Panera Bread/Saint Louis Bread Company vs Bread Poets Baking Company Franchise Comparison

After more than 17 years in the retail industry, Ken Rosenthal changed gears and founded Saint Louis Bread Co. in 1987. His goal was to create a neighborhood bakery where people could pick up fresh-baked bread, meals and snacks. In 1993, Rosenthal sold Saint Louis Bread to Au Bon Pain Co. Six years later, the company was renamed Panera Bread. The future growth of Panera Bread will be based upon company bakery-cafe development as well as the continued sale of franchise area development agreements. Panera Bread does not sell single-unit franchises, so it is not possible to open just one bakery-cafe. Rather, we have chosen to develop by selling market areas which require the franchise developer to open a number of units, typically 15 bakery-cafes in a period of 6 years. Panera Bread franchises must be well-capitalized to open great bakery-cafes and meet this aggressive development schedule. Additionally, they must have a proven track record as excellent multi-unit restaurant operators to operate great Panera Bread bakery-cafes.

Bread Poets provides a unique opportunity to make an incredible tangible product and immediately see the fruits of your labor. Sure it’s hard work but having been in this business for almost 15 years, we can honestly say that it is extremely gratifying!

We take the franchising end of our business very seriously and are committed to giving our franchisees all the tools necessary to succeed. However, with any business venture, the recipe for success falls squarely on the shoulders of the individuals running each location. There’s an old adage in the franchise business: "You’re in business for yourself but not by yourself”. Therein lies the strength of a franchise system. We’ve been through many hardships, constantly refined our systems and recipes, and basically know this business inside and out. You not only invest in the name Bread Poets and our products, but you benefit from the lessons we’ve already learned - giving you the advantage to hit the ground running with a tried and true system that works and a product that will simply amaze your customers!

We hope you’ve had the chance to visit Bread Poets - soaking in the atmosphere of busy bakers hoppin’ around the bakery to an upbeat melody as the fresh bread is being pulled from the oven. The sight, the sound, the smell and the taste leave an indelible impression on all who walk through our doors. The products are unique only to us and the chatter at the bread board affirms that there is nothing quite like Bread Poets bread.

If you should be among the chosen to open a Bread Poets you will spend time in our Bismarck location learning how to run a bakery - from doing the doughs, to baking, to customer service up at the counter. We will cover it all. There will also be office training that covers bookkeeping, recordkeeping, ordering and staffing.