By Frank Ruggiero
Panera Bread is on the rise at Boone Mall, and that
fresh aroma is only several weeks around the corner.
The Missouri-based café will bring its unique brand
of artisan breads, sandwiches, soups and sense of community
to the High Country with a grand opening May 23, though
local managers are hoping for a May 21 opening date.
From left, Panera
Bread assistant manager William Eggleston, manager
Joey Brown and assistant manager Chris Peacock prepare
for Boone’s newest café to open this
May. Photo by Frank Ruggiero |
What exactly is Panera?
Ellen Garrett, Panera’s neighborhood marketing
coordinator from Winston-Salem, put it simply, saying, “We
are bread. Bread is our passion.”
When it comes to bread, the company is of the philosophy
that artisan bread should not be “relegated to the
sidelines of a meal.” Instead, bread can become the
foundation of a meal, with unique recipes adding new flavors
to complement every dish.
This particular franchise is based out of central North
Carolina, and manager Joey Brown described the baking process.
Fresh dough is shipped from High Point in the evening, and
bakers work from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. to ensure the freshest
products are available by opening at 6:30 a.m.
“There’s someone in our café 24 hours a
day,” Brown said.
The result is a variety of bagels, muffins and more types
of bread than one can shake a rolling pin at. Garrett described
the café as an oasis of sorts, where people can take
a break from the day, enjoy a fresh-cooked meal and even
browse the Internet through wireless access – somewhat
of a bring-your-own-computer Internet café.
“It’s something different for Boone – fresh
food in five minutes,” assistant manager Chris Peacock
said.
“People will really get to experience that fast service,”
Brown said. “From the time you step in line, we want
you to be sitting down in five minutes or less.”
As for the menu, folks can expect dishes from a hand-tossed
salads, such as the grilled salmon salad, to hot panini,
such as the Frontega Chicken, which features smoked and
pulled white meat chicken, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes,
red onions, chopped basil & chipotle mayonnaise, on
rosemary and onion Focaccia.
Other signature sandwiches include the Asiago Roast Beef,
served on an Asiago cheese demi, and the Bacon Turkey Bravo,
which features smoked turkey breast, bacon, smoked Gouda,
lettuce, tomatoes and Panera’s signature dressing on
our tomato basil bread.
“I know we wanted to branch out and that Boone is a
beautiful area with a lot of different people and lifestyles,
so we feel that we fit right in,” Garrett said. “Everyone
I’ve talked to so far is excited that we’re coming.”
The buzz is already afoot. When Brown wore his Panera shirt
to a local fast food eatery, he was bombarded by enthusiastic
praise and questions from the employees. But, according
to Brown, community is an important ingredient when it comes
to Panera.
He used three words to describe Panera’s sense of community
– explore, engage and exceed. This is evident through
Panera’s Operation Dough-Nation program, where its
Share the Bread component sees leftover bread is donated
to area nonprofit organizations.
Assistant manager William Eggleston described the program’s
second component, in which a café selects a certain
nonprofit and keeps a donation jar at the register.
“It’s community and customer-supported, and that
particular organization will receive a check from us at
the end of the year,” Garrett said. “We’re
very non-profit friendly, and we’re very close to our
schools, also.”
Brown said it’s typical for cafes to have school nights,
where students from a certain school visit the café
between certain hours and receive specialized service, with
10 percent of profits benefiting the school.
“All they have to do is get as many people there as
they can to support their school,” Garrett said. “It’s
important that we’re out in the community, because
if we’re not, we don’t get to know who our customers
are. It’s our responsibility to be out in the community.”
Panera literally gets out in the community through its Via
Panera catering program, making the entire menu available
through carry-out or delivery, from breakfast bagels and
pastries to hearty sandwiches and soups, salads, cookies
and brownies.
“Panera’s just a great concept, and I think it’ll
go over very well,” Brown said. “We want the community
to take ownership in us. It’s their Panera.”
In addition, diners can enjoy their meals on the outdoor
patio, where Brown expects live music will become a regular
feature.
Brown said the café will open at 6 a.m., and even
though the mall is still closed at that time, the restaurant
is accessible from outside the mall. Hours will last from
Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday
from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Panera Bread is located at 1180 Blowing Rock Rd. in the
Boone Mall. For more information, visit www.panerabread.com
on the Web. |
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