Panera Bread has been in the news a lot lately. It recently purchased 51 percent of Paradise Bakery; it lost a lawsuit to Qdoba; and Fast Casual magazine named Panera its brand of the year. This interview took place prior to those events.
At Panera Bread’s 1,000th store opening, I’m working to land an interview with Ron Shaich, the chief executive of Panera Bread. The store, an end-cap unit dubbed the “G2? by Panera, is packed with about 200 associates, executives and franchisees.
They all know each other, and they all want their face time with Ron, who moves through crowds like a seasoned politician, shaking hands and asking about daughters and grandsons. I was nowhere on his radar, but that didn’t stop me from bugging the heck out of Panera’s PR person who was busy coordinating the event.
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