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Panera Closed Another Fresh Bake Facility - Here’s What’s in Store for the Chain

The thing about non-freshly baked bread is that we already have that at home.

By Cassandra Yorgey

Edited by Calista Headrick

Updated Nov. 3, 2025

What do you call a bakery that doesn't actually bake any of its bread fresh? Panera, apparently.

The fast-casual dining chain is ditching the fresh dough and switching to a third-party provider for their bread and other baked goods. Their new model will utilize par-baked products, meaning partially baked and rapidly frozen for distribution. The final heating is then done on the premises.

Before stretching your restaurant budget to fit Panera, learn what we know so far about the major shift in their restaurant strategy.

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Panera is making changes

All of Panera's fresh dough facilities will be closed within two years, as part of their transition to a new profit model.

Their existing production model uses fresh dough facilities, which then send the dough to their cafes, where they are baked and served fresh to customers.

Under the new system, a third-party contractor will prepare the dough and use a par-baking process that partially bakes the dough and then freezes it. The final baking will still be performed on location.

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Why are these changes happening?

Panera touts that this change means the products will be more readily available for customers as products can now be made on a more frequent basis throughout the day. Additionally, they hope that this helps them achieve a greater reach with their chains because par-baked bread is easier to transport over longer distances.

The latest fresh dough facility closure

Most recently, Brentwood, Missouri, watched its fresh dough facility close in September, resulting in 72 lost jobs. Panera has stated that impacted employees received a severance package along with outplacement services to assist in locating new employment.

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How many have closed so far?

Nine fresh dough facilities have already been closed or have been announced for closure, with the rest following within two years. Locations in Kansas, North Carolina, California, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, and Washington state have already been impacted.

Will other locations close?

All of Panera's fresh dough facilities will be closing throughout the next two years, a process they began back in 2024.

Franchise partners have also closed 15 Texas locations; however, Panera Corporate will be expanding its store footprint with nearly 70 new locations through the end of the year, according to Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Brooke Buchanan.

What the company has to say

Buchanan told Nation's Restaurant News that this new shift will streamline operations and guarantee a consistent availability of products intended to accelerate company growth through a three-year transformation plan.

"While it was a difficult decision, it's the right decision for our future, and I'm really excited about the feedback we're hearing from our guests, whether they realize the change or not," she said.

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What this means for Panera

It's not always a good sign when a company completely pivots away from the specialty for which they are known, and the change is unpopular with customers who are already tightening their belts and budgets and are now concerned about Panera's quality.

The three-year plan to fundamentally alter operations may be working towards the rumors of an IPO, as JAB Holding has been trying to take the company public again since 2023.

What this means for customers

Public opinion is largely against the changes.

"I think an important point here is the fact they were very sneaky about this change, in addition to euthanizing their own company culture in pursuit of unsustainable growth during a recession and a pandemic," a commenter on Reddit pointed out. "It's not just frozen stuff, they retired the 'no no' list as sneakily as possible and there has been a notable shift in product quality beyond baked goods. Customers have noticed this."

This likely references a quieter change Panera made in rolling back its "clean food guidelines," which advocated for hormone and antibiotic-free products, along with good animal welfare and other popular practices.

Bottom line

Panera Bread's fresh dough facilities will all be going dark by 2027, so if you love their fresh-baked bakery goods, you'd better make the most of it now before they are gone forever.

Unfortunately, the trend of restaurants turning to heat-and-serve options has only been increasing, and is putting customers off of dining out. Financial struggles have everyday Americans trying to consolidate bills and make the most out of cash back credit cards, which makes non-freshly baked sandwiches a hard sell. Let's face it, we already have that at home.

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