Panera in California Maryland closing

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ontheriver

Well-Known Member
I went to Panera this morning. Grandson is obsessed with the spinach bacon soufle. He breaks into the biggest smile when I bring it.
Lady in front of me asked if they were closing. Yes, they are. And soon. Poot little man will be devastated.

Guess I'm going to have to make them myself for him.
 
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frequentflier

frequentflier

happy to be living
ontheriver said:
I went to Panera this morning. Grandson is obsessed with the spinach bacon soufle. He breaks into the biggest smile when I bring it.
Lady in front of me asked if they were closing. Yes, they are. And soon. Poot little man will be devastated.

Guess I'm going to have to make them myself for him.
Click to expand...
Did they indicate why they are closing? Panera's in general seem to be busy. Though I don't go there much anymore, their prices did seem to be going up and food amount shrinking on my last visit.
 
Sneakers

Sneakers

Just sneakin' around....
PREMO Member
They've gotten less quality products, smaller portions, higher prices. Seems a different bakery for the bagels too, they suck now, used to be halfway decent.

But they lost me when they stopped having bear claws.
 
Clem72

Clem72

Well-Known Member
vraiblonde said:
I wonder why. I don't think I've ever heard of a Panera closing.
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They might be moving to a different location? Not that where they are is a bad location, but as you say they seem to do good business. Sometimes the owners get a bit greedy with the long term tenants and drive them off.
 
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BOP

BOP

Well-Known Member
ontheriver said:
I went to Panera this morning. Grandson is obsessed with the spinach bacon soufle. He breaks into the biggest smile when I bring it.
Lady in front of me asked if they were closing. Yes, they are. And soon. Poot little man will be devastated.

Guess I'm going to have to make them myself for him.
Click to expand...
There's still the one in Prince Fred, in the same plaza as Nick's of Calvert.

I only go for one thing at Panera: the ham, egg, and cheese croissant. Every once in a while the cinnamon roll. I actually prefer CFA, but they only have real coffee. I have a hard enough time sleeping through the night. And yes, even early morning coffee will affect my sleep.
 
Patch

Patch

The Pirate
"Panera’s systemwide sales have been slowing since 2021 and in 2024 turned negative, down 6.3 percent to an estimated $5.9 billion, according to Franchise Times Top 400 data."

In 2024 they closed 8 stores, according to the same article.

"Cost-cutting measures, such as the switch to an iceberg lettuce mix versus 100 percent romaine, led to lower ingredient quality even as menu prices crept up, alienating consumers, while labor reductions resulted in a loss of hospitality."

Yep, it's been like that for years...and I will add, portions got smaller.

"We’re still a relevant brand. We’ve just disappointed the guest,” said Carbone [the new CEO] during an interview at the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference"

But if your customers are disappointed, and stop coming, are you really still relevant? 🤔

To be fair, the article points out that this CEO does recognize the problems, and has a plan to fix them. That was in November last year, so we will see.
 
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KingFish

KingFish

Nothing to see here
That stinks. My men's group met there Wednesday mornings and I see a few other groups meeting there and doing devotionals and other studies on different days. Be interesting to see who moves into that space if they do close it.
 
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O

ontheriver

Well-Known Member
frequentflier said:
Did they indicate why they are closing? Panera's in general seem to be busy. Though I don't go there much anymore, their prices did seem to be going up and food amount shrinking on my last visit.
Click to expand...
The young lady behind the counter said the owner of the building raised the rent. She also said they would open again somewhere near Wildwood but not for about a year.
 
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OccamsRazor

Well-Known Member
ontheriver said:
The young lady behind the counter said the owner of the building raised the rent. She also said they would open again somewhere near Wildwood but not for about a year.
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If so, my guess is either in the closed "You break, I fix" store or, more likely... in the new shopping development they are planning behind the Royal Farms.
 
S

Scootboot

Well-Known Member
OccamsRazor said:
If so, my guess is either in the closed "You break, I fix" store or, more likely... in the new shopping development they are planning behind the Royal Farms.
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It would be nice to get something in the old Bed, Bath and Beyond space but I prefer a Dave and Busters. I have been saying that is what they should put in the grocery store spot in San Souci.
 
frequentflier

frequentflier

happy to be living
Patch said:
"Panera’s systemwide sales have been slowing since 2021 and in 2024 turned negative, down 6.3 percent to an estimated $5.9 billion, according to Franchise Times Top 400 data."

In 2024 they closed 8 stores, according to the same article.

"Cost-cutting measures, such as the switch to an iceberg lettuce mix versus 100 percent romaine, led to lower ingredient quality even as menu prices crept up, alienating consumers, while labor reductions resulted in a loss of hospitality."

Yep, it's been like that for years...and I will add, portions got smaller.

"We’re still a relevant brand. We’ve just disappointed the guest,” said Carbone [the new CEO] during an interview at the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference"

But if your customers are disappointed, and stop coming, are you really still relevant? 🤔

To be fair, the article points out that this CEO does recognize the problems, and has a plan to fix them. That was in November last year, so we will see.
Click to expand...
I used to enjoy their salads but nutritionally, iceberg lettuce is equivalent to eating a paper napkin.
 
LightRoasted

LightRoasted

If I may ...
For your consideration ...



I would say it is because Panera Bread was acquired by JAB Holding Company, a European private investment firm in 2017 for roughly $7.5 billion. The deal took Panera private. Which means they are stripping as much profit from Panera before they go into the dustbin of restaurant history.
 
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Wickedwrench

Wickedwrench

Stubborn and opinionated
Sneakers said:
They've gotten less quality products, smaller portions, higher prices. Seems a different bakery for the bagels too, they suck now, used to be halfway decent.

But they lost me when they stopped having bear claws.
Click to expand...
The cinnamon crunch bagel was a guilty pleasure of mine for years. I guess I must have bought my last one about the time the bakery changed up because it was noticeably smaller and not nearly as flavorful. I never went back after that.
 
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