MONTICELLO — If all goes according to plan, Monticello could soon have a new fast-casual restaurant on the east side of town, complete with a drive-thru and outdoor patio seating.
Panera Bread, a popular bakery-café chain with more than 2,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada, is looking to put an eatery at Union Crossings, right by Target.
The City Council at its most meeting May 28 approved a conditional-use permit for the drive-thru — a requirement for all such businesses within the area.
The applicant, Westwood Professional Services, also known as CA Commercial Development, is proposing to put a Panera Bread at the northwest corner of East Seventh Street and Fenning Avenue, on an existing vacant parcel that is just under 1 acre in size.
The free-standing site is currently an overgrown, grassy field sitting beside an outparcel housing AT&T and Mattress Firm.
As a part of the development, a driveway would be constructed to connect the proposed parking lot to the existing access drives for the Target development.
The proposed building would be approximately 2,400 square feet, with 28 standard parking spaces, two ADA parking spaces, three mobile-order pickup spaces and six spaces for employee parking.
The developer said, following approvals and property acquisition, it anticipates an immediate start to construction, with the goal of opening in late 2024.
The city’s Planning Commission reviewed the proposed ordinance and held a public hearing during its regular meeting on May 7. Applicant representative Mike Gilbert attended, making himself available for any questions.
During its discussion, the commission noted the developer will need to address storage or removal of snow given the spacing between the parking and drive aisle on the east property line.
Prime location
Built in 2007 with easy access to Interstate 94, the Union Crossings development has a mix of retail businesses, including several big-box stores, with Home Depot, Target, Marshalls and PetSmart comprising the larger spaces, while a multi-tenant outparcel building houses Caribou Coffee, Verizon, Fantastic Sam’s, Little Caesar’s Pizza, a chiropractor, nail salon and a hair salon, along with about three vacant spaces.
The shopping center also includes several free-standing outparcels, including RiverWood Bank.
Not many eateries are located in the immediate vicinity, and the only other drive-thru fast-food chain in the area was a McDonald’s on East Seventh Street, which closed in December 2014.
About Panera
A Panera Bread in Monticello would be the chain’s first location in Wright County, with the closest locations currently in Elk River and St. Cloud. There are now 31 branches of the chain throughout Minnesota.
According to its website, the private corporation employs approximately 120,000 employees across 11 countries.
The Missouri-based company has roots as a bakery, starting up in 1987 as St. Louis Bread Company before changing over to Panera Bread in the ’90s after getting bought out by Au Bon Pain Co. In 2021, it merged with the Minnesota-based Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels to form Panera Brands.
In keeping with its origins, Panera continues to offer an array of pastries and baked goods, including bagels, brownies, cookies, muffins and scones.
The eatery serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. A savory menu for dine-in or takeout includes sandwiches, salads, flatbreads, pizzas, warm grain bowls, pasta and soups.
A selection of cafe beverages is also offered, serving everything from coffee, espresso drinks, frozen drinks, fruit smoothies, hot chocolate, lemonade, fountain drinks and tea.
Most Popular
Comments / 0