Panera Bread opens at Green Acres Mall

Shoppers at Valley Stream’s Green Acres Mall have a new option when their stomachs growl, as Panera Bread opened their newest location inside the mall on Monday.

“I’m so excited one of these finally opened nearby,” said Hazel Singh, a Valley Stream resident who stopped at the café on Tuesday for breakfast. “I love Panera and I love to eat there, but there weren’t any close. The nearest was in Five Towns. Now that we have one in Valley Stream, it should make it a lot easier to eat here.”

Located near the J.C. Penny and H&M stores, the café is more than 4,000 square feet. It includes all the franchise’s amenities, including Wi-Fi.

Jerry Nelson, a father from Elmont, stopped in Tuesday morning for a cup of coffee and a sandwich. He said he is at or near the mall frequently, and he planned on coming often.

“It’s kind of the best of both worlds,” he said. “It’s obviously much quicker than sitting down at a restaurant to eat, but it’s also a lot better for you than most restaurants or fast food joints. Often times, I’m out doing errands and bringing home lunch or dinner for my family. If I can get home quicker with healthier food, that’s a very good thing.”

The store officially opened on Monday but the inclement weather pushed their grand opening ceremony to Tuesday. The café is a member of the Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce.

LaShon Winstead, of Valley Stream, said she had planned on being one of the restaurant’s first customers, and while the snow kept her away, she still plans on being one of Panera’s most frequent customers.

“I’m glad the roads were better today,” she said. “If not for all the ice and snow, I would have been here Monday when it first opened. The food is healthier than a lot of other options so I like it more than other choices.”

General manager Gian Fini said the weather did lessen the expected traffic on Monday, but called it a blessing in disguise.

“It was kind of a good thing,” he said. “Obviously we want to serve as many customers as we can, but this gave us and our employees a bit of a soft opening and a chance to get into the swing of things. Now when we have our first true midday rush they’ll be more prepared.”

He also said the store’s core group of employees had been hired and trained in advance of the opening.