Panera Bread is an establishment that does not respect certain rules that society has imposed on the image of a "fast food" restaurant, traditionally run by a chef who wants serving healthy and delicious food as if it came from her grandmother's kitchen (Gelles 2). Panera, since 1987, has worked to serve clean, fresh food in a clean and healthy environment, making tremendous progress in the fast food industry. With over 1,900 restaurants in the United States, Panera Bread has proven to be one of the most health-conscious restaurants in the world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Founded by Ron Saich in 1987, the first Panera, formerly known as St. Louis Bread, opened in Kirkwood, Missouri. A few years later (1993), Au Bon Pain, an American chain of fast bakery and coffee shops based in Boston, Massachusetts, purchased the St. Louis Bread company and in 1997 renamed the restaurant Panera, which means "bread basket" in Latin . . In 1999, all Au Bon Pain establishments were sold (aside from Panera Bread) and the company took the restaurant's name (Warshaw 2). Panera's reputation began to grow in the early 2000s, as did the number of restaurants built. In 2006, Panera Bread was named the top performing company in the restaurant category for one-year, five-year and 10-year shareholder returns. In 2010, Ron Saich passed his job as chief executive officer (CEO) to Bill Moreton, and in 2012 the company announced that it would share the CEO title to demonstrate the importance of their partnership and commitment to Panera. As of September 2016, there are at least 2,024 bakery-cafés in the United States, Canada, and the District of Columbia. From young children to the elderly, the warm atmosphere attracts people of all ages, races and classes. The environment inside the restaurant, usually equipped with a fireplace, carpet flooring and sofas, makes people feel welcomed into the home of Panera. Panera has spent years touting an image of clean, fresh food. In 2014, Panera announced that it would remove artificial flavors, sweeteners, preservatives and colors from artificial sources from all items on its restaurant menus and from its grocery store shelves by the end of 2016, while keeping prices reasonable. . This was known as the “Food as it should be” campaign. As of June 2015, up to 90% of all ingredients used in foods are natural. Techniques include digital content and displays, billboards, radio advertising, national television and movie commercials. More than $25 million of the chain's estimated $90 million annual media budget was used for this campaign. “I think we've done a phenomenal job, our supply chain people and our staff have done a great job of coming up with unique solutions,” says Christopher Hollander, the chain's marketing manager. (Fishman 2). In every successful business, the work behind the scenes is as important as the buying customers. Over 47,000 employees work for Panera, half of whom work full time. Staff are most commonly made up of students and early to middle-aged individuals, with exceptions for management and the executive office. The hiring process is simple, with many online sources claiming to have been hired on the spot during interviews. The average hourly wage for a cashier starts at $8.86, a Line Cook starts at $9.68 an hour, and the average wage for a baker is $12.09 an hour. A 401(k) is offered after one year of employment and paid time off for all employees”.