ST. LOUIS — Amid the rollout of an “on-demand” bread-baking model, Panera Bread plans to close its fresh dough manufacturing facility in Lenexa, Kan.
The St. Louis-based bakery cafe chain disclosed the planned closing of the facility, located at 14335 W. 100th St. in Lenexa, in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed March 21 with the Kansas Department of Commerce. According to the notice, 59 employees will be laid off.
Panera said the Lenexa site is scheduled to shut down on May 21.
“We had to make the difficult decision to close the Lenexa, Kan., commissary facility,” Panera said. “Any decision that impacts our teams is never made lightly, and we are deeply grateful for the contributions of all impacted team members. To support them, we are providing comprehensive packages that include separation pay, assistance with COBRA health insurance premiums, outplacement services, and support finding roles both within and outside of Panera.”
Including the Lenexa location, Panera has closed or plans to shut eight fresh dough facilities. In late February, the company confirmed planned closures for dough facilities in Stockton and Ontario, Calif. At the time, Panera said it had 11 open facilities operating nationwide. Last year, the company shut fresh dough facilities in Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, Houston and Chandler, Ariz.
The dough facility closings come as Panera tests an on-demand model that enlists third-party bakeries to par-bake and freeze bread to company specifications for shipment to Panera locations, where the baking is finished as needed. At other sites, the bread dough is mixed and shaped at a commissary and then delivered to cafes, where it is reshaped and baked. The bread-making model used depends on the market, according to Panera. Last month, the company said California marked the sixth market where the on-demand model was being introduced.
