Second Panera Bread opens in Boardman

August 27, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

By Brandon KLein

BOARDMAN

A new Panera Bread opened its doors for the first time at Southwoods Commons on Market Street in Boardman on Tuesday.

This is the ninth Panera Bread for Covelli Enterprises in the Mahoning Valley, the largest franchise of Panera LLC in the Valley and the second to feature a drive-thru.

“This is the perfect place to put a new store,” said Sam Covelli, owner and operator of Covelli Enterprises.

Covelli said opening this new store was his way of thanking customers for their loyalty.

“I love it,” said Lorraine Gulgas of Boardman. Gulgas said the new store is much closer to her than the first store, 3780 Market Place Drive NW, Boardman. Kelly Haren, the general manager of the new store, said it is “a good thing for Boardman.”

Haren worked at the first Boardman store for nine years and said the new drive-thru feature “will be really popular.” The new drive-thru also would help with congestion in the parking lot that other Panera Breads had issues with, she added.

“It worked out well,” Covelli said. “We’re growing constantly.”

Covelli Enterprises has more than 250 locations in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, Florida and Canada and employs more than 20,000 people, including more than 2,000 people in the Valley.