Winchester residents, shoppers in for more dining choices

By James Heffernan -- Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER — The smell of fresh-baked bread was in the air Tuesday, as Panera Bread opened its doors at the corner of Tevis Street and South Pleasant Valley Road.

Area residents began lining up shortly after the 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting to sample Panera's made-to-order sandwiches on more than 20 varieties of artisan breads, as well as homemade soups, salads, bagels and sweets. The bakery-cafe is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"We've had very good response," manager Christopher Kilkus said.

Preparations for the opening began around 10 p.m. Monday with three full-time bakers working overnight to ensure customers had fresh offerings Tuesday morning.

Kilkus said that's standard procedure for Panera, which never uses day-old bread. In fact, the Winchester location will donate any leftovers at the end of each night to the Lord Fairfax Area Food Bank.

"We want to be very community-oriented," he said.

As part of Tuesday's opening festivities, Panera collected donations on site to benefit Special Love for Children with Cancer, a local organization that gives children and young adults with cancer and their families a chance to enjoy normal childhood activities, from week-long camps to weekend retreats. Panera also plans to support the group's Camp Fantastic with food donations in July.

The local Panera employs 67 people. About 25 were on hand Tuesday to greet customers and answer questions.

With real china, sitting areas complete with overstuffed chairs and a fireplace, and free wireless Internet access, Panera isn't your typical restaurant chain.

"We want to be a home away from home, an oasis," Kilkus said. The building purposefully has no clocks so that patrons can feel free to relax and spend a few hours.

St. Louis-based Panera operates more than 1,100 neighborhood bakery-cafes in 38 states. The Winchester location falls under the ownership of the company's Blue Ridge Bread franchise, which is based in Charlottesville.

Panera is the latest eatery to open along the growing Tevis Street retail corridor, which is anchored by Winchester Station and the soon-to-be Shoppes at Tevis. TGI Friday's opened in late January, joining Olive Garden and Red Lobster.

The city's dining options along South Pleasant Valley Road are expanding as well.

A Chipotle Mexican Grill is under construction in the space formerly occupied by Sam's Hot Dogs and Daily Grind near Martin's. A sign on site states "Burrito-Fication in progress."

The Denver-based chain of Fresh Fex restaurants specializes in burritos and tacos and is known for its chunky guacamole. It is also known for using all-natural ingredients wherever possible, including organically grown beans, hormone-free sour cream and meats from animals raised without antibiotics.

Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said in an e-mail Tuesday the Winchester location should open sometime this summer and will employ approximately 25 people.

In addition, three casual-dining franchises are planned for the building going up behind Diamond Auto Spa on Adams Drive.

Wendell Johnson, owner of the upscale car wash and detail center and CEO of Omni Design/Build Inc., is developing the 3-acre parcel, which is convenient to anchor stores Target, Lowe's and Wal-Mart.

Church's Chicken and Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries will serve as the building's bookends, each measuring about 2,500 square feet. The middle space, which at one time was to be a Moe's Southwest Grill, is now available for rent. Johnson said he pulled the plug on the franchise rights to the restaurant when he found out that Chipotle was coming.

Johnson also is developing Botanical Square on U.S. 50 near Wal-Mart, west of Winchester. The 5-acre site will include a second Diamond Auto Spa and 25,000 square feet of commercial space, including restaurants.

*Contact James Heffernan at jheffernan@nvdaily.com