First Panera Bread opens in Newark, special promotions planned

NEWARK, NJ – The first Panera Bread bakery-café in Newark is opening this week – and there will be a special promotion for 100 customers.

Panera will open its first location in Newark on Monday, December 2nd. The store is located at 635 Broad Street. It is open Monday to Saturday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

According to a company press release, the Panera To Go experience at 635 Broad Street will be “optimized for guests on the go.” It will have a smaller footprint than traditional bakery cafes and feature updated ordering kiosks, a fully digitized menu and a new tracking screen with more detailed order status.

To celebrate the new location, there will be two special events on December 2nd and 3rd at 6am. The first 50 guests will receive free “Your Pick Two” meals for a year, allowing guests to choose any combination of two half-size entrees from the Panera Bread menu, including soups, salads, sandwiches and more.

The company said the new location will employ 35 to 40 people.

“We are thrilled to open the first-ever Panera in Newark,” said Mike Faga, regional operating partner.

“We are excited to expand our presence in this wonderful community and look forward to providing our New Jersey guests with the delicious food and impeccable service they have come to expect from Panera,” said Faga.