Name: Brian Krause
New title: Chief development officer, Panera Bread
Previous title: Chief development officer, GoTo Foods
Krause joined Panera on Jan. 13, a week after parent company Panera Brands named Paul Carbone as interim CEO in place of José Alberto Dueñas. The chain is in the middle of a significant executive shuffle that began with changes to the structure of its board in November. For more than a year, the company, owned by JAB Holdings, has been rumored to be preparing for an IPO. Carbone was first hired as CFO as part of the IPO preparation in 2023.
Krause’s responsibilities encompass “driving strategic new store growth for Panera Bread, leading development planning, franchise development and sales, design & construction and real estate.”
Krause brings significant development experience to Panera, including four and a half years as chief development officer for GoTo Foods, according to his LinkedIn profile. During his tenure, GoTo rebranded from Focus Brands and focused on multi-brand development.
Prior to his work at GoTo, Krause spent a stint as development chief for Jimmy John’s at Inspire Brands, where he was “responsible for franchising, real estate, development, and design and construction.”
Panera has gradually simplified its operational model, shedding corporate jobs and shifting toward par-baked frozen pastries at some locations. These changes have left the company “well-positioned to drive both company and franchise growth this year and beyond,” Carbone said in the press release announcing Krause’s hire.
The chain is looking to deploy a new, small-concept cafe that expands the range of real estate available for development, according to the press release. Panera opened its first digital-only restaurant in 2022.
“The latest of this model recently opened in Monticello, MN and features a cafe layout designed to support convenience for off-premise and on-the-go guests,” the company said. The Monticello store is a refinement of smaller cafe models that makes use of lessons learned from previous stores.
