It’s a first. Panera Bread opened its first bakery-cafe in the borough of Brooklyn in Kings Plaza and Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, was on hand to commemorate the opening with a celebratory “bread breaking.” The bakery-cafe opened its doors yesterday on Flatbush Avenue and Avenue U at Kings Plaza Shopping Center, a major Brooklyn mall with 150 stores and a 10-level parking garage. Panera Bread’s opening brought 60 new jobs to Brooklyn and franchisee Doherty Enterprises, Inc. expects to open more bakery-cafes in the area, including one on Adams Street in downtown Brooklyn in early 2012.
“It’s an untapped market. Brooklyn is New York City’s largest borough with a population of 2.5 million,” says Timothy Doherty, Vice President of Development at Doherty Enterprises, long-time franchisee for Panera Bread. “The potential is tremendous for us here and we are pleased to have been so welcomed by guests at our grand opening.”
Doherty Enterprises, Inc. was established in 1985 and is the 12th largest franchisee in the United States, operating five restaurant concepts including: Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar, Panera Bread, Chevys Fresh Mex, Carino’s Italian Grill, and their own concept, The Shannon Rose Irish Pub. To date, Doherty Enterprises owns and operates 96 restaurants in northern and central New Jersey, Long Island, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Queens. The company currently operates 28 Panera Bread bakery cafes in the surrounding areas of Long Island, Queens and Staten Island.