Two new businesses to open in late June at Thompson Hills Shopping Center MAY 19, 2012 in LOCAL Future home of Panera Bread Company, located in the Thompson Hills Shopping Center. By Kyle Siegel Staff writer Only one week will separate the much anticipated opening of Freddy’s Frozen Custard and the Panera Bread Company in June. Both eateries are located in the Thompson Hills Shopping Center. According to the part owner of both businesses, Eric Cole, Freddy’s Frozen Custard is scheduled to open on Tuesday, June 19. Panera Bread Company is scheduled to open for business just one week later on Tuesday, June 26. The News-Journal had a chance to speak with Cole to discuss both locations, and what the people of Sedalia and the surrounding area can expect from them. Cole is the vice-president of Original Bread Inc., which is the company associated with the Panera Bread Company. Cole also serves as the president and franchise manager of M&M Custard LLC, which will operate the Sedalia location of Freddy’s Frozen Custard. When businesses move into a new area, they perform market research to see if they would be a good fit for the community, and this time was no exception. “Sedalia is a nice regional draw. You are looking at all of the areas that drawn to it. We feel that this is going to be a good fit for both concepts,” Cole said. When new business comes into an area the economic impact on the community is not always felt right away, but that will not be the case with both Freddy’s and Panera. Cole was asked how many people can be expected to be employed by the new eateries. “Both stores will end up having about 60 employees each for a total of 120. We have hired management teams from the Sedalia area. We are really excited that we found management teams from Sedalia and the surrounding area,” Cole explained. Cole was asked if his companies looked anywhere else in Sedalia to build the businesses, or if the Thompson Hills Shopping Center location was the prime choice. “We honed in right on that site from the beginning. We never really looked at another site,” Cole said. Future home of Freddy’s in the Thompson Hills Shopping Center in Sedalia. For those not familiar with Freddy’s Frozen Custard and Panera Bread Company, Cole explained what types of items one can expect to find when they visit. “Freddy’s specializes in steak burgers and frozen custard products like concretes and sundaes. We also have a great veggie burger and chicken sandwich as well. Another big part of our menu are hot dogs, chili dogs, and Chicago dogs. “At Panera we have a full bakery. We have a lot of fresh baked bread, muffins, bagels, and pastry. It is fresh baked every day. We also do sandwiches, salads, and we have an extensive list of soups. We also serve coffee and espresso drinks,” Cole explained in detail. Both locations will have drive-thrus available for convenience. “This will be the second location of Panera with a drive-thru, we are pretty excited,” Cole said. “On the design side, the design elements of Panera is a brand new design. We are bringing the newest and greatest design elements. This is pretty exciting. We are also building a beautiful patio out there at Panera. It will look more like a patio you would find at home. Freddy’s will have a patio as well. Panera Bread Company will be open Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. On Friday and Saturday it will be open from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m., and Sunday it will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Freddy’s Frozen Custard will be open Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. If anyone is interested in learning more about Panera or Freddy’s they can visit their websites at www.panerabread.com and www.freddysusa.com. We had another great day of sales in Jeff City topping our Wednesday sales!
We are starting off with a fantastic day of sales today as well! Michelle, the kids and I will be traveling to the lake this weekend and plan on stopping by the Sedalia site as well as going up to Jefferson City for dinner on Saturday! We'll try and get some pictures posted! |