Panera Bread in Clifton Park Building a Drive-Thru and Smaller Location

If you've ever been to the Panera Bread on Maxwell Drive in Clifton Park, you know it is always busy. Finally, they are doing something about it. They are building a new Panera Bread to accommodate the larger crowds by building a smaller location.

Why Move Out of the Strip Mall on Maxwell Drive?

The new concept of Panera Bread now includes a drive-thru lane for online orders, technology upgrades, and a new interior layout that would make the dining area smaller. The technology upgrades are mainly for contactless dine-in and delivery. The main reason for the move is that more room is needed to add a drive-thru.

Where Will the New Panera Bread Be Built?

Actually, the Clifton Park Panera Bread will have the same address. It will be built in that same parking lot but in the front edge right at 22 Maxwell Drive off of Route 146. It will be a 4200 square foot restaurant.

The old Panera Bread inside the plaza wasn't conducive to the new store concept. With the new one, there is a need for two drive-thru lanes. There is one dedicated to on-site orders and the other lane for customers who order ahead online and are there just for a pick-up according to the Albany Business Review.

There are 15 Panera Bread locations in and around the Capital Region. The new store design that was announced last May calls for a neighborhood bakery-type look with the ovens in the front of the store. It also has less seating and better technology to assist with ordering and food pick-up.

The Clifton Park Town Planning Board has already approved the site plan.