Who was Ken Rosenthal? Tributes pour in as Panera Bread founder dies at 81

Panera is a renowned bakery-cafe chain founded by Ken Rosenthal (Kenneth Rosenthal), who passed away recently at the age of 81. Believed to have died on February 14, Rosenthal started the St.Louis bread company which later developed into Panera Bread, a popular chain of bakeries and eateries that became famous for offering fresh bread, coffee, and hot beverages, and a variety of soups, sandwiches, and salads.

Loved ones and netizens paid tribute to Rosenthal. Bob Clark, Rosenthal's nephew wrote a heart-warming blog about the departure of his uncle. Clark writes about the journey of Rosenthal and St.Louis Bread Company to become Panera Bread, one of the most successful bakery chains in the US. He also described Rosenthal as a kind-hearted, loving person who loved his family by saying

We both quit good businesses to do something we were more passionate about. We both had families that gave us the encouragement to risk everything, and we cared deeply about our values and the people who would come to make us successful, and we both knew when the businesses needed new partners and key people to join to do things we couldn’t do ourselves.

Netizens also expressed their grief on Rosenthal's demise on social media platforms like X and Facebook

As per a report by Fox2Now, Interim CEO of Panera Bread, Paul Carbone released a statement on Monday regarding Rosenthal's demise

It’s with great sadness that I share that Ken Rosenthal, the founder of St. Louis Bread Company, passed away on Friday.

In his statement, he praised Ken by saying

It was Ken’s passion and vision that established the rich heritage that Panera has been built on for more than 35 years. Together, we all carry great responsibility to continue the tremendous legacy that Ken created for this brand.

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Ken Rosenthal's journey

While Ken Rosenthal had made his mark as a successful entrepreneur, people often remember him for his kind and generous nature. He was born on November 4, 1943.

It was in the year 1987 that Rosenthal started thinking about opening his own bakery. That is when he opened the first store of St.Louis Bread Company at Woodlawn and Manchester Road. As the company was launched on a 'Black Monday', the firm tanked at the stock market.

Rosenthal sent around 10,000 postcards with a picture of his French baguette which will be offered for free at his store. So, traffic exploded at the bakery and it became successful.

In 1993, the St.Louis Bread Company was sold to Au Bon Pain. Till then, Rosenthal had opened 24 more stores. In the year 1997, Rosenthal once again co-founded and partnered to form the Breads of the World LLC. This was the beginning of the Panera bread franchise which became a landmark success. According to an article by First Alert 4, Panera Bread has stores at more than 2,200 locations across the country.

Ken Rosenthal was a family-oriented individual all his life and as per reports he was surrounded by his 55-year-old spouse Linda 'Laya' Rosenthal and their four children at the time of his death. His funeral service was held on February 17 at AISH of the Rockies in Colorado’s Greenwood Village and was streamed on Feldman Mortuary’s YouTube channel.