Get ready to break some bread in Texas this summer.
Several Panera Bread locations that abruptly shuttered last year in the wake of a high-profile franchise dispute will soon reopen their doors, the new owner has confirmed with Fast Company.
The Houston-area restaurants have been dark since August 2025, when their previous owner—ordered by a judge to stop using the Panera name—closed them down and sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Hamra Enterprises, a family-owned franchise that already owns dozens of Panera Bread locations across the Southeast, purchased the seven restaurants in a November 2025 bankruptcy sale, as Fast Company previously reported. Now the franchisee is finally discussing what it has in store for the sites.
“Hamra plans to open seven Panera Bread bakery-cafes in Texas, beginning with Spring and Katy in July 2026, creating around 280 jobs,” CEO Mike Hamra told Fast Company in a statement.
The full list of locations to be reopened are as follows:
- 3548 Rayford Road, Spring, TX 77386
- 25546 Kingsland Boulevard, Katy, TX 77494
- 12220 FM West 1960 W, Houston, TX 77065
- 19506 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX 77094
- 22521 Tomball Parkway, Suite 125, Houston, TX 77070
- 1302 West Davis, Suite F, Conroe, TX 77304
- 13704 Northwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77065
Hamra Enterprises also owns and operates Wendy’s, Noodles & Company, and Caribou Coffee restaurant locations, employing more than 6,000 people across a dozen states, according to the company.
The Panera Bread restaurants are Hamra’s first in Texas and will mark the company’s expansion into its 12th state. It has been a Panera Bread franchisee since 1997 and has cultivated what it calls “a close partnership with the brand.” Its Panera portfolio includes 88 cafés across eight states.
Why did the previous owner file for bankruptcy?
The restaurant openings are an unexpectedly positive outcome after a long-running legal dispute between Panera Bread and the stores’ previous owner, EYM Cafe.
Panera Bread had terminated EYM’s franchise agreements in early 2025 for alleged nonpayment of royalties and other obligations.
The fast-casual bakery chain then sued the franchisee for continuing to operate the stores as Panera Bread locations even after the terminations. A judge sided with Panera Bread and issued a permanent injunction against EYM that took effect as of August of last year.
Fast Company reached out to EYM for comment.
Although Panera Bread locations have shuttered in several states this year, its national footprint has otherwise been growing. As of the end of May, the bakery chain had 2,255 locations, including company stores and franchised locations.
A spokesperson recently told Fast Company that Panera Bread expects to end 2026 with a net-positive store count.
