Panera Bread is a chain of coffee shops with 3 locations in Cary, 1 location in Chapel Hill, 2 locations in Durham, and 4 locations in Raleigh.

Established in 1981, Panera Bread is a restaurant dedicated to personalized service and creating a relaxed dining experience for its customers. It began as a counterpart of Au Bon Pain and eventually became a nationally acclaimed chain restaurant. Panera’s credo is “a loaf of bread in every arm,” which portrays their main specialty and what they focus on the most, the bread. As of December, 2011, there are 1,541 bakery cafes in 40 states of the US and the company is still expanding, nationally and internationally.

In each cafe, there are unique pieces of art hung on the ceiling, music playing, comfortable booths and chairs, and a variety of different seating options. In the winter, Panera is a place where customers like to escape the cold and get some work done with a hot meal, while, in the warmer months, the cafe is a convenient destination for on-the-go meals with friends. Recently, bakeries have been added to some Panera Bread cafes, broadening the dining experience and variety of tastes that they are able to cater to. Furthermore, the service is quick- before you even make it to a table, your buzzer begins to buzz, signaling that your food is ready.

In terms of price, Panera Bread is seen by most as fairly moderate and affordable, overall. The menu is expansive, and caters to all tastes. They offer several deals for different combinations of food, for example, their “You Pick Two” of a soup and a salad, that help to save money and provide new mixtures of dishes that you may not have thought of on your own. Panera Bread also offers catering for events for work, or parties with family and friends.