Business Combination Business Combinations and Divestitures (Details Textuals) (USD $)	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended					3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			7 Months Ended	12 Months Ended	4 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Sep. 24, 2013	Jun. 25, 2013	Mar. 26, 2013	Dec. 25, 2012	Sep. 25, 2012	Jun. 26, 2012	Mar. 27, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 25, 2012	Dec. 27, 2011	Dec. 27, 2011 Texas Divestiture [Member]	Feb. 09, 2011 Texas Divestiture [Member] bakery-cafes	Apr. 09, 2013 Florida Franchise Acquisition [Member] bakery-cafes	Dec. 31, 2013 Florida Franchise Acquisition [Member]	Mar. 27, 2012 North Carolina Franchise Acquisition [Member]	Dec. 25, 2012 North Carolina Franchise Acquisition [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 North Carolina Franchise Acquisition [Member]	Dec. 25, 2012 North Carolina Franchise Acquisition [Member]	Mar. 29, 2012 North Carolina Franchise Acquisition [Member] bakery-cafes	Jul. 26, 2011 Indiana Franchisee Acquisition [Member] bakery-cafes	Dec. 31, 2013 Indiana Franchisee Acquisition [Member]	Apr. 19, 2011 Milwaukee Franchise Acquisition [Member] bakery-cafes	Dec. 27, 2011 Milwaukee Franchise Acquisition [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Milwaukee Franchise Acquisition [Member]	Dec. 25, 2012 Milwaukee Franchise Acquisition [Member]
Business Acquisitions and Divestitures [Line Items]
Number of bakery cafe														1						16	5		25
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Purchase Price														$ 2,700,000						$ 48,000,000	$ 5,100,000		$ 41,900,000
Business Acquisition, Cost of Acquired Entity, Cash Paid														2,400,000		44,400,000					4,600,000		39,800,000
Amount Retained By Company For Certain Indemnifications														300,000
Payment of Deferred Acquisition Holdback									4,112,000	2,055,000	4,976,000							3,600,000				500,000				2,100,000
Expiration Period of Holdbacks									1 year
Business Acquisition, Purchase Price Allocation, Current Assets, Receivables																				100,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Inventory																				300,000	100,000		400,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Property, Plant, and Equipment														400,000						6,400,000	1,300,000		9,300,000
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles														1,000,000						29,100,000	1,300,000		23,300,000
Acquired Finite-lived Intangible Assets, Weighted Average Useful Life															12 years			12 years				6 years			13 years
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Liabilities, Accounts Payable																				1,400,000	700,000		1,700,000
Business Acquisition, Goodwill, Expected Tax Deductible Amount														1,300,000						13,500,000	3,100,000		10,600,000
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Intangibles									5,000	258,000									100,000							200,000
Sales Revenue, Goods, Net																	36,000,000							42,400,000
Net income attributable to Panera Bread Company	54,248,000	42,762,000	51,042,000	48,117,000	51,612,000	36,515,000	44,137,000	41,184,000	196,169,000	173,448,000	135,952,000						2,900,000							700,000
Number of bakery cafes divestited in period (in stores)													2
Proceeds from Divestiture of Businesses									0	0	115,000	100,000
Business Acquisition, Contingent Consideration, Potential Cash Payment	$ 300,000				$ 4,100,000				$ 300,000	$ 4,100,000