---
title: "QSR Magazine: Panera to Buy Au Bon Pain; Shaich Stepping Down as CEO"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/8be3313c-a3f0-41be-b7c4-38a2083530eb
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-panera-to-buy-au-bon-pain-shaich-stepping-down-as-ceo-2704789
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
topics: ["People"]
published: 2017-11-09T16:11:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:04:53.720Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/776eab72ed5b6a894a9c94b96005966e1739.jpg
---

# QSR Magazine: Panera to Buy Au Bon Pain; Shaich Stepping Down as CEO

**TL;DR:** Panera Bread is acquiring Au Bon Pain, bringing the two brands together with a combined 2,304 units worldwide. Ron Shaich, founder and CEO of Panera, will step down as CEO on January 1.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2017-11-09. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-panera-to-buy-au-bon-pain-shaich-stepping-down-as-ceo-2704789).*

## Story

Panera Bread will soon be acquiring rival chain Au Bon Pain. According to a recent QSR Magazine article , the deal on the Boston-based bakery-café chain with 304 units worldwide is expected to close during the fourth quarter.

The two brands have a history. Panera’s founder, chairman and CEO, Ron Shaich, created Au Bon Pain Co. Inc in 1981. Shortly after Au Bon Pain had gone public, it acquired St. Louis Bread Company in 1993, which was then renamed to Panera, which went on to grow to 2,000 locations.

“With the acquisition we are announcing today, we are bringing Au Bon Pain and Panera together again,” said Shaich. “This acquisition offers the strategic opportunity for us to grow in several new real estate channels, including hospitals, universities, transportation centers and urban locations, among others.”

Shaich has also announced that he will be stepping down as CEO, effective January 1. He will remain a significant investor in the company and chairman of Panera’s board of directors.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- unit expansion (topic)
- QSR Magazine (publication)
- acquisition (topic)
- leadership change (topic)
- Panera Bread (company)
- Ron Shaich (person)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/qsr-magazine-panera-to-buy-au-bon-pain-shaich-stepping-down-as-ceo-2704789). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/8be3313c-a3f0-41be-b7c4-38a2083530eb).