Panera Bread founder Ken Rosenthal passed away on Friday at the age of 81. He was surrounded by family and leaves behind his wife, Linda "Laya" Rosenthal, and their four children.
In 1987, Rosenthal started Panera Bread’s precursor, the St. Louis Bread Company. The small bakery used a sourdough starter from San Francisco, which Panera says it still uses in its "iconic sourdough bread."
Clayco founder Bob Clark, who is married to Rosenthal’s niece, recalled on his website the day the Panera founder came to him with a "crazy idea" to start a bakery. During a trip to San Francisco, Rosenthal became infatuated with sourdough bread, the very item that would inspire his business.
"I was more than a little shocked by the immediate positive reaction to the bakery. Lines of people…crowds…enthusiasm…buzz…all of the things you would want to have happen, which led to multiple stores being opened in short order," Clark recalls.
"I remember Kenny fibbing to me that his plan was to open only four or five stores when it turned out that he had much more ambitious plans. Thank God he did not take any advice from me about anything other than construction."
In telling Rosenthal’s "phenomenal success story," Clark remembers the Panera founder as "humble and with a great sense of awe and humor."
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Rosenthal sold the chain in the 1990s and became a franchisee. The business he started was renamed, but its mission remained. The company says on its website that it still aims to put "a loaf of bread in every arm."
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Panera not only carries on Rosenthal’s business legacy, but his philanthropic values. The company partners with 3,300 charities across the US to donate unsold baked goods at the end of the day through its Day-End Dough-Nation program, according to Panera’s website. Additionally, the company works to help "underserved and at-risk children and youth" through The Panera Bread Foundation.
