The 48-Year-Old Bakery Cafe Chain Many Customers Have Forgotten About - Tasting Table

Au Bon Pain started in 1976 in Boston’s Faneuil Hall, where French bakers made pastries in high-end French ovens to promote oven sales. Venture capitalist Louis Kane bought and reimagined the business as a bakery and cafe, leading to locations across multiple states. The chain grew in popularity during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2017, Panera Bread acquired Au Bon Pain and redirected its locations away from shopping centers and food halls toward airports, train stations, and hospital cafes. This change reduced visibility for many former customers. Despite that, the chain remains highly regarded for croissants, coffee, and wraps, with customers expressing nostalgia and regret over local closures.

"Au Bon Pain got its start in 1976 in Boston's famous Faneuil Hall, a retail market that's also home to Quincy Market, one of the best food halls in the U.S. The French baking equipment manufacturer Pavailler was showcasing its high-end French ovens by having French bakers make pastries in them, selling them to the masses to promote the sale of ovens. Lured by the intoxicating smell of freshly baked bread and pastries, venture capitalist Louis Kane ended up buying and reimagining the company not as a baking equipment seller but as a bakery and cafe."

"In 2017, Panera Bread acquired Au Bon Pain and redirected the chain's locations from shopping centers and food halls to airports, train stations, and hospital cafes. This strategic shift has effectively removed it from former customers' radars. Ironically, it was Au Bon Pain that first acquired Panera, then Saint Louis Bread Company, in 1991 after going public."

"Many customers in the U.S. may have forgotten about Au Bon Pain if they aren't at an airport or hospital, but we'd still consider the chain one of the best bakery chains in the U.S. We aren't the only ones, as various Reddit threads lament the closing of their local Au Bon Pain location. One Reddit thread simply asked "Remember Au Bon Pain?" with customers chiming in about how good the croissants, coffees, and wraps were."

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