We are now just days away from the grand opening of Panera Bread’s new Upper East Side restaurant. Upper East Site has learned the new highly-anticipated eatery, located at 1534 Third Avenue, between East 86th and 87th Streets, it set to open its doors to customers next week.
A Panera employee confirms to Upper East Site the new restaurant will open next Tuesday, March 21st. Staffers were seen at the restaurant on Wednesday, and a sign posted to the door explains that the new location is currently closed for ‘new cafe training.’
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Panera Bread is known for its hearty soups, salads and sandwiches, in addition to its wide selection of fresh-baked breads, pastries and cookies — however, it does not appear the staff was eating their own food for lunch. Catering from Chipotle could be seen through the restaurant’s front window on Wednesday.
Inside the two-story restaurant located directly next door to Chick-Fil-A, it appears that most of its seating for customers is located upstairs, with limited space available on the ground floor.
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Filings with the NYC Department of Buildings indicate an elevator has also been installed in the space.
The fast causal chain returns to the Upper East Side after a five-year hiatus. Panera Bread closed its previous Upper East Side restaurant — a 6,800 square foot space located at 120 East 86th Street, between Park and Lexington’s Avenues — back in 2018, after just five years serving the neighborhood.
Let’s hope this one sticks around a little longer.
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