Client: Panera Bread
Location: Nationwide
Project Type: Restaurant
Areas Supplied: Exterior, Interior Floors & Walls
Products: Oxidize, Forged, Culture, Quarry Tile, Santiago Creative Materials Blend Thin Brick
Design Firm: ChangeUp
As one of the leading bakery-cafe restaurants in the USA, Panera Bread burst on the scene in 1987 and the food industry has never been the same. What began with breads, bagels, baguettes and brownies has expanded into paninis, soups, rice bowls and flatbreads. What has not changed is Panera Bread’s welcoming environment—inviting people to enjoy freshly prepared delights and relax a while with family, friends, or alone (with a chocolate croissant).
In late 2020, our team began working with ChangeUp, a retail design and branding firm. Reworking the design of Panera Bread involved maintaining the comfortable atmosphere loyal customers had come to expect while expressing the commitment to a healthier and happier world. The earthen colors in the brick and tile selections truly reflect that belief in both the exterior and interior spaces.
The Quality Assurance & Technical team traveled to a test store site in Ballwin, MO, not far from Panera Bread’s headquarters, in November 2021. Meeting directly with the Panera design and construction team allowed all parties to collaborate and adjust the final design to meet the design and functionality intent of the brand most accurately.
Brand identity proves crucial whether new to an industry, or having built a dedicated following. Panera Bread and ChangeUp proved that reciprocal partnership makes a world of difference in collaborating for success. Creative Materials welcomed the opportunity to work with such dedicated teams and, together, created a surface material package that could roll out nationwide and keep brand identity throughout all locations as they remodel. Exterior thin brick, interior thin brick, floor tile, wall tile and setting materials for each project are consolidated, ensuring the client receives the materials intended, along with significant cost savings.
Supplying over 70 Panera Bread locations since our partnership began, the dedicated account team helps bake success into each delivery, troubleshoots and mitigates any issues, answers any question brought forth by contractors, and occasionally enjoys a chocolate croissant at the Panera Bread just down the street from our headquarters.
“Having a Quality Assurance and Technical team available to travel and meet with key brand client division players, allows Creative Materials to collaborate at a different level than other tile suppliers.”
Doug Salatino
Business Development Lead-Restaurant & Retail Brands
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