which results in a higher level of consistency and guest service within our bakery-cafes."

Panera Bread has 2,180 locations.