Exchange Welcomes First Panera Bread with Ribbon-Cutting at Fort Campbell
FORT CAMPBELL – Soldiers and their families at Fort Campbell are enjoying unique tastes of home as the Army & Air Force Exchange Service opened the first Panera Bread location on an Army or Air Force installation.
From left: Darrin McCready, Exchange Services & Food VP; Darryl Porter, Exchange Services & Food SVP; Steve Shaw, Fort Campbell Exchange GM; Col. Andrew Jordan, Fort Campbell Garrison commander; and Brett Chernick, Panera Franchise Operations Manager.
“In July, Fort Campbell was recognized by the Commander-in-Chief as the installation of excellence for the Army for 2020,” said Col. Andrew Jordan, Fort Campbell Garrison commander. “It’s only fitting that Fort Campbell be the first Army installation to have the first Panera Bread and share that experience with our Army families.”
Located in the Fort Campbell food court, Panera Bread offers better-for-you salads and sandwiches with poultry and pork raised without antibiotics, as well as menu items free of artificial additives.
“The Exchange is honored that the home of the Screaming Eagles is opening the first Panera Bread restaurant,” said Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull. “Huge thanks to Col. Jordan and his garrison team for all they personally did to bring this great Quality-of-Life improvement to Ft. Campbell.”
Diners line up at Panera Bread’s grand opening at Fort Campbell on Oct. 27.
All of the Exchange’s 1,700+ restaurants, including Panera, offer better-for-you choices to support Warfighters’ readiness and resiliency.
“The Exchange continually works to bring name-brand restaurants to the communities we are honored to serve,” said Fort Campbell Exchange General Manager Steve Shaw. “Restaurants like Panera Bread help ensure the Exchange is ready to meet the needs of every member of our military family.”
Soldiers, family members and retirees lined up to be among the first to dine at the new restaurant.
“It’s great to have this here and it’s super convenient,” said Warrant Officer Jason Thompson, the first Soldier in line at Panera. “This gives Soldiers here a different option and is a healthier choice than your typical fast food chain.”
The Exchange is exploring additional locations for future Panera Bread restaurants.
The Fort Campbell Panera will be open Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. The restaurant joins Qdoba, Sarku, Popeyes, Charleys and Burger King in the Exchange’s food court.
I wish we could get one here! Good job guys! Looks like a great success