Panera Bread triumphantly returned to the Upper East Side on Tuesday, five years after closing up shop and leaving the neighborhood, but for customers who long craved their hearty soups, sandwiches and baked treats, it was like they never left.
Upper East Site first reported the grand opening date of the highly-anticipated new restaurant from the popular fast causal chain last week, as staff training was still underway at 1534 Third Avenue, between East 86th and 87th Streets.
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The two-story Panera Bread is located directly next door to Chick-Fil-A, and similarly, has much of its seating for customers upstairs, which turned out to be fairly spacious and includes both tables and a bar whose seats face large windows looking out on Third Avenue.
Seating is very limited on the ground floor, however, an elevator has been installed in the restaurant for anyone who many not be able to use the stairs — it is located in the rear, near the staircase.
The second floor also houses the restaurant’s bakery, where you can see Panera employees carefully handling the fast casual chain’s tasty dough before it gets put into a piping hot oven.
On street level, the Upper East Side’s new Panera Bread features a long counter packed with the company’s signature baked goods, as well window by order pickup that gives a look into the new restaurant’s busy open kitchen.
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On its opening day, Panera Bread is clearly a hit with the neighbors, who crowded the new space as they grabbed their lunch from the restaurant’s large shelf under the stairs, where pick-up orders are located.
It remains to be seen whether the new Panera Bread will lead to an uptick in congestion on the block from an increase in the number of deliver workers with the electric bikes stationed in front or more traffic from double and triple parked cars waiting to pick up delivery orders on Third Avenue — which continue to be a problem nearly every single day.
