Panera Bread is a popular chain of bakery-café fast casual restaurants in the United States and Canada. The company was founded in 1981 by Louis Kane and Ron Shaich, who is also the current CEO of Panera Bread.
Ron Shaich was born in 1952 and grew up in a working-class family in New Jersey. He attended Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he received a degree in Economics. After graduation, he worked as a consultant for a few years before deciding to pursue a career in the food industry.
Shaich started his career in the food industry in 1979 as the manager of a small chain of bagel shops called the Au Bon Pain Company, Inc. In 1981, he co-founded a new company, called the Saint Louis Bread Company, with Louis Kane. The company was later renamed to Panera Bread in 1998.
Under Shaich's leadership, Panera Bread has become one of the most successful and popular bakery-café chains in the world. The company has over 2,000 locations in the United States and Canada and has consistently ranked as one of the top fast casual restaurants in customer satisfaction surveys.
One of the keys to Panera Bread's success has been Shaich's commitment to offering high-quality, fresh, and healthy food options to customers. The company sources many of its ingredients from local farms and uses traditional baking techniques to create its bread and pastries.
In addition to its focus on food quality, Panera Bread has also made a commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. The company has implemented a number of initiatives to reduce its environmental impact, including using energy-efficient lighting and equipment, recycling and composting waste, and sourcing ingredients from sustainable farms.
Shaich has also been a strong advocate for issues such as food insecurity and income inequality. He has donated millions of dollars to charities and non-profit organizations that work to address these issues, and he has encouraged other businesses to do the same.
In conclusion, Ron Shaich is the founder and CEO of Panera Bread, a successful chain of bakery-café fast casual restaurants in the United States and Canada. Under his leadership, the company has focused on offering high-quality, fresh, and healthy food options, while also committing to sustainability and social responsibility. Through his efforts, Shaich has helped to make Panera Bread a popular and respected brand in the food industry.