Panera Bread Bids Goodbye To Louis Mall Customers

JOLIET, IL ? At this time next week, Louis Joliet Mall shoppers can expect to walk past a shuttered Panera Bread restaurant. The doors will be locked, the lights will be off, and you will never be able to eat your favorite sandwiches and soups there again.

On Friday, a real estate broker notified Joliet Patch that the Panera Bread closing was nearing, and on Saturday, a Joliet Patch reader sent Patch a photograph showing a sign on the entrance door for Panera Bread that read: "This is a difficult time for all of us, and we regret to inform you that Tuesday, August 30 will be this cafe's last day of business."

On Aug. 25, 2021, Joliet Patch ran a story headlined "Panera Bread 'Temporarily Closes' At Louis Mall." The temporary closure was because of a shortage of workers.

For people in the Joliet area, there are still two Panera Bread restaurants that remain open. The one in the 2400 block of West Jefferson Street is near the Walmart store. That Panera Bread also features a drive-thru window. It opened in early 2020.

The other Joliet Panera is near Plainfield in the strip mall along Route 59 near the Caton Farm Road traffic light.