Saint Louis Bread Co. closes at Saint Louis Galleria

Courtesy of St. Louis Bread Co.

Courtesy of St. Louis Bread Co.

Shoppers at the Saint Louis Galleria craving broccoli cheddar cheese soup in a bread bowl from the mall’s Saint Louis Bread Co. location are out of luck. The store at 1445 Saint Louis Galleria closed on January 24, after operating for the better part of 16 years.

Exterior signage has been removed, and a notice posted in the window reads, “Sorry! We’re closed. This café has permanently closed its doors.” The nearest Bread Co. location is about three-quarters of a mile south, at 1909 S. Brentwood in Brentwood Square.

SLM has reached out to the corporate office for comment.

The closure is the latest in a wave of restaurant shutdowns this month, bringing the total to 16.

The Backstory

Photography by George Mahe

Photography by George Mahe

St. Louisans Ken and Linda Rosenthal founded Saint Louis Bread Co. in 1987. It eventually became more commonly known as just “Bread Co.” The mall’s Bread Co. location opened in 2010.

That same year, the company was acquired by Au Bon Pain, which eventually rebranded the chain as Panera Bread in 1997 to support its national expansion. While all locations built after the rebrand adopted the new name, the original name was retained for Missouri locations.

Now headquartered in Fenton, Panera has grown to more than 2,200 locations across the United States and Canada.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated from its original version.