Panera Bread opens seventh Boston store

Scott Hauver, district manager for the Greater Boston Market, Panera Bread, David Manfredi of Elkus Manfredi Architects of Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino, and Bill McQuillan, principal of Boylston Properties of Boston, were joined by Boston Redevelopment Authority director Peter Meade and others from the BRA and Panera Bread, representatives of the state Division of Capital Asset Management, and other guests at the opening of Panera Bread's seventh café in Boston. The new, 4,000 s/f store is in the location previously occupied by 7-Eleven, which recently moved into CityPlace. The retail space, leased by Boylston Properties, is managed by The Wilder Companies. Panera Bread executives and others participated in the company's traditional "bread-breaking" for the new store. Mayor Menino noted that the cafe, located in the Theater District, created 52 jobs and is on a key corner of the neighborhood, which is undergoing revitalization that includes transformation of the sidewalk and storefront areas along the Transportation Building, which opened in the 1980s.