Panera Targets Inland Empire

Fricker has worked in the restaurant industry for more than 25 years, holding positions with Jack in the Box and Outback Steakhouse. Most recently, he served as EVP and CFO for all of the Outback Steakhouse franchises in California. During his tenure, he oversaw the opening of 51 new Outback Steakhouse restaurants in a 10-year period.Panera, which owns and franchises bakery cafés under the Panera Bread and Saint Louis Bread Co. names, is often mentioned in accounts of the emergence of the fast casual concept in chain restaurants. The company operates 741 locations that include 226 owned by Panera and 515 that are franchised. Its expansion into California follows an announcement in recent months that it plans 15 of its bakery cafés in Arizona, which it is entering for the first time in an expansion that will introduce the company's stores to the counties of Maricopa, Yavapai and Coconino. The Arizona and California expansions are part of a Panera plan to develop 150 to 160 new locations in 2005, of which 70 will be company-owned and 80 to 90 will be franchised. It typically locates in suburban strip malls and regional malls, offering a menu of fresh baked goods, made-to-order sandwiches, soups, salads, custom-roasted coffees and other items. Its expansions in California and Arizona follow a strategy that represented "a significant achievement" in 2004 in light of "uncertainty as to how our brand would be impacted by the Atkins diet," according to recent remarks by Ron Shaich, the company's chairman and CEO. As Shaich outlined that achievement, it included an increase of 5.4% in comparable store sales for the fourth quarter that ended Dec. 25, along with 143 openings of new stores during 2004, the highest in the company's history.