Panera Bread is planning to go public and has secured an unconventional investment from Danny Meyer’s special-purpose acquisition company, adding to one of the busiest restaurant IPO seasons in years.
Panera Brands—the privately held company that owns Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels—on Tuesday said it plans to file for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Panera hasn’t determined the price range, number of shares it plans to offer or a date for the IPO, the company said Tuesday.