Panera Bread to open next Tuesday

CHILLICOTHE - Panera Bread plans to open its Chillicothe location at Guernsey Crossing next week Tuesday in an event that will feature special offers and giveaways to customers.

The store, located at 1391 N. Bridge St., will open at 6 a.m. and will be operated by Covelli Enterprises, the largest franchisee of Panera Bread that currently has more than 270 bakery-cafes in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Florida and Toronto, Canada.

"We are thrilled to open another Panera Bread here in Ohio where we are headquartered," said Sam Covelli, owner and operator of Covelli Enterprises. "We look forward to providing great food and friendly service and most importantly, to giving back to the local Chillicothe community."

The Chillicothe store will be the company's 40th Panera Bread location in central Ohio and its 11th with a drive-thru. It will employ about 65 part-time and five full-time workers from the area.

Customers will receive two weeks of free coffee refills with the purchase of a $5 Panera Bread coffee mug, with proceeds from every mug sold benefiting the United Way of Ross County. The first 500 customers through the drive-thru will receive a free Panera Bread car coaster, while on Tuesday and Wednesday, customers will receive a free $5 gift card with the purchase of a You-Pick-Two to use on future visits.

Breakfast sandwiches and egg souffles are half-price on Thursday, according to officials. Panera Bread also plans to donate $1 to the United Way of Ross County for every $5 gift card that is redeemed at the store during the first two weeks of opening.

A formal ribbon cutting is planned Dec. 17. For more information, visit www.covelli.com/chillicothe.