Panera Bread, a franchise of the St. Louis Bread Company, based out of St. Louis, Mo., has more than 100 restaurants throughout the United States. In Eastern Iowa, general manager Mike Young says, you'll find a Panera Bread cafe in the Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville, and in Davenport and Moline. Each Panera Bread is split between a bakery and cafe. At one end you'll find a complete bakery that offers close to 20 different kinds of breads, pastries and 10 varieties of bagels. On the other side is the cafe where they sell soups, sandwiches and salads.
Patrons can purchase a loaf of it or enjoy it on a sandwich.
Its taste is unlike what you will find locally, and Young attributes its specialness to a couple of things. Bagels, which are also sourdough based, are baked in ovens on site and are steam injected, giving them their shiny and chewy texture. Two of the most popular are the asiago and cinnamon crunch bagels. Over on the cafe side, you'll find an assortment of salads, sandwiches and soups. The soup menu changes daily, but you might want to try one served in a fresh-baked sourdough bread bowl.