Panera to move HQ to Boston area

Panera Bread is moving its headquarters to the Boston area.

The move, which is scheduled for July 2027, will shift the fast-casual chain’s longtime base from St. Louis, Missouri, where the brand was first founded as St. Louis Bread Company in 1987 by Ken and Linda Rosenthal.

The company, however, will maintain a support center in St. Louis, though many who work in St. Louis will be relocated to the new headquarters, which will be in Weston, Massachusetts, about 15 miles west of Boston.

Panera CEO Paul Carbone in a memo to team members on Tuesday said the move is part of the ongoing Panera RISE transformation plan, which has included a menu overhaul, a sharpened focus on guest experience, and changes to the loyalty program.

“The first year of our transformation strategy, Panera RISE, is focused on setting an important foundation to drive our next chapter of growth and reclaim our leadership in the fast casual industry,” Carbone wrote. “As we move forward, it is critical that we have an environment to enable even deeper collaboration, faster decision-making, and a more unified culture.”

The new workspace in Weston will “allow us to fully align our teams against the strategic pillars of Panera RISE, operating as one connected team as we continue our transformation,” the memo said.

It’s not clear how many team members will be asked to make the move, but Carbone said “multiple factors were carefully considered” to determine who would relocate.

Panera’s roots in St. Louis run deep.

St. Louis Bread Co., had about 20 bakery-cafes when it was acquired by Au Bon Pain in 1993, then led by Ron Shaich, who began growing the brand as Panera Bread, though some units in St. Louis kept the original name.

Shaich grew Panera to more than 2,000 units before selling the chain in 2017 for $7.5 billion to current owner JAB Holding.

A number of restaurant chains have been moving headquarters in recent months.

Jersey Mike’s recently moved its base but stayed in its home state of New Jersey.

Starbucks recently announced plans to open a corporate office in Nashville later this year, where In-N-Out Burger has also established a regional beachhead. And Taco John’s moved last year from Wyoming to Minneapolis.