Panera Bread is closing two of its fresh dough factories – as it increasingly shifts to frozen bread.
This means that customers at some cafes will be served bread that has been par-baked and frozen, rather than baked fresh that morning.
The chain, which serves sandwiches, pastries, soups and salads, announced it is closing fresh dough facilities in Lexena, KS, and Greensboro, NC.
It comes after the chain also said it was shutting two fresh dough factories in Stockton and Ontario, CA, which resulted in 350 layoffs.
In the past year, another five baking facilities have shut in Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado and Washington, according to Restaurant Business.
The fresh dough facilities are where Panera’s bread dough was traditionally mixed and shaped before being sent to its 2,200 cafes.
It was then proofed and baked fresh every morning in-store.
Panera is now switching to an ‘on-demand’ baking model, according to the outlet, where the bread is produced by a third-party bakery using Panera’s recipes and is then par-baked and frozen.
The chain, which serves sandwiches, pastries, soups and salads, announced it is closing fresh dough facilities in Lexena, Kansas, and Greensboro, North Carolina
The bread is then delivered to Panera cafes where it can be baked throughout the day when it is needed.
The company says this allows for fresh bread to be baked at any point during the day, rather than only being available to customers in the morning.
Some argue that the chain is losing focus on quality and the artisanal bread that has been the core of its menu for decades, according to Restaurant Business.
Panera has not indicated whether any more fresh baking facilities will close in the near future.
After the closures in Lexena and Greensboro, there will be nine remaining factories in the US.
In Lexena, 59 workers are due to be laid off, while the closure in Greensboro, which is scheduled for May 21, will affect around 80 workers.
‘We had to make the difficult decision to close the Lenexa, KS commissary facility. Any decision that impacts our teams is never made lightly, and we are deeply grateful for the contributions of all impacted team members,’ Panera said in a statement to the Kansas City Business Journal.
The changes at the company, which was founded in 1987, come after it launched a menu overhaul named a ‘New Era for Panera’ last year.
Customers at some cafes will be served bread that has been par-baked and frozen, rather than baked fresh that morning
The chain serves sandwiches, pastries, soups and salads, and has around 2,200 locations in the US
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The brand is now part of parent company Panera Brands, which also owns Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels and is owned by Luxembourg-based conglomerate JAB Holding.
CEO José Alberto Dueñas stepped down in January, and Paul Carbone, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, has been named interim CEO while the board searches for a permanent replacement.
Panera was forced to phase out its controversial Charged Lemonade from stores nationwide last year after the drinks were linked to several deaths.
A spokesperson for the chain said in May 2024 the change was part of a ‘menu transformation’ and internal memos suggest it could begin within the next two weeks.
The move comes after lawsuits blamed the highly caffeinated drinks for two deaths and heart damage in a third patient.
The family of Pennsylvania college student Sarah Katz, who had a pre-existing heart condition, alleged she died after drinking a large Charged Lemonade in 2022.