Panera Bread opens doors in south Carson

Panera Bread opened its first full-scale bakery in Northern Nevada on Monday, which happens to be in south Carson City next to Chick-fil-A.

“We’re very busy,” Jacob Bustos, regional vice president, said on opening day. “Our doors are open, and we’re excited to be part of the community and Carson City.”

Both the indoor restaurant and outdoor drive-through were full of customers.

“Everything here is baked fresh every day,” said Bustos, adding what’s not used is donated to local food closets. “We’re 100 percent clean. No preservatives, no antibiotics.”

Customers sit inside the new Panera on Monday. 

Bustos said the location, at 4881 Cochise Street near highways 50 and 395, is ideal.

“We’re twenty minutes from South Lake Tahoe,” he said.

Seventy employees have been hired to staff the store and catering service, and the company is still looking for more, Bustos said.

“We need team members, team managers and catering leads,” he said. “We’re still looking and hiring.”

Those interested in careers with Panera can visit www.mannacareers.com.

Bustos was handing out Panera member cards customers can use to get rewards. Regular business hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays.

According to the company’s website, Panera Brands boasts nearly 4,000 locations and 110,000 employees across 10 countries. The parent company also includes Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros Bagels. The company says 45 percent of their sales are considered e-commerce.

For information, visit www.panerabread.com.