Keller City Council approved a specific-use permit Feb. 18 for the city’s first Panera Bread restaurant, to be located at 1241 Keller Parkway, Keller, a short distance from Keller Town Center.
“I think [they’re] going to be swamped,” Council Member Sheri Almond said.
The 3,500-square-foot restaurant will be located on 1.29 acres adjacent to Braum's.
The SUP was needed due to Town Center zoning requirements that prohibit a drive-thru and require buildings to be a minimum of 6,000 square feet, according to Julie Smith, city of Keller director of community development.
Design specifications indicate a 22-foot-high building with 80 interior seats and an additional 30 exterior seats on a patio area. The site will include 53 parking spaces.
At a Keller Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Jan. 28, the commission unanimously recommended design changes that included relocating the drive-thru to avoid bisecting drive-thru and parking traffic and installing a centralized walkway for pedestrian traffic.
“We have about 30%-35% of our sales go through the drive-thru lane,” said John McKay, Panera Bread director of real estate. “Anytime a drive-thru is present, ... people like to grab their food and go back to the house.”
Hours of operation for the Keller store will be Mon.-Fri., 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sat.-Sun., 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
It will join two other Fort Worth-area Panera Bread locations, including an Alliance Town Center location at 2925 Heritage Trace Parkway, Fort Worth.