Panera set to open metro’s first Generation IV restaurant

New Belton location includes larger footprint, drive-thru, technology upgrades and modern farmhouse décor

Panera Bread will open the Kansas City region’s first Generation IV restaurant in Belton on June 8, 2018. The 6,000-square foot restaurant located at 1211 E. North Ave. in Belton Marketplace is about 10 percent larger than previous Panera Bread locations and includes an outdoor patio and dining area, as well as drive-thru.  

The new farmhouse-themed restaurant will offer a “five-fecta” of services, providing an enhanced customer experience with amenities such as delivery service and catering, ordering kiosks, drive-thru and rapid pickup of items.  

The Belton Panera location is operated by Pan American Group, which is hiring more than 50 local workers for positions such as retail associates, managers, shift supervisors, delivery drivers, and bakers.

Pan American Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of California-based Flynn Restaurant Group and owns and operates almost 130 Panera Bread Bakery-Cafes throughout the U.S., including Kansas and Missouri.

A ribbon cutting for the Belton Marketplace Panera will take place later in June.