EXHIBIT 99.1




PRESS RELEASE
Contact: William W. Moreton
         Chief Financial Officer
Phone:   (314) 633-7123


     PANERA BREAD REPORTS SYSTEM-WIDE COMPARABLE BAKERY-CAFE SALES INCREASED
                  4.2% FOR THE FOUR WEEKS ENDED MARCH 23, 2002


St. Louis, MO, April 11, 2002 - Panera Bread Company (Nasdaq:PNRA) today
reported that system-wide comparable bakery-cafe sales increased 4.2% for the
four weeks ended March 23, 2002. The breakdown between company-owned and
franchised bakery-cafes is as follows:



                             For the 4 weeks                  For the 12 weeks
                           ended March 23,2002              ended March 23, 2002
                           -------------------              --------------------
                                                              
Company-owned                     4.3%                              5.8%
Franchised                        4.1%                              5.3%
Total System                      4.2%                              5.5%


Average system-wide weekly sales (excluding the three specialty bakery-cafes and
closed locations) increased 5.0% to $34,940 for the four weeks ended March 23,
2002, compared to $33,268 for the four weeks ended March 24, 2001.

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 for the year ended December 29, 2001.