Panera Bread scraps plan for Corporate location, looks to Jefferson

Despite extensive negotiations, the Panera Bread franchise that had been slated for development on Corporate Boulevard, next to MidSouth Bank, has been nixed because of pre-existing development restrictions at nearby Towne Center, says franchisee Tom Krings. “And the landlord wasn’t aware of those restrictions, and he couldn’t lease to us,” Krings says. Whole Foods has a contractual exclusion preventing a bakery from going into operation near Towne Center, Krings says, adding that Whole Foods was willing to make an exception for Panera Bread. Nonetheless, the owners of the Towne Center never addressed the issue in legal documents, Krings says, which ultimately “just killed the deal.” Krings says he’s now looking to open a Panera Bread franchise on Jefferson Highway, just south of Calvin’s Bocage Market. Krings has 19 Panera Bread franchises across Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina, and says a Metairie location will open on July 17, followed by a Covington location on Aug. 26. He says his long-term goal is to establish about 15 franchises across south Louisiana. Plans for a Baton Rouge location were first reported in November 2010. —Adam Pearson