Lease Extended: Panera in Natomas will Not Close

BY BRANDY TUZON BOYD
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz

Panera Bread logo

The Panera Bread café in Natomas slated for closure later this month will remain open after all, according to company officials.

Steve Haydu, market president at Pan American Group LLC, confirmed that employees had been told the eatery on Del Paso Road would be shuttered in two weeks, as reported by The Natomas Buzz.

“With some turn of events, we were able to extend the lease,” Haydu said in a phone interview late Friday afternoon.

A sign had been posted on the café doors announcing the planned closure and directed customers to a second Panera restaurant in Natomas located on North Freeway Boulevard.

“Our Panera Bread location will not be closing as previously stated on our in café posting,” Haydu wrote in an email message to The Natomas Buzz.

The 4,426 square foot Panera restaurant is an original tenant in the Natomas Town Center which was built in 2005.

“It brings us great joy and excitement for the opportunity to continue serving our loyal and local guests for years to come and apologize for the short-term confusion this has caused,” wrote Haydu. “Thank you, Natomas!”

Pan American is the second largest Panera franchisee, operating 134 bakery cafes across eight states. It is part of Flynn Restaurant Group which also operates 460 Applebee’s, 282 Taco Bells, and 369 Arby’s, making it the largest restaurant franchisee in the United States.

Messages left for Natomas Town Center property manager CBRE were not returned on Friday.