In this paper I will be discussing the company Panera Bread, its history, and how they decided on the business strategy that the company uses. I will also give a description of Panera’s strategic vision and how its stakeholders enable the success of Panera. Panera was built by Ron Shaich and originally started out in 1980 with a little store that used to be called the Cookie Jar. After three decades, a merger, and an acquisition later, Shaich’s empire turned into what we now know and love as Panera Bread. (Kowitt, 2012). Shaich started this bread empire when he was attending Clark University and was kicked out of a convenience store that didn’t cater to college students. So Shaich, who was the treasurer of the student body, decided that the college should make their own store, and that is exactly what they did. After running this store for the college, Shaich loved it so much that he decided to open his own store called the Cookie Jar, and in an effort to expand his offerings he became a licensee of the French bakery company, Au Bon Pain, whom later on merged with his company.
