Panera Bread is closing its Franklin bakery facility, terminating employment of all 92 of the site’s staff as the fast casual chain looks to outsource its bakery operations.
Panera’s facility at 290 Beaver St. is set to close its doors on March 27, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification letter to the state dated Jan. 22. The closure is a result of the chain opting to shift part of its operating model, utilizing third-party bakers to make its baked goods, with Panera staff finishing in-house.
As a result, Panera is laying off the location’s 92 employees, terminating the workers between March 25 and March 27. The permanent layoffs will affect employees across 23 positions, the largest portion of whom are tractor-trailer component drivers, according to the letter.
While none of the site’s employees are part of a union, and thus do not have a collective bargaining agreement, Panera said it is offering all workers severance packages and is assisting them in finding new positions, including a job fair on Feb. 23.
Founded in 1987, Panera operates 64 Massachusetts cafes with 12 in Central Massachusetts, including those in Hudson, Marlborough, Millbury, and Worcester, according to the company.
In October, Panera’s co-founder Ron Shaich gifted his alma mater, Clark University, $20 million in endowed and expendable funds. Shaich’s donation was the largest in the Worcester university’s history.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare, manufacturing, and higher education industries.
