For me walking into a Panera Bread and seeing the racks of bread for sale and sometimes smelling them is a big reason why we have gone so many times over the past few years. We have really enjoyed the soup and sandwich combos as well as those french bread sides they offer.
It was a shock to learn that Panera continues to close its fresh dough facilities. These facilities were supplying Panera Bread cafes, making pastries and other menu items. It is also where Panera’s bread dough was traditionally mixed and shaped before being sent to cafes, where the loaves were proofed and baked every morning. Now 9 of these facilities will be closed over the past year or so as they shift to a frozen bread brand. So far California, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado and Washington state have all been shut, with Kansas and North Carolina up next.
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