Panera coming downtown

May 22, 2008
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PaneraWeber Grill Restaurant could soon get some company. Panera Bread Co. is close to a deal to take the remaining portion of the former Old Navy space in Claypool Court. If landlord Simon Property Group closes the deal, it would be Panera's first location downtown. The Missouri-based bakery cafe concept has 30 locations in Indiana. Panera also owns Paradise Bakery & Cafe, which opened last year on the first floor of Chase Tower.
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  • Good news. I don't care that it's a chain, it's just good to have a bakery in the core of downtown.
  • A chain, blah. But as with the last post, it is nice to have a bakery addition downtown.
  • yes!
  • Not the biggest fan of chains, but Panera is decent. Good to see them downtown.
  • I've never been in one. Not because it's a chain, but because their name is ...Bread. How boring is that?
  • idyllic... I think you are jumping on the close minded bandwagon too soon. You should elaborate on why you think it's boring just because its name has the word bread in it. It is not only a bakery, it's also a restaurant that serves food. Food you'd consider better tasting and more fun to eat than across the street at McDonald's greasy salty crap.

    Surely I'm not a huge fan of chains either, but it is indeed a welcome addition to the downtown core for a bakery. Perhaps this could spur another bakery of another concept? (Independant) I just wish someone would do something to Illinois Building, that's a jewel ignored... WHY?
  • I agree that although it is a chain, at least we will have a bakery downtown that has a decent amount of variety and good bread. Panera is way better than Paradise Bakery plus it will bring more free wi-fi.
  • I prefer Au Bon Pain.......but there is already a location downtown.......a Scholar's Inn Bakehouse would have been good.....if you haven't been to their location in Broad Ripple give it try!
  • I had heard that McCallisters was also trying to find a spot downtown.
    I noticed the old Indian restaurant spot was still empty on Illinois.
  • Sweet! I can't wait!
  • A bakery downtown...hey all, Paradise Cafe, Au Bon Pain (2 locations) and our VERY OWN Scholar's Inn are downtown as well as Cafe Potachu. I don't think we lack a bakery at all. When Panera first came to town I immediately thought, There should be a downtown location, but that was geesh, 7 years ago now.

    Anyway, good to see them opening downtown.
  • McAllisters would Rock in the Illinois Building or the Indiana Garden. There need to be a few more options to the northwest of the downtown core. I'm in the 5/3 building and its hard for us to do a goo dhour lunch when we have to walk to all the restaraunts south of Washington along Penn; MaCallisters would be a welcome location.
  • Yeah, I have a soft spot for panera - so this'll be great.

    I don't like au bon pain - not sure why. Paradise's hours are kind of weird. I'm pretty sure scholar's inn (Sexy and Intimate) are no longer a baker. You'd have to hit up their bakehouse in broad ripple.


    Aren't we getting a local baker downtown? I forget if that was real, or if someone wanted one.
  • Panera's Brocolli Chedar Bread Bowl rocks. So does the lemonade.

    You people complaining its a chain are just stupid.

    And yes, MacAlisters would be awesome downtown!
  • Finally! My cravings for lousy soup and breads with names I am too dull to be able to pronounce can be satisfied!
  • I agree with everything you said BigRic.
  • I would like to point to everyone that, while not right in the center of downtown, Shapiro's has a pretty awesome bakery section in their deli. Best rye bread in the world (hyperbole so don't try to refute me), great cookie and cakes, and more. Also, 16th and capitol has Crawford's Bakery. While it is more pastry oriented it is none-the-less tasty.
  • Did Old Navy at Circle Center close? If so when?

    This post makes it sound like the Weber Grill is in the space where the Old Navy was and this is definatly not how it appears to be from the outside, so if a panera goes into this space would that mean that its on the 2nd floor instead of on ground level with an interior entrance, this would most likely not be good for business and would not scream ideal location.

    And if Old Navy is gone and can totally understand why, as if you didn't know they where there you wouldn't ever just casually go all the way down that way, and when ever they have an event in the Arts Garden access from Circle center to the old navy was blocked meaning that a dedicated shopper would have to go outside to cross the street.
  • Old Navy closed a couple of years ago........it was when they closed a couple of hundred locations nationwide.
  • They should have leased the former Flagstar Bank site.
  • And Matt, the reason Old Navy closed probably had less to do with their location (it was actually fairly accessible) and more to do with the fact that it was, well, Old Navy.... The poorly constructed, mass produced, with the OLD NAVY moniker splashed across the front in BOLD lettering so that everyone knew you got your shirts 4 for $20 look went out a few years back!

    Hooray for Panera! YUMMY!
  • There's nothing wrong with a Panera in that location in my view. It's not a huge special addition to the Indianapolis market, but it is a solid retail offering in an appropriate location that will serve a mix of office workers and visitors.
  • Matt-

    Anytime there is an event at the Artsgarden, the facility is NEVER fully closed. They always provide for access through the venue that loops around behind the stairwell so that Claypool is awlays attached to Circle Centre. You must remember that most State offices are attached to Claypool via underground tunnels and therefore will always have indoor access to Circle Centre.

    And yes, Old Navy closed-up long ago and Webber is located in half of the former Old Navy site.
  • Speaking of chains coming downtown, is the Panera Bread deal dead? I believe you said back in the spring that it was opening up next to the Weber Grill, but I haven't heard anything more about it.

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  1. liek the rest of America

  2. These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.

  3. It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.

  4. No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.

  5. whoa!

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