Panera Bread Case Study Essay

The formation of Panera Bread began in 1978 when Louis Kane bought Au Bon Pain, a retail producer of baked goods. Kane changed it to a wholesale business by opening two cafes and staffing them with bakers and employees, but high production costs made it impossible to cover his overhead. In 1981 Kane decided to remain responsible for site selection and financing, but he chose Robert Shaich to help turn the company around as President of internal operations ("Au Bon Pain History").

The fast food industry is a ‘red ocean’ as it is already well defined where rivalry is intense. It is also a perfectly competitive industry as the barriers to entry are low and there are many rivals

The restaurant industry is highly competitive, and that competition could lower their revenues, margins and market share. The business is subject to macroeconomic and other factors that may negatively impact the results of operations. Restaurant development plans under development agreements may not be implemented effectively. IHOP Corp. may have difficulty expanding in new markets outside the United States.

Although the restaurant industry is perceived to have high risk of failure, the risk of a restaurant failing is not too different from other small businesses. Parsa et al. quantified the risk of failure at 26% in the first year and 57% by year 3. He also described several factors that can influence the risk of failure. Those include physical location, firm size, speed of growth, differentiation from other restaurants in the market, adapting to external trends, and management experience. In terms of location and differentiation, Paul’s bar will be located in a new development designed to attract affluent customers and with very few competitors. Paul’s small firm size increases risk because of barriers to attract partners (i.e. suppliers and bankers are prejudiced against smaller firms) and growth that may be too rapid to manage. On the other hand, Robert already has experience in the restaurant business and should know how to run the bar and subsequent restaurant. Their choice of a piano bar may be in response to local trends that favor success.

* The company has sufficient liquidity to finance ongoing operations without taking on additional debt.

“A loaf of bread in every arm” is the mission statement of Panera Bread Company (Vincelette & Fogarty, 2010, p.1). Panera started as a small bakery under the name Au Bon Pain and grew to one of the largest fast food service companies in the U.S. In 2008 they had the 5th overall rating in the restaurant industry. “Panera Bread is widely recognized for driving the nationwide trend for specialty breads” (Panera Bread, 2011).

The Panera Bread Company is starting 2007 with unfinished goals and missed targets previously set and a review of their strategy is in order to continue their ongoing success. The company has grown substantially since its inception in the competitive restaurant industry; however, an aggressive target of 2,000 Panera Bread bakery-cafes will require a focused strategic plan. The company has a strong base with loyal customers who appreciate Panera’s unique dining atmosphere with a focus on quality products at a reasonable price. Panera will need to continue its market research and focus on environmental issues, which are an important core value. The opportunity for

This is because, when the condition of the current market is not doing well, some strategy in considering the increase in the foods price, introducing a new dish should be limited due to the less or limited spending of the customers. The best option to secure and have a constant business growth during these time is to have more promotions and value set meal to attract the customers.

If we look at the fast food industry today there is room for success. Based on RNCOS’ new US Fast Food Market Outlook 2010, fast food industry growth rate is strong. Especially, hamburger sales growth is reported at the healthy rate of 4.6% in 2008. The market is expected to grow to cross the $170 billion marks by 2010.It is believed that due to the economic meltdown, fast food industry is benefiting from people being more prices conscious. People who were enjoying nice means at fancier restaurants are now turning their choice of means to more economical ways.

Divided into three classes of membership, At the time of the May 2010 annual meeting, the Board consisted of six members. The board has established three standing committees, each of which operated under a charter approved by the Board.

1. Continuing their commitment to provide crave-able food that people trust, served in a warm, community gathering place by associates who make guests feel comfortable

segment further distinguishes itself by adding the advantage of quality. On the other hand, the

• Risk of new entry by potential competitors: the risk is very high in the restaurant industry because of the low capital investments required to enter. Outback Steakhouse competes not only with the casual diners but as well as with fast food chains, and even supper markets. Many of the high-end grocery stores offer variety of complete meals. It costs the customer absolutely nothing to switch to a different restaurant; therefore companies in this industry cannot depend on locking in the customers. However, by establishing a brand loyalty customers will return. Established restaurants such as Outback Steakhouse have an advantage with the economies of scale in advertising and purchasing.

The paper presents an analysis of the different factors influencing the restaurant industry and how these factors increase or decrease the demand for such services. The hypothesis that will be examined is that the performance of restaurants is mostly based on the type of food chosen by customers when they decide to go out for dinner, lunch, breakfast, or simply for a snack. What type of food refers mainly the nationality or concept of the food, (traditional American, Italian, Indian, Latin, or from any other type of culture). This factor is important because when customers go out to for dinner; they decide what to eat before deciding where to eat. That is why this factor is considerably important according to the hypothesis.

Have you ever sat down at a fast food restaurant enjoying a delicious triple grand slam cheeseburger and think about all the strategies of how all of this was created? I know I have. The fast food industry is one of the most complex industries out there. With all the marketing strategies, healthier options, and completive markets this could easily but one of the most difficult industries to be a part of. To evaluate, this industry I will dive into the fields of management, the completive landscape, organization of the industry, changes in the industry, and the organizational culture around it.