VILLAGE OF FAYETTEVILLE – The bakery-cafe Panera Bread reopened in Fayetteville last Wednesday in a different part of Towne Center than before.
The restaurant made the switch over the winter from 530 Towne Drive in the shopping complex to nearby 404 Towne Drive. The new building is situated next to the Chipotle Mexican Grill that opened in November.
The decision to relocate was sealed when the opportunity came about to put in a drive-thru for the business at the 404 address, said Charlie Roff, an area operating partner for Panera. The cafe’s drive-thru lane connects to that of the Chipotle.
“When you look at this type of restaurant segment today, a drive-thru is a major part of the business because people are looking for convenience and the drive-thru offers them that without them needing to get out of their cars,” Roff said.
He said the previous location had flourished since its establishment in 2004 as Panera’s first in the Syracuse area but that it had grown “a little tired.”
“It’s been a great partnership that we’ve had with the local community of Fayetteville and Manlius,” Roff said. “We’ve had a lot of success here and we wanted to continue that with a better facility.”
Panera’s business operations in Fayetteville were put on hold from Jan. 8 until March 15, a two-month span during which the new building underwent construction.
For that length of time, employees from 530 Towne Drive temporarily shifted to the company’s other local locations so they could continue working.
The opening for the new cafe arrived the day after last week’s nor’easter that swept through Central New York.
Despite the morning spent shoveling snow, Roff said the opening day went off without a hitch.
“It went fantastic, and it was great to see the familiar faces and all our guests come back in,” he said. “We’re happy to be open and running.”
Offering options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the new Panera Bread location in Fayetteville keeps in place the chain’s standard menu of soups, mac and cheese, bread bowls, salads, sandwiches, bagels and pastries. It shares its parking lot in the plaza with Chipotle.
The Panera’s hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the week except for Sundays, when it stays open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.