PACE — Panera Bread is expected to open in September at the Santa Rosa Commons shopping center. The restaurant chain is building a 4,000-square-foot prototype restaurant with a drive thru.
"National and regional retailer and restaurant chains are placing focus on north Santa Rosa County as a viable trade area, viewing Pace as an extension of the greater Pensacola market," said Todd Snyder, of Trademark Properties, which owns the outparcel and negotiated the one-year lease with Garrett Williams, Panera’s senior real estate manager.
Snyder also owns and develops Pace Crossings, the newly constructed Verizon, Five Guys and Jersey Mike’s development across from Santa Rosa Commons, which will open in late April. He also has more retail developments planned for Pace.
"Other national, full-service and sit-down restaurants have expressed great interest in locating to north Santa Rosa County, provided they can offer their full menu items, including Sunday alcohol sales," Snyder said.
While the county may approve Sunday alcohol sales for events like Tough Mudder, it is still otherwise prohibited.
Shannon Ogletree, the Santa Rosa County Economic Development director, said new businesses like Panera lead to larger job providers showing interest in the county.
“Amenities like Panera, Tin Cow, etc., attract families to the area and, when companies are looking at the various areas around the country, one of the initial factors is population,” he said. “The more individuals we have in the area, the more looks we will receive from site selectors and companies.”
Panera Bread has submitted its building plans to Santa Rosa County and, as of this writing, the restaurant’s construction is pending permitting approval. A video clip of the site from 3/31: http://www.tout.com/m/7uxvs8
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Panera Bread's coming to Pace — are you excited?