ST. LOUIS — Panera Brands Inc., a fast casual restaurant company owned by JAB Holding Co., has appointed Patrick Grismer and David Deno to its board of directors.
Grismer has been promoted to board chair of Panera Brands. He has held multiple roles on the company’s board since 2022, including audit committee chair and lead independent director. Prior to joining Panera, Grismer was the chief financial officer of many publicly traded companies, including Starbucks, Hyatt Hotels and Yum! Brands.
“I am honored to serve in this role at a pivotal time for Panera Brands, as we transform our business to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” Grismer said. “I look forward to leading our board to continue partnering with Panera’s world-class management team to unlock the company’s next phase of growth.”
Deno has been named audit committee chair at Panera Brands. He brings more than 40 years of experience in general management, operations and financial experience in the restaurant sector to Panera, the company said. Prior to joining Panera, Deno was the chief executive officer of Bloomin’ Brands, parent company of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Bonefish Grill and Fleming’s Steakhouse. He was previously the CFO and chief operating officer at Yum! Brands, Pizza Hut and Yum! Restaurants International.
“Following decades working with many beloved restaurant and hospitality brands, the opportunity to join Panera — a pioneer of the fast-casual experience — is incredibly exciting for me,” Deno said. “I believe Panera has tremendous potential to once again redefine fast-casual success and look forward to working with this experienced board to help Panera enter a new chapter.”
Panera Brands encompasses Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros.