Continuing its expansion into Manhattan, Panera Bread is opening its third bakery café in the area. The newest location is on Fifth Avenue between 39th and 40th Streets and follows on the success of the company's first two Manhattan openings in February and June 2012.
In the coming months, Panera also plans to open an additional bakery café in Union Square. Panera currently operates more than 90 bakery cafés in the Tri-State area. Additionally, all of the Manhattan bakery cafés will support City Harvest through the Company's Day-End Dough-Nation program and the Community Breadbox program.
"We are delighted to expand our footprint in Manhattan," Tom Kelleher, director of operations, said in a press release. "While New York City consumers have their pick of options, we believe that the Panera experience—high-quality food rooted in hand-crafted, artisan bread, served in a warm and welcoming environment by people who care—will distinguish Panera from the rest. We look forward to joining additional Manhattan neighborhoods over the coming months."