Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels have announced that they have united as Panera Brands, bringing together three iconic brands in fast casual. With nearly 4,000 locations and 110,000 employees across 10 countries, Panera Brands is one of the largest fast casual companies in the world.

Panera Bread chief executive officer Niren Chaudhary has been appointed to the same position for Panera Brands. José Alberto Dueñas, chief executive officer of Einstein Bros. Bagels, and John Butcher, chief executive officer of Caribou Coffee, will report to Chaudhary while continuing their roles with their respective companies.

“Together as Panera Brands, we are united by our common values and shared belief that we can be force multipliers for good. We exist to provide exceptional experiences for our guests, and to positively impact our communities, the planet and our shareholders while unlocking the dreams of our teams.,” says Niren Chaudhary. “We believe Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels together will leverage each company’s unique expertise and services to build an unrivaled fast casual platform with a tremendous runway for growth.”

Utilizing the many resources of Panera Bread – including its broad omnichannel retail network, strong digital infrastructure, industry leading loyalty program, robust food innovation pipeline, world class supply chain and access to extremely well capitalized franchise owners – Panera Brands will be able to facilitate growth in Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels as well.