Introduction Louis Kane and Ron Shaich , owners of Au Bon Pain Co., started a line of bakeries and cafes known as Panera Bread. Their company bought St. Louis bread Company, which had 20 bakery/cafes in 1993. After much research and observation of the market, Shaich decided that the company should change their concept of fast food to a higher standard of meal selections and service style from their quick service competitors. It would specialize in fresh dough, artisan bakery, and upscale, quick-service menus, that will be the known brand of Panera Bread. Back ground From 2010 to 2014, the company expanded their operations and established a total of 514 outlets. The target in 2015 was to open an additional 105 to 115 Panera outlets. By 2014, …show more content…
This can be shown in the growth the company is experiencing, despite the number of companies competing for the same target market segment. Aside from the franchising and owned restaurant branches, the company also has catering. This is an area where they could expand some more. There could be meetings or conventions who would want to have the beverages and bread of Panera. One distinct area where the company could grow is franchising They could have many more branches without the cost of owning the property where the branch will locate. This means getting more market share, at the expense of franchisees. There are many companies competing for the same market segment that Panera is in. They are also very aggressive in capturing market share, and Panera should be very careful so that they will not encroach on its present market share. Panera is a very good and stable company that competes in a very tough industry. It does have advantages because of the hands on guidance and management of its founder, Shaich. Its main challenge is having many competitors who are also very good. One other challenge is the variances in the net income. But the very