Re-opening uncertain for Springfield Panera cafe hit by car in April
Three months after a car crashed into its storefront, the Panera Bread cafe on South National Avenue is still closed — and not even the owners know when it might open once again.
In July, furniture and signage was removed from the restaurant at 509 S. National Ave. and employees have transferred to area Panera locations. Many employees have transferred to surrounding bakery cafes, according to Jennifer Arnold, director of non-traditional marketing for Manna Development Group, which owns several Panera Bread locations in Springfield.
"We are working with the landlord to determine" when the cafe would possibly re-open, Arnold said.
According to the Greene County Assessor's Office, the building is owned by Nouvelle Realty, LLC. Records on the Missouri Secretary of State's website indicate that Jo Ann Junge is the registered agent for Nouvelle Realty, LLC. Junge is also co-owner of Brown Derby liquors and sister to Bass Pro Shop owner Johnny Morris.
In an effort to contact Junge, the News-Leader has reached out to Brown Derby, but has not yet received a response.
More: It 'sounded like an explosion.' Witness inside describes vehicle crash into Panera
Just before 4:30 p.m. on April 27, a Mercedes-Benz G550 was traveling south on National Avenue, waiting to turn left onto East Elm Street. When there was a break in traffic, the car started to turn left but instead of completing the turn onto Elm it crashed into the side of the restaurant. Two people were injured.
In the days following the incident, a Panera associate told the News-Leader that the location would be closed for "a couple weeks" while they assessed the damage.
The Springfield Police Department investigated the crash in May, eventually clearing the driver of impairment or distracted driving. Vehicle defect was noted as the official cause.
According to the SPD investigation, data from the vehicle's computer indicated the car was traveling at 26 mph when it hit the restaurant and the accelerator appeared to be functional but fluctuated considerably in the five seconds leading up to the crash. Police confirmed that the steering wheel was almost completely non-functional.
"The steering stabilizer/piston was sheared near where it connects to the steering knuckle," the report says.
Susan Szuch is the health and public policy reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on Twitter @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Panera owners unsure when Springfield location hit by car will reopen
