Panera Bakery Cafe Opens In Southbury Plaza

Panera Bakery Cafe opened it's doors Monday for the first time in Southbury.

Inviting aromas of cinnamon and warm baked bread greeted the first patrons who arrived at 6 a.m., a full half hour before opening. They wanted to be first in line to check out Southbury's newest eatery.

Angie Greene-Hicks, marketing manager, hoped everyone would enjoy the cafe. "We design Panera to be an everyday oasis," she said. "We try to create an environment where people can eat, meet and just relax.”

Panera Bread Company owns and franchises nearly 1,500 bakery-cafes nationwide. The Southbury Panera seats 100 patrons indoors, which is comparable to the Newtown and Brookfield locations, and employs between 55 to 60 workers.

Greene-Hicks said the franchise is eager to give back locally. “We just spoke with the Southbury food bank and the , and we will be donating all left over items to them at the end of each day.”

Last year, Panera Bread Company donated more than $50 million worth of unsold bread and baked goods to their local communities. “Panera also collects change at the register that is donated at the year'e end to Yale New Haven Hospital, and we match the funds by 10 percent,” Greene-Hicks added.

The first wave of customers seemed to show as much enthusiasm as the management team.

Seven high school girls sat at a large table, abuzz with excitement at having a new place to come after school. The girls were from the high schools in both Woodbury and Southbury, and dance with Main Street Ballet in Woodbury. Kim Crozier, 18, said, “ I love food and this is really good food. It's a great healthy alternative to fast foods.”

High school senior Hayley MacDonald, 17, landed a job at Panera and is working as a greeter at the door. While this is her second job working with food, MacDonald has set her sights on a career in psychology. “I think this will help me because it's working with people. I like the different social circles, and everyone is so nice. I am so excited to be here.”

The hours of operation for Panera Bread at 100 Main St. North in the Southbury Plaza shopping center are Monday-Thursday 6:30am-9pm, Friday and Saturday 6:30am-10pm and Sunday 7:30am-8pm; please call 203-267-2084 for more information. Major credit cards accepted.