The new Panera Bread coming to Ralph Brown Draughon Library is expected to open in March, according to Tiger Dining.
Construction and preparation for the new restaurant, located where the Mell Classroom Building and the rest of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library meet on the second floor, is nearly complete.
“When campus dining announced the plans for Panera there was an enthusiastic response from students and library staff,” said Campus Dining Assistant Gwen Ward said.
Ward said students have taken to Panera's no-antibiotics campaign.
“We’ve found that more Auburn students are interested in knowing that their food was raised without antibiotics. Panera’s campaigns promote that,” Ward said.
The new food venue in the library was initially expected to be an Einstein’s Bros. Bagels until Panera Bread contacted Chartwells, Auburn’s food service provider at the time. When asked, the majority of Auburn students voted to have Panera Bread in the library and Einstein’s Bros. Bagel in the Haley Center.
“I try to lead a healthy lifestyle, so having a Panera conveniently located in the library will be extremely beneficial,” said Holly Bostick, junior in public relations.
Einstein Bros. Bagels opened in the Haley Center in fall 2017. While the original opening date for Panera Bread was scheduled for last September, construction has been prolonged, and it is finally expected to open next month.
“The location will have about 98 percent of a normal Panera Bread menu, so it’s going to open up more choices for students,” said Evan McCarver, director of dining services at Panera.
Campus dining hopes the restaurant will mirror library hours and eventually have a rapid pick-up service so students can place their orders online.
Panera's expected opening comes as Tiger Dining recently announced a new contract with Aramark, a food service company based in Philadelphia. The new contract will be the end of a 10-year relationship with the former Chartwells.
Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Panera, Einsteins, Chicken Salad Chick, select food trucks and Panda Express are all expected to remain on campus. Tiger Dining Director Glenn Loughridge said students can expect a rebranding of all of the C-Stores, API, The Mediterranean Cafe and other Chartwells-specific chains.
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