Why Is It Called Panera?
Panera comes from the Latin word for a breadbasket. It replaced the chain’s original name, St. Louis Bread Company, in 1997 so the bakery cafes could spread nationwide under a name that did not tie them to one city.
It is pronounced puh-NAIR-uh. The name was chosen to sound warm and bakery like, and to work in any city, which St. Louis Bread did not.
Where the name comes from
Panis is Latin for bread, and a panarium was a basket for carrying it. Panera, the Spanish and Catalan word for a breadbasket, grew out of the same root. For a chain built around fresh bread baked in every cafe, it was a natural fit.
| Word | Language | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Panis | Latin | Bread |
| Panarium | Latin | Breadbasket |
| Panera | Spanish and Catalan | Breadbasket |
| Au Bon Pain | French | At the good bread, the sister chain Panera grew out of |
It started as St. Louis Bread Company
Ken and Linda Rosenthal opened St. Louis Bread Company in Kirkwood, Missouri, in 1987. Ken had been inspired by the sourdough bakeries of San Francisco, and the couple put in 150,000 dollars of their own money, matched by a small business loan. The bakery cafe idea caught on fast around St. Louis.
In 1993 the Boston based Au Bon Pain Co., run by Ron Shaich, bought St. Louis Bread for 23 million dollars. Shaich saw the bakery cafe format as the bigger opportunity, and he needed a name that would travel.
The 1997 rename
In 1997 the cafes outside the St. Louis area became Panera Bread. Two years later, the company sold the Au Bon Pain chain for 78 million dollars and renamed itself Panera Bread Company to focus on the new brand. Around St. Louis, where locals were attached to the original, the cafes kept the St. Louis Bread Co. name, and roughly 100 of them still use it today.
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1987 | St. Louis Bread Company opens in Kirkwood, Missouri |
| 1993 | Bought by Au Bon Pain Co. |
| 1997 | Cafes outside St. Louis become Panera Bread |
| 1999 | The parent company becomes Panera Bread Company |
| Today | More than 2,000 Panera Bread cafes, plus about 100 St. Louis Bread Co. cafes at home |
Ken Rosenthal died in February 2025 at 81. Who owns the business he started is covered in who owns Panera Bread.
Who is the woman in the Panera logo?
She is not a real person. Panera calls her Mother Bread. The name refers to the mother starter used to make sourdough, the small piece of fermented dough added to each new batch, and the figure is meant to feel warm and welcoming. Panera says it still uses the same sourdough starter it began with in St. Louis.
That sourdough is the loaf behind the bread bowl, and bread bowl prices and calories are on the Panera menu.
Related Questions
Why is it called Panera?
The name comes from the Latin word for a breadbasket, based on panis, meaning bread. It was chosen in 1997 to replace St. Louis Bread Company so the bakery cafes could expand nationally under a name not tied to one city.
What does Panera mean?
Breadbasket. It comes from Latin, and panera is still the word for a breadbasket in Spanish and Catalan.
What was Panera’s original name?
St. Louis Bread Company. Ken and Linda Rosenthal opened it in Kirkwood, Missouri, in 1987, and cafes outside the St. Louis area were renamed Panera Bread in 1997.
Why is Panera called St. Louis Bread Company in St. Louis?
Because local customers were attached to the original name. When the chain became Panera, the cafes in the St. Louis area kept the St. Louis Bread Co. name, and about 100 still use it.
Who founded Panera Bread?
Ken and Linda Rosenthal founded St. Louis Bread Company in 1987. Ron Shaich, whose Au Bon Pain Co. bought it in 1993, turned it into Panera Bread and grew it into a national chain.
Who is the woman on the Panera logo?
She is not a real person. Panera calls her Mother Bread, a nod to the mother starter used in sourdough baking and a symbol of warmth and comfort.
More on Panera
About this guide. USA Food Menu is an independent reference site and is not affiliated with Panera Bread or Panera Brands. History details come from company history, published reporting and interviews with the founders. Current prices are on the Panera menu.
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