Panera to lay off 300 more bakery workers

CHICAGO, April 2, 2026 — Panera Bread is laying off 300 more employees in its ongoing shift from manufacturing its own dough to relying on outside suppliers.

Notices filed as required with the U.S. Department of Labor indicate the fast-casual chain is closing three more of the bakeries that have been supplying the 2,239-unit fast-casual chain with par-baked dough. The baking is completed at the unit level.

The three facilities to be shuttered are located in Ohio, Maryland and Illinois. They employ 70, 118 and 119 workers, respectively.

A shutdown of a fourth facility, in Massachusetts, began on March 25. It employed 92 people.

The franchisor announced last year that it would continue to tout fresh-baked breads, muffins, cookies and other goods as a point of differentiation, but will now rely on local artisan bakers for the par-baked dough that’s finished in stores. Those new sources have not been identified.

The changeover is part of what the chain has dubbed its Panera RISE transformation, a comprehensive effort that involves everything from the bakery-cafe chain’s pricing to the caliber of its service. The stated goal of the program, as announced in November, is to raise the chain’s systemwide sales to $7 billion by 2028, a 15% jump from the 2024 tally.

Sales have been declining since 2021, according to a variety of sources.

The shift away from self-producing dough is expected to be completed by April 2027.