With a new CEO officially in place to take the wheel, Panera Bread’s corporate staff will soon be returning to work at support centers in Boston and St. Louis.
Paul Carbone has served as interim CEO for the larger Panera Brands since January but dropped the “interim” from his title last week. One of his first moves was to announce a shift away from remote work, which has been in place for about five years, according to a memo sent to staff on Wednesday, which was shared with Restaurant Business.
Starting the week of April 14, the chain’s executive team will begin working in support centers for four days every week.
Then, beginning the week of May 12, non-executive team support staffers will be allowed to use a hybrid model. Those who live within a 50-mile radius of one of the support centers in Boston or St. Louis will be required to work three days per week at the office.
Team members based in Boston and St. Louis will work three weekdays, coordinating with leaders to determine the best days based on office capacity.
Senior vice president- and vice president-level staff in non-field roles who are not based in a support center will be in the office two weeks every month, three days a week.
“After a lot of thoughtful planning, we all believe we have the right approach to continue building our high-performing culture and drive our business forward,” the memo said.
It has been a bumpy two years of transformation for the 2,200-unit Panera Bread, with multiple executive and board member changes, the ongoing closure of fresh dough facilities and resulting layoffs.
Last year, Panera Bread overhauled and streamlined its menu, focusing on the core soups, sandwiches, salads and macaroni and cheese.
The chain also faced litigation over a data breach and allegations of deaths and injury caused by the brand’s (now off the menu) caffeinated Charged Lemonades.
And Panera Bread’s sales have been slipping.
According to newly released data from Technomic on the Top 500 restaurant chains in the U.S., Panera’s sales sank more than 5% in 2024 to $6.1 billion, despite a 1.7% increase in unit count to 2,216.
The chain’s average unit volume of $2.8 million was the lowest since 2021, when it was $2.7 million, according to Technomic.
Carbone, meanwhile, appears to be taking steps to address those sales trends.
The memo, signed by the executive team, highlighted progress made this year as the chain stays “laser-focused on what drives guests to our cafes—the food experience, the café experience and delivering great value for our guests.”
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