With the Mercury and the Little Café all but a distant memory on the stretch of Michigan between Military and Brady, Panera Bread at the corner of Howard has fast become the new neighborhood gathering place.

Dearborn's Panera Bread at Michigan and Howard has fast become the new neighborhood gathering place.

While pricier than the two closed homegrown establishments, we’d say that Panera offers some high quality food, good coffee and free Wi-Fi. And that appears to be the secret to its success. We miss being able to get a good omelet, hash browns and toast from the home-owned restaurants in West Dearborn but we are glad to at least have a place to go.

An article in the October issue of Fast Company magazine says that that the St. Louis-based Panera is opening a new bakery-café every five days. Sales were up 16.2 percent in 2008 and profits in the first half of this year were up 33 percent, according to the article.

Some other excerpts from the article:

“Panera is proof that, in suburbia, there’s a hunger for real food — unfussy ingredients moved from farm to plate quickly and affordably. And the company has combined that menu with an unpretentious atmosphere — there’s no table service, but also no time limit. As a result, it has become as much community gathering space as a bustling lunch spot . . .

“ . . . Panera’s target audience is more Food Network than fast food. “We hit a chord with people who understand and respond to food, but we also open a door for people who are on the verge of that,” says chief concept officer Scott Davis. “We run an idea through the Panera filter and give it that twist that takes a flavor profile closer to what you’d find in a bistro than a fast-food joint . . .”

“. . . the $4.3 billion bakery-café segment is a growth sector, and even with more than 1,300 locations, Panera still has plenty of room to grow. As the dominant player in the market — add up the sales for the next four biggest bakery-café chains, including Einstein Bros. Bagels and Corner Bakery Cafe, and they’d still have less than half of Panera’s sales — it’s in the best position to capitalize on the potential of bakery-cafés in the broader restaurant business. That means there’s plenty for Panera to eat up — including its competitors’ lunch.”

The full article can be found here.

Photographer John Sobczak captures a year in the life of his hometown, Detroit, in his new book, “Motor City Year”. A book signing for members of The Henry Ford will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 1-3 p.m. in the Henry Ford Museum during Member Shopping Days

This is a great opportunity to pick up the perfect holiday gift for the Detroit enthusiast! Museum members receive an exclusive 20% discount on this product November 7

Much of John Sobczak’s career has been spent photographing for corporate clients such as Lear and the U.S. Postal Service. But at some point, John turned his camera in different directions. Instead of creating photos to sell a product, he began making works that were more intimate, more illuminating.

His special love? America’s great cities. His newest book “A Motor City Year” offers a loving, but honest, portrayal of a year in the life of his hometown, Detroit.

To learn more about John, click HERE.