Panera Bread Co

Panera Bread Co., a fast-growing chain known for its gourmet sandwiches served on freshly baked breads, plans to open its first California outlet next year in Southern California, hoping to cash in on consumers' growing taste for fresh food at a moderate price. The St. Louis-based, 390-store company said it has signed an agreement with franchisee Mariposa Bread to open 14 cafe-bakeries in Los Angeles County in three to five years.

Shamrock Holdings Inc., Roy E. Disney's investment company, boosted its stake in bakery-cafe chain Panera Bread Co. and asked that it repurchase a "significant" amount of the stock. Panera should also separate the chairman and chief executive positions, give classes of stock the same voting rights, end staggered board elections and add new directors that include "individuals with relevant operating experience," Shamrock said Friday in a regulatory filing.

Shamrock Holdings Inc., Roy E. Disney's investment company, boosted its stake in bakery-cafe chain Panera Bread Co. and asked that it repurchase a "significant" amount of the stock. Panera should also separate the chairman and chief executive positions, give classes of stock the same voting rights, end staggered board elections and add new directors that include "individuals with relevant operating experience," Shamrock said Friday in a regulatory filing.

Panera Bread Co., a Midwest-based gourmet sandwich chain whose consistent and profitable growth has made it a Wall Street darling, faces new challenges in its bid to expand into the highly competitive Southern California market. Panera said last week it plans to open up to 100 cafe-bakeries in the Southland over the next few years. It intends to open its first California store in Los Angeles County in 2003. Moving into the Southland won't be easy, analysts say.

Panera Bread Co., a Midwest-based gourmet sandwich chain whose consistent and profitable growth has made it a Wall Street darling, faces new challenges in its bid to expand into the highly competitive Southern California market. Panera said last week it plans to open up to 100 cafe-bakeries in the Southland over the next few years. It intends to open its first California store in Los Angeles County in 2003. Moving into the Southland won't be easy, analysts say.

* Kmart Corp., the discount retailer that filed for bankruptcy protection in January, said it was notified by the New York Stock Exchange that its stock may be delisted within the next six months. * A Bank of America Corp. subsidiary lost a bid to avoid $50 million in back taxes when a Tax Court judge ruled it can't claim a tax break for two savings and loan units it acquired in the 1980s. The federal judge ruled that Bank of America's Barnett Banks Inc.

Starbucks customers are about to get a different kind of buzz. Already a go-to for morning commuters and afternoon pick-me-ups, the coffee giant is aiming to expand the happy hour crowd by offering wine and beer at select Southern California locations. Starbucks said it would bring booze to four to six new or remodeled stores in the region by the end of this year and planned to do the same to a small group of locations in Atlanta and Chicago. In addition, patrons could order "premium food" such as savory snacks, small plates and hot flatbreads.

The restaurant industry's royal line of succession has shifted, with Wendy's usurping Burger King as the second-largest burger chain, in sales, behind McDonald's. In its annual ranking of U.S. restaurants, research group Technomic placed McDonald's — with its 5.5% boost in sales in 2011 to $34.2 billion — first among the nation's 500 largest eatery chains. Next came two non-burger chains: Subway and Starbucks, each of which posted a 7.5% sales gain. Wendy's placed fourth, with $8.5 billion in sales, followed by Burger King's $8.4 billion.

By the end of the year, Panera will have opened two more cafes that look and feel just like any of chain's other branches. But at the new locations, customers will be able to pay whatever they want for the food - even nothing at all. At a time of high unemployment, when about one in every seven American households is known as “food insecure,” Panera is joining a small but growing group of restaurants serving meals that are literally priceless....

Jollibee, the biggest fast-food chain in the Philippines, came to California four years ago with hopes that its pineapple-topped burgers and spaghetti-and-hot dog concoctions would fuel a rapid U.S. expansion. But with just eight stores in California, Jollibee has only half the restaurants it expected to have by now, and Jollibee Foods Corp. officials said per-store sales are 30% below projections.

Panera Bread Co., a fast-growing chain known for its gourmet sandwiches served on freshly baked breads, plans to open its first California outlet next year in Southern California, hoping to cash in on consumers' growing taste for fresh food at a moderate price. The St. Louis-based, 390-store company said it has signed an agreement with franchisee Mariposa Bread to open 14 cafe-bakeries in Los Angeles County in three to five years.

The restaurant industry's royal line of succession has shifted, with Wendy's usurping Burger King as the second-largest sales-getter behind McDonald's. In its annual ranking of U.S. restaurants, r esearch group Technomic Inc. placed McDonald's - with its 5.5% boost to $34.2 billion in annual sales - first among the 500 largest eatery chains in the country. Next came Subway, which grew 7.5% over the year and then Starbuck's, whose sales spiked the same percentage. Wendy's placed fourth, with $8.5 billion in sales, followed by Burger King's $8.4 billion.

CKE Restaurants Inc.'s turnaround appears to have hit a bump as sales at restaurants open at least a year, a key industry measure, fell at its Carl's Jr. and Hardee's chains. The Santa Barbara-based company said Monday that same-store sales at Carl's fell by 3% in the four weeks ended Aug. 12, versus a 6.8% jump for the same period a year earlier. Hardee's sales dropped 2.8%, compared with a 1.3% hike.