Expanding Panera Franchise to Cover Eastern North Carolina

Durham, NC, September 07, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Breadwinners at the Triangle, LLC., owned by Joe and Diane Bastian and operating partner Casey Bastian, announced today a new agreement with Panera Bread (NASDAQ: PNRA) to develop additional bakery-cafés in the coastal area. Breadwinners at the Triangle currently operates 13 Panera locations in central North Carolina and will expand operations to cover all of central and eastern North Carolina.

In 1999 the Breadwinners at the Triangle franchisee opened its first Panera Bread location at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh and has since expanded its presence in the Triangle, Greenville and Pinehurst areas.

“We are excited about our continued expansion in North Carolina,” said Joe Bastian. “Wilmington has been a dream of ours for some time, and many of our loyal customers have been asking us to expand into the coastal area.”

Under the new agreement, Breadwinners at the Triangle will open five additional bakery-cafés. The family is actively looking at locations in Wilmington and Morehead City. They have targeted opening at least one location before summer 2008.

About Panera Bread:
Panera Bread serves fresh baked, handcrafted artisan breads, sweet and savory baked goods, hand-tossed salads, wholesome soups, and signature sandwiches in a distinctly warm and welcoming environment. Panera Bread is committed to using only the highest quality, fresh ingredients in the food we offer, and making a lasting contribution to the neighborhoods in which our customers and employees live and work through programs like Operation Dough-Nation. Headquartered in Richmond Heights, MO, Panera Bread operates 1,101 bakery-cafes (430 company-owned and 671 franchised) as of August 3, 2007. For more information, visit www.panerabread.com.

###