Panera Bread bakery and cafe ready to open in Hesperia
It was a hub of activity inside the new Panera Bread bakery and cafe at the Mojave Plaza in Hesperia.
A store tour revealed a bright and shiny lobby, counter area, and kitchen along with new equipment and advertising signage. The restaurant is located between Quick Quack Car Wash and AutoZone.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us but we’re making progress," Panera General Manager Fidelvia Garcini said on Tuesday afternoon.
The Panera location will be ready to welcome customers at 6 a.m. on Sept. 18, Garcini added.
The illuminated menu board displayed soup, salads, sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, warm bowls, and Panera Kids meals, along with specialty beverages, coffee, tea and cold drinks.
One framed display read “Icing on your morning,” alongside photos of two Vanilla Cinnamon Rolls and an Iced Cinnamon Crunch Latte.
Outside, a group of employees prepared two menu boards along the drive-thru lane, which ran between the store and order pick-up parking spaces.
On Tuesday afternoon, over a dozen people approached the store expecting to dine inside.
“Young man, tell me the store is open,” Apple Valley resident Mark Munroe said. “I just have to have a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a bagel.”
Construction begins
In early February, a construction crew began working on the Pandera retail pad located near the corner of Bear Valley and Mojave Fish Hatchery roads.
The new Panera Bread joins ALDI supermarket, Planet Fitness, Wendy’s restaurant, and other stores at the shopping center.
The first High Desert Panera Bread opened in January 2013 on Amargosa Road in Victorville, followed by the opening of a Barstow store near Lenwood Road in October 2014.
During the opening of the Barstow store, Senior Real Estate Manager for Panera Bread Robert Kluger said the long-term goal is to have three to five High Desert locations.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Panera Bread bakery and cafe ready to open in Hesperia
