Panera Bread and Starbucks are both opening new Columbia locations, giving fans of coffee and baked goods some new stomping grounds.
The new Panera location is a simple move across the street: The current store on South Providence Road will be replaced with a cafe on East Nifong Boulevard. This will be Panera s first stand-alone cafe in Columbia, meaning that it will not be attached to any other businesses.
The store will be in the southeast corner of the Nifong Shopping Center. Panera has declined to comment on the exact dates and details of the move. However, the shopping center s owner, Lindner Properties, said it expects an opening sometime in May.