Panera Bread Case

0:00>> The people in Alabama get it, the people in Oklahoma get it,

0:03 the people in Portland, Oregon get it.

0:05 Everywhere I go in this country people get it and they come to me and they go thank you

0:09 for coming here; and that to us is so gratifying that Americans really understand quality

0:15and understand something that really is worth going out of their way for.

0:20>> Even for sole proprietors, business is a team effort.

0:23Somebody creates the mission, usually based upon the perception

0:27that there's a need to fill in a particular market.

0:29Someone else then has to develop all the little steps that make the mission happen;

0:34and still other people have to take the individual actions

0:36that will bring all that planning to fruition.

0:39When Ron Shake created Panera Bread he was most interested in developing a restaurant chain

0:44that served nourishing food with the speed of a fast food restaurant

0:48and the engaging environment of a sit-down venue.

0:51But along the way he and his team proved the modern model of business management.

0:55From a sound organizational vision to management educated to lead rather than dictate,

1:00to front line employees empowered to make great customer service choices,

1:04Panera is a unique experience both for its customers and its staff.

1:09The formula has taken a quarter of a century to perfect.

1:12>> This company was originally formed as Au Bon Pain in 1981.

1:16In 1991 we went public; in 1993 we bought a small company in St. Louis, Missouri,

1:2419 stores doing about 1 million dollars a year called the St. Louis Bread Company.

1:28In 1994 and 1995 we really studied it but didn't change it.

1:33Excuse me ladies, I'm Ron Schaich and I'm the President

1:37of Panera and we're just wandering around.

1:39>> Ron is great.

1:40I actually met him two years ago when I opened this store and I was not expecting the CEO to be

1:47so involved with not only the...