Written by Claudia Cruz
Replacing the old Blockbuster, Panera Bread opened to the public on Thursday in Mountain View.
The 4,300 square-foot restaurant staffed with 35 people of which 75 percent reside in Mountain View becomes the Pangenera, LLC franchise's 11th store in the Santa Clara/San Mateo County area and one of 1,700 across the nation.
"The patio is probably the most beautiful of all 1,700," said Jeff Burrill, president of Pangenera. "And you can put me on record saying that."
Burrill shared that they've had their eyes set on Mountain View for five years and patiently waited for the location at 1035-A El Monte Ave. to open up.
"We had been looking at the Blockbuster space and adored the location at the intersection of El Camino Real and El Monte, particularly for a patio," he said. "We really felt that it was the perfect location and because of video-on-demand felt the space would become available."
When it did, they quickly entered into negotiations with the building owners.
Mountain View has great demographics, a significant daytime employee population, and of course, the location would attract people from within a two-mile radius, which not includes Mountain View, but Los Altos and Palo Alto, Burrill explained.
"This is one of top locations in the South Bay," he said. "We are exceptionally proud to be here.
As part of their grand-opening celebration, Panera seeks to enroll the public in their "My Panera" card and for every person who signs up before June 30th, the company will donate $1 to Second Harvest Food Bank.
This effort is part of a larger one to help reduce hunger.
At the end of each day the extra baked bread and pastries are donated to food banks or local charities they develop relationships with and at the registers people can donate to Feeding America.
"We are looking to take on food insecurity in America, where one in five aren't sure where their next meal will come from," Burrill said.
But with some of their highest prices at $9.99 for a shrimp salad, Panera offers meals that fit most people's budget.
"Regardless of your economic situation, we want you to experience Panera," Burrill said.
The Panera offers free wifi and free coffee refills. It will be open Mondays through Saturdays, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
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