Panera Bread nears opening

Panera Bread, the popular bakery and cafe chain, will open a La Cañada Flintridge location by the end of the month, company officials said.

The store, at the northwest corner of the La Cañada Town Center, is scheduled to open June 29. Panera plans to hire up to 50 people in the coming weeks, spokeswoman Kristen Bergevin said.

The opening is the end product of years of negotiations between the company and Mattix Development Partners, which developed the La Cañada Town Center.

“It is a perfect fit,” said General Manager Layla Tabata. “We have been looking to go into La Cañada for a couple of years now. And we finally found a location.”

The store is known for its specialty baked goods and cafe offerings, which include panini sandwiches and soups served in bread bowls. Regular business hours will be 6 a.m to 9 p.m. weekdays and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekends.

Contractors are currently installing counter tops, flooring and booths, said Darren Mattix, head of Mattix Development Partners.

Panera is the second new Town Center tenant in seven months. Cañada Jewelry and Gifts, a high-end jewelry retailer, opened in the complex late last year.

“At this time in the market in La Cañada the highest demand is the food-use space, and we are down to 4,500 feet [of food-use space],” Mattix said.

He added that he was pleased to welcome such a high-quality tenant given the tough commercial real estate market.

“You are always happy to see space rented, but it is more about finding the right tenants that are going to be appealing to La Cañadans,” Mattix said.

(NOTE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Mattix Development Partners owns the La Cañada Town Center. The official holding entity is La Cañada Properties.)