Introduction & Background

Introduction

Welcome to Panera bread, one of the leading bread restaurants in the nation.  Panera values its self on its delicious breads, salads, sandwiches, soups and pastries.  As a company, Panera has four main concept essence that they believe that every bakery café should follow starting with "bread is our passion, soul and expertise." and ending with "we are a guide to discovering the warmth and energy of a lifestyle enhanced by bread."

Company History

Panera Bread was founded in 1981 by Ron Shaich .  As of today, there are 1,946 bakery cafes in 46 states with a focus on offering its guest the best quality of food that they can.  Making healthy foods that will both satisfy your taste buds while also being healthy.  Bakery cafes are designed to be comfortable for guests of all ages.  Whether you are having a meeting, lunch with a friend, or a study session... Panera Bread is the place to be.

"A loaf of bread in every arm"

Meet Irene Cook

Irene Cook began her Panera journey in 2005 as the Vice President of learning and development.  In 2012, Irene became Senior Vice President Chief Company and JV Operations Officer where her main responsibilities were bakery operations, field HR, and recruiting.  We would like to take this time to thank Irene Cook for answering our extensive questions regarding the inside operations at Panera.  We learned a great deal from talking with her and appreciate Irene for taking the time to help us complete this project.