Two new Panera Bread restaurants are coming to the Houston area — a year after 10 locations in the region were closed due to a legal battle between the nationwide brand and a franchisee.
The Missouri-based chain restaurant filed two new building projects with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, detailing plans to open Panera Bread cafes in Stafford and Missouri City. Construction for both locations will start in October and aim to end by March 9, 2027, according to the state filing.
In June 2025, a federal judge ordered EYM Café, which operated more than a dozen Panera Bread locations in Texas, to stop using the sandwich restaurant’s trademarks. A month before, Panera had filed a lawsuit against the franchisee for breaching its agreements by failing to make required payments, maintain food safety standards, and pay vendors and landlords…