Panera Bread to open in Myrtle Beach area

Panera Bread plans to open its first bakery cafe in the Myrtle Beach area in a new building to be constructed next to Starbucks Coffee on U.S. 501 in the Carolina Forest Commons.

Plans for the business were submitted in October and are expected to receive approval soon, said David Schwerd, principal planner for Horry County.

It’s unclear when the restaurant would open. Panera representatives could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Panera Bread has become a popular social hangout, much like Starbucks, where patrons are just as likely to be working on their laptop computers and munching cranberry orange muffins, while patrons file through for a breakfast bacon, egg and cheese ciabatta or a bowl of turkey chili.

The company has developed a reputation for using high-quality ingredients shunning artificial trans fat and MSG, and serves antibiotic-free meats and vegetarian-fed chicken.

Audrey Hudson, 843-444-1765

@AudreyHudson

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Panera Bread to open in Myrtle Beach area."