Panera Bread, Louisville, KY

Our latest Panera Bread build started off a bit soggy. The whole job was delayed two weeks because the pad wasn’t ready since it had been raining buckets for days. Rain or shine, the task at hand was still clear as mud, so we dug in and made the best of a sticky situation until we got this one back on track.

We started the build from the ground up. On the fresh pad, we installed a steel structure with metal stud infill. The exterior included both brick and drainable EIFS.

Although it was a fairly standard build, we still ran into unforeseen challenges. We initially had issues installing the exterior Ruskin shades, but we worked through the challenges and they look great. Then, three weeks before our turnover, we had to make some last-minute kitchen upgrades to meet our client's needs. With muffin to lose and everything to grain (groan), we made a last-minute mad scramble and got it completed just in time.

The icing on the pastry is that the finished product is one attractive, functional restaurant. Way to pull through another successful build!