A Popular Restaurant Chain Now Makes Unexpected Closures

January 23, 2024

Updated on January 10, 2025

A popular restaurant chain now makes unexpected closures despite reportedly having a good amount of customers and business.

Panera Bread is now shutting down a major location after 14 years in business, reports The-Sun.

The Panera Bread location in Trumbull, Connecticut, 20 miles west of New Haven, officially closed to customers on January 9.

This spot was located in the busy Trumbull Mall and had occupied a spot there since 2010.

The reason for the closure is not clear however an official offered her thoughts on the news.

Rina Bakalar, the Director of Economic and Community Development for Trumbull, said she did not believe the closure was due to a lack of customers, according to CTPost.

“Their business was actually pretty strong there,” she said.

“I think their decision not to stay there has to do more with their format for their stores in the future.”

Bakalar explained to Patch.com why and how she thought Panera Bread was changing its store structures.

“It was a new branding direction for their cafes,” Bakalar said.

“They are coming out of strip malls to free-standing cafes with drive thrust.”

The mall’s officials also shared that they were upset by the news but felt hopeful for the retail location’s future.

“They had been a part of the Trumbull community since 2010, and we are certainly disappointed that they’ve made the decision to exit,” they said.

“We’re optimistic, however, about the potential for the space and look forward to exploring new opportunities there after Panera has finished moving out.”

Despite the major loss to locals, there are still several other Panera Bread locations in the Connecticut area.

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Also Read: A Massive Furniture Company Now Lays Off 1,650 Employees

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A massive breakfast chain now begins to close down after reportedly falling behind four months on rent, sources report.

An IHOP location has suddenly stopped operations, effective immediately, leaving employees without jobs, reports The-Sun.

The beloved breakfast food chain has shut down its store located on the Louisiana Boardwalk on Friday.

Employees were reportedly given no warning that the restaurant would be closing, according to local radio station, 710 KEEL.

The outlet noted that employees only found out about the closure when they showed up to work where they were told they needed to search for new jobs.

Employees who were on the schedule for the day had the option of sticking around to clean up the store or heading home for the day.

The Louisiana-based IHOP recently changed from a 24-hour operation to reducing their hours back to normal times.

This location was reportedly four months behind on their rent, according to the General Manager of the Louisiana Boardwalk, Ashley Warner.

She noted that many customers often complained about the customer service they received at the Louisiana location.

Some customers even took to Yelp to share their reviews on the IHOP located on the famed boardwalk.

“When I stay here I like to get breakfast first thing in the morning. So the front door says it opens at 6am Google says 7am but the last four times I went there they were not open and didn’t know when they were going to because it all depends on when the cook wants go get out of bed and actually show up to work.

“This is one location that should be closed down,” one review that was posted in December 2023 read.

“My husband and I and friends from out of town went here and this place needs to be closed down it was the worst food and service.

I’m embarrassed that we took them here the bathrooms were filthy,” another reviewer shared.

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Also Read: A US Company Now Declares An Unexpected Bankruptcy

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