A new Panera Bread café is coming to Pensacola. Here's what we know:
A new Panera Bread is under development off West Nine Mile Road in northwestern Pensacola. The restaurant’s building will be 3,500-square feet on a 1.2-acre site that was previously undeveloped.
The new Panera Bread location is owned by Terra 9 Mile LLC, An Alabama-based group, according to the project’s site plan filed with Escambia County. The company purchased the parcel for the project's development last May for $450,000.
The project’s development was approved on Aug. 16 by Escambia County’s Development Review Committee, approximately two months after initially applying for approval.
Here’s what we know about the incoming restaurant development.
Where will the new Panera Bread be?
Once construction for the new Panera Bread café is finished, it it will be located at 2405 W. Nine Mile Road near the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Pine Forest Road.
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What is Panera Bread?
Panera Bread is a national restaurant chain that began as the St. Louis Bread Company in 1987 and has expanded its footprint to 48 different states within the U.S. while maintaining its connection to its roots as a bakery.
The company believes in serving delicious, freshly prepared and clean food made with carefully selected ingredients, according to Panera. The restaurant is famous for its extensive fresh bread, bagels, rolls and deserts, as well as its soup, salad and sandwich menu.
In recent years, Panera has expanded its drink menu to stand out in the crowded fast-casual food scene. The chain offers flavored teas and lemonade, frozen drinks and smoothies, and an expresso bar, in addition to its soft and bottled drinks.
The national chain is currently dealing with blowback over the caffeine content (390 milligrams) of its Charged Lemonades following a lawsuit filed by the parents of a young woman with a heart condition who died after drinking the beverage. All Panera Bread restaurants are now displaying "enhanced" disclosures about the restaurant chain’s highly caffeinated lemonade.
How many Panera Breads are in Escambia County?
There are three existing Panera Bread locations across Escambia County, each with a different group of owners. They can be found at:
University Parkway Café located at 9239 University Parkway
Bear Family Foundation Health Center Café located at 125 Baptist Way
Bayou Blvd @ North Ninth Ave Café located at 5091 Bayou Blvd.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: New Panera Bread Northwest Pensacola West Nine Mile Road, Pine Forest