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Not too long ago, Gavin Newsom got caught with his hand in the cookie jar of political cronyism. In response to a draconian law passed raising fast-food worker wages to $20 an hour, known as A.B. 1228, Newsom carved out a little exemption for his friends at Panera Bread on the laughable grounds that these establishments bake bread on the premises. In reality, the owner of several Panera establishments was a high school buddy who was a really good donor to his campaigns. Once caught, Newsom backed off, but right when he thought no one was looking, he went right...

When fast food restaurants across California have to start paying workers $20 per hour on April 1, one major chain will be exempted from the mandate—and it just so happens to have a connection to a longtime friend and donor to Gov. Gavin Newsom. Panera Bread is poised to get a boost from a bizarre clause in the fast-food minimum wage law that exempts "chains that bake bread and sell it as a standalone item," Bloomberg reports, adding that "Newsom pushed for that break, according to people familiar with the matter." That exemption stands to benefit Greg Flynn, owner and...

(NEXSTAR) — Panera Bread is facing another lawsuit after one of their drinks, Charged Lemonade, allegedly caused a second customer’s death. According to court documents filed in Delaware and obtained by multiple outlets, the family of 46-year-old Dennis Brown of Fleming Island, Florida is suing Panera Bread over Brown’s October death. Brown’s family says the man drank three of the Charged Lemonades after finishing a work shift at Publix on October 9. Brown — who had “a chromosomal deficiency disorder, developmental delay, and ADHD,” as well as high blood pressure, according to his family — did not drink energy drinks....

The real goal behind the failed Panera Cares experiment.

According to Eater, after nine years of being in business, Panera Bread's socialist pay-what-you-want restaurant, Panera Cares, will officially be closing shop on February 15 due to the business model's unsustainability. While Panera Cares billed itself as a "non-profit" restaurant designed to feed low-income people, the business model was anything but. Rather than create a charitable organization that distributes food to needy families or a discount outlet or even a $1 menu (like every other fast-food restaurant), Panera tried to create a socialist system in which meals were offered at a suggested donation price. That means some people would pay...

The bakery-café chain panera Bread has issued a nationwide recall of its cream-cheese products, after samples showed evidence of the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium. Listeria infections kill hundreds of people each year and are particularly dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn children (hence the recommendation that pregnant women should avoid soft cheeses). Panera (PNRA, +0.00%) was keen to point out that the bacterium was only found in samples of one variety of its cream cheese, made on one particular day—samples from the production days before and after seemed to be fine. However, better safe than sorry, so Panera is recalling...

A fresh food lawsuit has emerged in Massachusetts following an incident at Panera. Boston Magazine reports that back in January, a New England family placed an online order for a meal from the chain's location in Natick. They ordered a grilled cheese sandwich for their six-year-old daughter, noting that it was for a child with a peanut allergy. The parents claim that after taking a bite, the young girl suffered a reaction that sent her to the hospital, and they discovered a dollop of peanut butter inside the sandwich. Luckily an epi pen saved the girl's life, but the family...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Starting Thursday, the armed security guard at Panera Bread Co. across from Vanderbilt University will no longer be carrying a firearm. According to the manager at the 21st Avenue location, the decision comes after multiple patrons complained to corporate that the armed security agent was violating the company’s own gun policy and making them uncomfortable. One of those who complained was Lillian Hallstrand, a long-time customer of the Panera on 21st. The Director of Stewardship and Vocational Planning at Vanderbilt’s divinity school told news 2 coming to the restaurant in recent months has been unsettling since...

Yesterday Panera Bread became another restaurant establishment asking customers to leave their guns at home, joining eateries like Chilis, Starbucks and stores like Target after pressure from anti-gun groups. Like other restaurant chains, Panera's official policy hasn't changed to an outright ban, but they've made clear customers carrying firearms for self-defense aren't welcome. This "please leave your guns at home" policy is catching on, but as more restaurants join Panera and others like it, it's important to remind them of the horrifying Luby's Cafeteria massacre. In 1991 Texas residents were banned by law from bringing firearms into restaurants. That same...

<p>Panera Bread is asking customers not to bring guns into its restaurants. The request places it on a growing list of companies asking guests to refrain from toting firearms into their locations amid an ongoing nationwide debate about gun policy.</p>

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Panera Bread (PNRA) are among five notable casual eateries slated to release earnings this week. All report on Thursday except for Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) on Tuesday. Restaurants worked hard to control costs during tough economic times. That allowed them to leverage (usually) modest revenue gains into big profit growth. On the upside, the economy is getting better, payroll tax cut provides more money for discretionary spending. But food prices are rising rapidly. A question for restaurants is whether they can pass those costs onto consumers via higher prices and/or smaller portions, maintaining top-line growth...

With Labor Day weekend over, vacations have ended, the kids are back in school and the morning rush hour gets worse as America returns to the rat race. Typically, trading volume on Wall Street also picks up. With the market in a confirmed rally, this is no time to relax. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get serious about investing in companies that calm the nerves and satisfy the palette.

CLAYTON, Mo. - Panera Bread Co. is asking customers at a new restaurant to pay what they want. The national bakery and restaurant chain launched a new nonprofit store here this week that has the same menu as its other 1,400 locations. But the prices are a little different — there aren't any. Customers are told to donate what they want for a meal, whether it's the full suggested price, a penny or $100.

t might not be good for America's waistline, but froufrou dining off petite plates is out. The recession has made us hungry for family-size piles of comfort food.. Like other segments of the retail economy, the restaurant industry has struggled over the past two years as unemployment has soared and consumers have curtailed spending. The National Restaurant Association's performance index shows that the industry has been shrinking for 23 months in a row. High-end bistros have fared the worst, with sales at fancy restaurants like Ruth's Chris and Morton's Steakhouse off by 20 percent or more, as corporate customers pare...

WI-FI service is quickly becoming the air-conditioning of the Internet age, enticing customers into restaurants and other public spaces in the same way that cold “advertising air” deliberately blasted out the open doors of air-conditioned theaters in the early 20th century to help sell tickets. Today, hotspots are the new cold spots. Starbucks became the most visible Wi-Fi-equipped national chain when it began offering the service in 2002. Now, at more than 5,100 stores, Starbucks offers Internet access “from the comfort of your favorite cozy chair.” Before you pop open your laptop, however, you need to pull out your credit...