Hardware Podcasts

Panera Bread/Au Bon Pain: Ron Shaich

How I Built This · 30 Apr 2018 · 41m

What this episode covers

Ron Shaich, founder of Panera Bread and Au Bon Pain, recounts buying a struggling Boston bakery chain in the early 1980s and pivoting it into the 'fast casual' category by creating the 'third place' concept. He details the chaotic early days of production, including a disastrous attempt to dry spinach in clothes dryers, and the strategic acquisition of the St. Louis Bread Company to enter the suburban market. Shaich explains his controversial decision to sell the original Au Bon Pain business to focus entirely on Panera, a move that tripled the stock during the 2008 recession and eventually led to Panera's acquisition by JAB Holding Company to escape public market pressures.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up and large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Au Bon Pain, Panera Bread, St. Louis Bread Company, The Cookie Jar, Pepsi, Sarah Lee, Vita France, JAB Holding Company, Dodo.com
Products
Shed Defender

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