It’s been nearly a year in the works, but the transformation of the old Clarmont restaurant space into the newest Panera Bread location is officially complete. The restaurant opened its doors at 684 South High Street today at 6am, and the first 500 customers starting at 10am will receive a free mug and coffee.
“This is a special opening for us since it’s so close to Downtown and in such a historic location,” said Sam Covelli, Owner/Operator of Covelli Enterprises, the largest franchisee of Panera Bread. “We’re grateful for our continued growth in Columbus, and we hope the community will embrace our newest bakery-café and make it their new south side tradition.”
The renovated 5,200 square foot store features a new fireplace and seats 92 customers. A patio will open in the Spring to seat another 35 outdoors. The historic Clarmont sign has been preserved, which now displays the Panera logo.
In related news, Panera announced in January that they would be closing and relocating the Grandview Avenue store to Grandview Yard later this year.
More info can be found online at www.panerabread.com.