Panera Bread History

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The company that we all know wasn’t always known as Panera Bread. The Panera Bread’s legacy began in 1976 as Au Bon Pain Co. Inc. Louis Kane, a veteran venture capitalist, purchased the business trying to expand the brand. Without prior knowledge of how to run the place he piled up $3 million in debt. Just before filing bankruptcy Kane gained a new business partner. Ronald Shaich was a new business owner of a small bakery called Cookie Jar bakery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He felt there was more profit with adding bread and croissants to his menu. With his new friend in February 1981, the two merged the bakery and the cookie store to form one business, Au Bon Pain Co. Inc. In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. purchased Saint Louis Bread Company,

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