8-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): July 24, 2003

PANERA BREAD COMPANY
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or Other Jurisdiction of
Incorporation) 000-19253
(Commission File Number) 04-2723701
(IRS Employer Identification No.)

6710 Clayton Road
Richmond Heights, MO
(Address of principal executive offices) 63117
(Zip Code)

314-633-7100
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EX-99.1 Press Release, dated July 24, 2003

Item 7. Exhibits.

Exhibit No.	Exhibit
99.1	Release, dated July 24, 2003.

Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure and Information Being Provided Under Item 12.

     In accordance with General Instruction B.2. of Form 8-K, the following information shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Panera Bread Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise this information. This information is being furnished pursuant to Item 12 of Form 8-K and is being presented under Item 9 as provided in the Commission’s final rule; “Interim Guidance Regarding Form 8-K Item 11 and Item 12 Filing Requirements” (Release No. 34-47583).

     Attached as Exhibit 99.1, and incorporated herein by reference, is a copy of the registrant’s press release dated July 24, 2003, announcing its comparable store sales for the four and twelve weeks ended July 12, 2003, and announcing its second quarter earnings release and webcast date.

SIGNATURE

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

PANERA BREAD COMPANY
By:	/s/ Mark E. Hood Name: Mark E. Hood Title:   Senior Vice President,   Chief Financial Officer

Date: July 24, 2003

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit No.	Exhibit
99.1	Panera Press Release, dated July 24, 2003.

EX-99.1 3 c78464exv99w1.htm EX-99.1 PRESS RELEASE, DATED JULY 24, 2003

Exhibit 99.1

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Mark E. Hood
               SVP, Chief Financial Officer (314-633-7255)

Panera Bread Reports System-Wide Comparable Bakery-Cafe Sales Increased 1.6%
for the Four Weeks Ended July 12, 2003

St. Louis, MO, July 24, 2003 — Panera Bread Company (Nasdaq:PNRA) today reported that system-wide comparable bakery-cafe sales increased 1.6% for the four weeks ended July 12, 2003. The breakdown between Company-owned and franchised bakery-cafes is as follows:

	For the 4 weeks			For the 12 weeks
	ended July 12, 2003			ended July 12, 2003
Company-owned		4.3	%		2.3	%
Franchised		0.4	%		-0.7	%
Total System		1.6	%		0.2	%

Average system-wide weekly sales (excluding closed locations) increased 1.8% to $34,153 for the four weeks ended July 12, 2003 compared to $33,560 for the four weeks ended July 13, 2002.

Included above are franchised and system-wide comparable bakery-cafe sales increases and system-wide average weekly sales. Management believes system-wide sales information, particularly average weekly sales, is useful in assessing consumer acceptance of the Company’s bakery-cafe concept as it measures the impact of both comparable sales and new stores. System-wide sales information also provides an understanding of the Company’s revenues as royalties from franchisees are based on their sales.

The Company plans to report second quarter earnings results before the opening of market trading on August 7, 2003 and will discuss the results in a call that will be broadcast on the internet at 1:00 PM Central Daylight Time that same day. To access the call or view a copy of the release (when issued) go to http://www.panerabread.com/pages/a_ir_news.php. Access to the call and the release will be archived for one year.

Panera Bread Company owns and franchises bakery-cafes under the Panera Bread and Saint Louis Bread Co. names. The Company is a leader in the emerging specialty bread/cafe category due to its unique bread combined with a quick, casual dining experience. Additional information is available on the Company’s website, www.panerabread.com.

Matters discussed in this news release, including any discussion or impact, express or implied, on the Company’s anticipated growth, operating results and future earnings per share contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The statements identified by the words “believe”, “positioned”, “estimate”, “project”, “target”, “continue”, “will”, “intend”, “expect”, “future”, “anticipates”, and similar expressions express management’s present belief, expectations, or intentions regarding the Company’s future performance. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements due to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and could be negatively impacted by a number of factors. These factors include but are not limited to the following: the availability of sufficient capital to the Company and the developers party to franchise development agreements with the Company; variations in the number and timing of bakery-cafe openings; public acceptance of new bakery-cafes; competition; national and regional weather conditions; changes in restaurant operating costs, particularly food and labor; and other factors that may affect retailers in general. These and other risks are discussed from time to time in the Company’s SEC reports, including its Form 10-K/A for the year ended December 28, 2002.

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EX-99.1

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