Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 26, 2013

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The unaudited consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which consist of the accounts of Panera Bread Company and its wholly owned direct and indirect subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”), have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), under the rules and regulations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), and on a basis substantially consistent with the audited consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2012 ("fiscal 2012"). These unaudited consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with such audited consolidated financial statements, which are included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 25, 2012, as filed with the SEC on February 15, 2013. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The Consolidated Balance Sheet data as of December 25, 2012 was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by GAAP contained herein.

The unaudited consolidated financial statements include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments and accruals) that management considers necessary for a fair statement of its financial position and comprehensive income for the interim periods presented. Interim results are not necessarily indicative of the results for any other interim period or for the entire fiscal year.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements [Policy Text block]

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2013-02, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220), Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. This update requires companies to provide information regarding the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by component. In addition, companies are required to present, either on the face of the statement where net income is presented or in the accompanying notes, significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income. The requirements of ASU 2013-02 were adopted in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 26, 2013. The adoption of ASU 2013-02 did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.