Panera Bread Planning 20-25 New Locations in Central Ohio

[News]

Panera Bread planning to open Licking County location

Aug 28, 2011

Written by

Seth Roy

Advocate Reporter

HEATH — Panera Bread is coming to Licking County, but a spokesman couldn’t confirm exactly where Friday.

“We’re looking at so many locations down there. I don’t know the exact physical presence or space,” said Allen Ryan, with Warren-based Panera franchisee Covelli Enterprises. “I don’t even think there’s been a lease executed yet.”

The company, which owns more than 200 Panera restaurants, is planning to open a number of new restaurants in and around Columbus.

“Our belief is that there’s room for another 20 or 25 locations in central Ohio,” Ryan said.

READ MORE: http://www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20110828/NEWS01/108280301/Panera-Bread-planning-open-Licking-County-location

[Pablo]

The former Cooker restaurant (near the Varsity Club on Lane Ave.) is being renovated to become a Panera.

[arualpalm]

20-25 more locations? Ehhhh – you can have too much of a good thing.

[gramarye]

You can, but Panera is a long way from saturation point yet. I think there’s probably a long-term potential there for maybe 3,000+ U.S. stores. They’ve got between 1,000 and 1,500 right now, I think. Chipotle had a similar period of explosive growth (and is still growing, for that matter), and their rapid expansion managed not to dilute the cachet of the brand too much.

[Walker Evans]

I’ve often though that a Downtown Panera would probably do pretty well. Maybe in the empty spot in the Huntington Building.

[gramarye]

I’m actually somewhat jealous. Covelli Enterprises is a northeast Ohio (Youngstown) business, but hasn’t shown much interest in siting a Panera in downtown Akron. Closest one we’ve got is in a strip center out in suburbanesque West Akron.

[Jason Powell]

I could see a Panera working somewhere in the Arena District, perhaps within one of the proposed office buildings on Nationwide and Front. It would be nice to see one facing the arena with patio seating. It’s kind of a no-brainer with the amount of office workers, tourists, Jackets fans, concert goers, festivals and the growing number of residents in the area walking down those streets on any given day.

[buckeyesd]

I’d prefer corporate panera over Covelli. They thrash their employees, take away benefits, and disrupt the casualness of a panera work place. Not to mention corporate pays their employees better.

Covelli = money hungry non caring work environment

[DavidF]

In the week I’ve been working in Chillicothe, I’ve had several customers mention two places they had been hoping would go into the new strip center where my store is. The first is Five Guys. The second is Panera.

I’ve been really impressed with the amount of retail activity down there and think either one of them would do really well down there.

[Walker Evans]

DavidF said:
I’ve been really impressed with the amount of retail activity down there and think either one of them would do really well down there.

Heh. Last time I drove through Chillicothe I was disappointed that all the retail activity had shifted from their cool historic Downtown into the strip mall stretch just north of town. :(

Micropolitan Statistical Areas in Ohio

[groundrules]

I still miss the panera in gahanna, which was walking distance from my office. Crazy Goat & J. Gumbos have only partially filled the niche, but downtown gahanna is still lacking a deli sandwich.

[DavidF]

Walker said:
Heh. Last time I drove through Chillicothe I was disappointed that all the retail activity had shifted from their cool historic Downtown into the strip mall stretch just north of town. :(

Micropolitan Statistical Areas in Ohio

Well Chillicothe is no different than almost any other town in that regard. Including Columbus. I think you overlooked what is going on in the downtown and only saw what wasn’t there. Compared to years past, the downtown has undergone a significant revival.

[Twixlen]

jpizzow said:
I could see a Panera working somewhere in the Arena District, perhaps within one of the proposed office buildings on Nationwide and Front. It would be nice to see one facing the arena with patio seating. It’s kind of a no-brainer with the amount of office workers, tourists, Jackets fans, concert goers, festivals and the growing number of residents in the area walking down those streets on any given day.

Or, ya know, in one of the still-empty-never-been-filled-spaces that already exist in the AD.

[GCrites80s]

Pantera rules.

[sundown060]

Pablo said:
The former Cooker restaurant (near the Varsity Club on Lane Ave.) is being renovated to become a Panera.

Hopefully this is the start of a more permanent tenant for that space…

[Author]

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