Who owns Panera Bread?
Panera Bread is owned by Panera Brands (the United States).[1]
This ownership is reported in official statements but has not yet been matched to a regulatory filing.
Evidence: Panera Bread — our story, Panera Brands, Inc. Last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- Panera Brands, Inc. reported
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Newton, Massachusetts
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, St. Louis, Missouri
- Founded
- 1987
- Category
- Restaurants & foodservice › Fast casual › Fast casual restaurants
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Panera Bread
Panera Bread serves soup, salad and sandwiches in a bakery-café format and was among the first American chains to publish calorie counts voluntarily and to remove artificial additives from its whole menu. Its Charged Lemonade was withdrawn in 2024 after lawsuits over its caffeine content.
Ownership timeline of Panera Bread
- Current owner Panera Brands [1] reported
Where Panera Bread sits in Panera Brands
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Panera Brands ownership tree →
See the full Panera Brands brand portfolio (3) →
Other brands owned by Panera Brands
Panera Brands controls 3 brands on Brandtree, 3 of them in restaurants & foodservice.
Also in restaurants & foodservice
- Caribou Coffee (1992)
- Einstein Bros. Bagels (1995)
Other brands in fast casual restaurants, and who owns them
The 23 brands in fast casual restaurants on Brandtree belong to 17 owners. The largest is Café de Coral, with 3; Panera Brands has 2.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Café de Coral | Café de Coral | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong |
| Debonairs Pizza | Famous Brands | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| PieXpress | Food Concepts | 🇳🇬 Nigeria |
| Baja Fresh | MTY Group | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Delilah's | BMMI | 🇧🇭 Bahrain |
| Flower Child | Cheesecake Factory | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Chipotle Mexican Grill | Chipotle | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Billy Tacos | Cremonini | 🇮🇹 Italy |
About the owner: Panera Brands
Panera Brands is a privately held company headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1987. Brandtree records 3 brands under its control.
Panera grew out of a St. Louis bakery chain and became the largest bakery-café business in the United States, credited with normalising free customer wifi and posting calorie counts before regulation required it. JAB Holding took it private in 2017 for about $7.5 billion.
Panera Brands: full profile, brands and acquisition history →
🇺🇸 Panera Bread and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Panera Bread is not one of them.
- Applebee's — Dine Brands 🇺🇸
- Arby's — Inspire Brands 🇺🇸
- Baja Fresh — MTY Group 🇨🇦
- Bonefish Grill — Bloomin' Brands 🇺🇸
- Burger King — Restaurant Brands International 🇨🇦
- Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen — Darden 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Panera Bread?
The parent company of Panera Bread is Panera Brands, a privately held company headquartered in the United States.
Is Panera Bread American?
Yes. Panera Bread originated in the United States in 1987 and its owner, Panera Brands, is also headquartered in the United States.
Is Panera Bread still owned by Panera Brands?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Panera Bread is still owned by Panera Brands. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] Panera Bread — our story — Panera Brands, Inc., Official document; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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