I just read about Panera Bread on beckers site so I decided to post this. I lived in TN (Chattanooga) for a few years while going to college and then after getting married. We loved Panera, even though it never filled me up Anyway, we moved to CA and could not understand why a place like this, with lots of health nuts, would not have Panera with all their yummy salads and stuff. Well, one finally opened up in Riverside a year or so ago and we were very happy. We stopped by one day and spoke to the manager. He told us that 20 years ago the person that started Panera learned his baking skills from some guys in San Francisco. They told him that if they were to teach him, Panera could not come to California for 20 years. Those 20 years were up about a year ago so that is why we finally have them. Anyway, I thought it was a great business tactic, kind of like becker not sending out his marketing material samples to those that live in California.

On a side note, the Cheese Artisan Pastry is very, very good It has lots of fat and lots of carbs. It's a good thing Panera is not next door.

if you ever come to st. louis you can't drive more than a mile without spotting one. panera = st. louis bread co.

I love Panera! They are harder to find in VA -- well, harder than in MI. Once we moved it took a while for us to get over our Panera addiction (we did live right around the corner from one in MI) -- the closest one is about 45 minutes away.

Fun story, thanks for sharing!

i LOVE panera....

i think what you are refering to is a 'no compete clause'. (i think that's what it's called.) it's used a lot in biz so that ideas will be shared, but they don't create competition for themselves. at least that's how i understand it. it's a lot like certain patents/government approvals on things that expire - giving the companies that shelled out the bucks for approval a head start to make back the up-front investment.

You are probably right Robin.

St. Louis Bread was founded by a super-cool guy named Ken Rosenthal -- the original location at Manchester and Woodlawn in Kirkwood, MO still exists today (not too far from where Alisha lives, in fact). I used to call on Ken when I was in a sales position w/ my previous employer. He was one of the few execs who would actually answer his own phone even though he was running one of the fastest growing companies in the midwest (people who bought panera stock early know what I'm talking about). I think he just knew what it was like to be a small businessperson and he treated people with tons of respect.

I have been an addict for years - sometimes eating there 5 or 6 times a month (my kids love it too). But I miss the days when they used to experiment with their recipes a lot more than they do now. They used to make a salt covered "pretzel" bagel and it was AWESOME!! (especially when it was right from the oven... ).

Sadly, their food isn't as healthy as what you might expect (no wonder it's so yummy). Two of my favorite sandwiches -- the Bacon Turkey Bravo and the Pepperblue Steak -- are close to 1,000 calories and 30 or 40 fat grams. So I rarely go there in January...you know...national diet month. The Fandango Salad is a great alternative to the fattening stuff...goes great with the French Onion soup.

Okay...yeah...I'm freaking hungry right now! Guess what I'm craving...

Yeah, I just said that from the way the salads look

That is cool info about him. Thanks for sharing Dan.

We have one right around the corner from Biola-- I can walk there in 7 minutes from my dorm!

Last semester I went about twice a week (and am currently dealing with the reality that I really can't afford that...). Their cinnamon raisin bread is so delicious.

Plus free wi-fi! And a fire place! And live jazz! (once per week for 2 months last semester)

It seemed like the whole school lived there during finals week.