The brand names Nikka Copeland as senior vice president
Panera Bread, the fast-casual brand, has named Nikka Copeland as senior vice president of its newly created office of transformation and strategy and introduced a summer menu, the company said Tuesday.
The St. Louis, Mo.-based company, owned by JAB Holding Co., said Copeland will manage the strategic execution of Panera’s three-year growth plan. Copeland joined the Panera executive team on June 24 and reports to Panera CEO Paul Carbone.
“I look forward to working closely with Nikka as we develop and execute our strategic plan to build a culture of highly engaged and empowered teams, deliver an exceptional guest experience and increase franchisee profitability,” Carbone said in a statement. “Nikka brings a wealth of experience in finance, strategy and operations that will prove invaluable as we create the blueprint to scale and grow Panera for the future.”
Most recently, Copeland served as senior vice president for the business services at World Kinect, a global energy company. Prior to that, she was World Kinect’s senior vice president for finance. She also held finance and strategy positions at National Grid, Aflac, and Burger King Corp.
Panera, meanwhile, has launched three new, Italian-inspired menu items.
Available for a limited time, the new offerings are part of Panera’s summer menu.
The items include:
Italian Steak & Mozz: marinated sliced steak, fresh mozzarella, tomato, arugula, garlic aioli, basil, and Italian dressing on black pepper focaccia.
Italian Market Salad: mixed greens with arugula, tossed in Italian dressing and topped with soppressata, shredded asiago cheese, chopped basil, salt and pepper, chickpeas, and croutons.
Strawberry Basil Lemonade Fresca: lemonade made with agave nectar and strawberry puree fruit blend, infused with fresh strawberries and basil.
“With these new summer menu items, we wanted to channel the vibrant flavors of Italy in a way that was fresh and exciting for our guests,” Scott Uehlein, Panera’s vice president of culinary, said in a statement.
As of June 3, Panera, founded in 1987, had 2,197 cafes, both company-owned and franchised, in 48 states, Washington, D.C., and Ontario, Canada. They operate under the Panera Bread or Saint Louis Bread Co. names.
Contact Ron Ruggless at Ronald.Ruggless@Informa.com
Follow him on X/Twitter: @RonRuggless
Source https://www.nrn.com/fast-casual/panera-bread-creates-strategy-office-and-launches-summer-menu
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