New Panera opens to surge of Tri-City fans. Some camped in line overnight
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Panera's Kennewick debut drew over 100 guests seeking free meal vouchers.
- Early arrivals camped overnight, vying for vouchers good through 2026.
- The new Canal Drive location joins Panera's first Tri-Cities spot from 2017.
In June, when Hunter Gerard claimed the first spot in line for the grand opening of Chick-fil-A, his great-grandmother issued a challenge.
If the Kennewick teen could be first at Chick-fil-A, he could be first when Panera Bread opened this week, and he could claim a free meal voucher for her in the process.
So at 8 p.m. Wednesday – with 10 hours to go before the new restaurant opened – Hunter, 14, together with Colman, 7, his mom and another family member grabbed a spot by the front door.
Shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday, the Gerards were on alert as staff opened the doors, posted balloon bouquets outside and greeted them and about 100 other people in line hoping to score one of 100 vouchers for one meal a month for the next year.
Hunter and his family may have come on a mission, but they’re big fans of the bakery cafe chain.
“When we travel, we always have to get chocolate croissants,” said his grandmother, Cindy Wade. She said her mom, 93, is a fan and wanted the free meal deal, but couldn’t come out on her own.
Wade relieved the children’s mom during the overnight vigil.
Panera Bread’s new location, 6821 W. Canal Drive, takes up half of the former Old Country Buffet building, which was extensively rebuilt for it and a future neighbor.
The promise of meal vouchers drew a lively crowd on a warm summer night.
Levi Ringo and Devin Gamez of Pasco claimed the No. 2 spot, with their infant daughter, Violet, 7 months, at about 8:30 p.m. He spent the night holding their place while mom and baby slept in the car.
“We love Panera,” Levi explained as Violet smiled contentedly in the early morning sun.
Nearby, four teens came equipped with a table, chairs, playing cards and poker chips for an all-night card game.
“We’re teenagers. We figure if there’s an opportunity to have an experience, we should do it,” said Beckett Mitchell of Kennewick. Dealer Grason Mitchell was visiting from Florida, while Darrius Myers and Brooklyn Garrison rounded out the foursome.
The Canal Street restaurant is the first Kennewick location for St. Louis-based Panera. It entered the Tri-Cities in 2017 when it opened in the Queensgate area, where a similar crowd lined up to be the first customers at the time.
Panera sells made-to-order sandwiches, soups, salads, coffees and baked goods.
