Panera Bread

Remember, when Panera was everyone's favorite lunch spot, once the crown jewel of fast casual dining, it was the go-to for cozy soups and clean ingredients. But lately, something has changed. Once packed cafe is now set half empty, from rising prices and stale bread to soft drinks that should come with a health warning, loyal fans have had enough and they're walking away. So, what happened? On today's episode of The Infographics Show, we are revealing why no one eats at Panera bread anymore. If it seems The first chain opened in 1987, making it younger than many of the millennials who turned it into a hit. Today it has over 2,000 locations, even more impressive because it only exists in two countries, the United States and Canada. Part of the reason it's a big hit is because its menu feels lighter than others, making it ideal if you don't want to go into a calorie crash when you get back to work. And it's come a long way since the beginning. As it was founded in 1987 by Ken and Linda Rosenthal, Panera began its life as the St. Louis Bread Company in Missouri. The spark for this unique place began when Ken visited a legendary sourdough bread-based bakery and cafe in San Francisco with his brother, and fell in love with the process of making sourdough bread. Ken had a dream, and after a year of interning under a sourdough master, he and Linda invested $150,000 of their own money and doubled it with a small business administration loan. They would succeed beyond their wildest dreams. During the early years Panera was heavily focused on bread and became known for its selection of bakery offerings. It didn't look much The idea of a chain focusing on fresh bread had its appeal, many people only got their bread at the grocery store, and the company that would be Panera had longer hours than many artisanal bakeries as a growing chain. But if you're wondering why you've never heard the names Ken and Linda Rosenthal, the founders of this massive chain don't even have Wikipedia pages, there is a reason. Because the first big twist in Panera's tale was coming. The St. Louis Bread Company was only an independent business for six years before its reputation quickly gained some attention, and in 1993 it was snapped up by Albonne Pankow for $23 million. The Rosenthal's cashed out and retired rich, leaving the company's future in the hands of one of the biggest names in airport dining, a well-known bakery and breakfast chain. At one point this company was the way most people were introduced to French pastries and they saw an opportunity to make inroads into the American breakfast market. Only four years later they would change the company's name to Panera, rooted in the Latin word for bread basket. Ironically, Albonne Pan is now down to only 34 locations, just over 1% of what Panera has around North America. But Panera'strange journey was just beginning. The Albonne Pan era is largely considered to be when Panera established its brand for the general public. It kept its focus on fresh baked bread, but it added menu items including soups and sandwiches, making it more of a mainstay for lunch instead of a place to pick up a loaf. This was also the period when the company introduced arguably its most iconic item, the bread bowl, which scooped out the center of the sourdough loaf and filled it with the soup of your choice. It all helped to contribute to a massive expansion for the company, just in time for another shake-up. Panera was so successful that its parent company actually sold off the original Albonne Pan chain in 1999 so it could focus on Panera and expanded rapidly from there. The company purchased the Paradise Bakery and Cafe chain based in Arizona in 2007 and eventually rebranded all of those cafes as Paneras, and then expanded into Canada in 2008 with locations in the Toronto Metro area. It would cross the 2000 locations mark in 2016, and a year later it reacquired Albonne Pan as an intriguing example of the students becoming the master. Around the same time the entire chain was bought by JAB Holding Company, a massive German conglomerate that still owns it today. It had been a long, strange road, and the Rosenthals The final traces of what was once the St. Louis Bread Company is fading away. The Missouri locations that kept the original name will rebrand as they'remodeled. Today Panera's 2000 plus locations are split between their usual standalone cafes and a bunch of mall spots, smaller, tighter spaces that sometimes come with trimmed-down menus. It's all a part of an evolution that took the company from a h Panera always had a reputation as a healthier option in the fast food world, whether that actually matches up with the calorie counts or not. It's about the vibes, and the company leaned into its wholesome reputation. In 2017 it announced that it was removing all artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives from their menu. They doubled down on that strategy in 2018 when they formed a new consulting business to advise other businesses on how to craft a more natural menu. This was a big part of their company'success, with Panera's die-hard fans feeling a little more virtuous as they dug into their massive bread bowl filled with mac and cheese. Because in the end fast food is fast food. Panera had a dedicated fan base thanks to its wholesome homemade reputation, but none of that would matter if it didn'taste good. For a long time Panera hit the right mark for a place that serves real food that you can feel comfortable eating regularly, but is also just rich and indulgent enough to be satisfying. And the company is still as big as it ever was, so why do so many people think it might be on its last legs? Today, if you talk to Panera diners you're People talk about a sharp drop in food quality, rising prices, and a shift that's made Panera feel more And sure, there will always be some haters, but this many all at the same time? If there is a business decline it's not showing in the stock market, the company is trading at around $3. 15 a share and has been incredibly consistent since April 2025, but that doesn't mean its continued success is guaranteed. Because to be successful, a company needs happy customers. Panera might be trying to be a healthier, more wholesome fast food chain, but they are just A lot of people say it's not a great place to work. Fast food jobs are often geared toward rookie workers or those who need any type of job, but those workers still have protection. And in 2009 and 2011 Panera came under fire for violating California labor law by failing to pay overtime or in some cases to pay employees on time at all. Panera denied any wrongdoing, but chose to pay out a $5 million settlement rather than go to court. The company took another black eye in 2011 when an ex-worker filed a suit accusing the company of being racist, arguing that they moved him from the cash register to the back of the store. He alleged that they wanted pretty young girls working the register rather than a black man. He was fired after requesting an extension of a sick leave, and Panera eventually settled that lawsuit as well. But it's not just the employees who have complaints. Panera used to have a reputation for excellent service, but that might not be the case anymore. The company has had several major issues lately with unhappy customers. In 2016, the lawsuit claimed that a Massachusetts store had deliberately tainted a man'sandwich with peanut butter after he warned them he was allergic. The man was hospitalized briefly and argued that he suffered emotional distress, assault, and battery. The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed s But sometimes enemies don't want money, they want to make a point. The lawsuits have kept coming for Panera, and more troubling some of their opponents have been preparing for a long time and have all the receipts. In 2017 Panera got slapped with a class action over unpaid overtime, and by 2024 they were settling another, this one accusing them of low-balling delivery fees on their own website. But none of these suits came for the heart of Panera's business plan. Breonna Tabler was a California Panera fan, or at least she was. In 2019 she filed the most distressing claim against Panera yet, arguing that they weren'truly free of artificial ingredients. The source of this complaint was the presence of trace amounts of the synthetic herbicide glyphosate, which is used to protect grains that go into the bread. If this lawsuit seems