Panera Bread in Newport. Photo Credit: Howley Bread Group

It appears that the Panera Bread in Long Wharf Mall has abruptly permanently closed.

Customers were met with a closed cafe on Wednesday. The location is also marked as permanently closed on Facebook and Google.

Howley Bread Group, a Panera Bread franchisee, says on their website that they have 28 cafés in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, including the location at 49 Long Wharf Mall in Newport.

The Newport cafe no longer exists as a location on Panera Bread’s website but is still listed on Howley Bread Group’s website, as well as the following other locations in Rhode Island.

  1. 4000 Chapel View Blvd, Cranston, RI 02920
  2. 1000 Division St, East Greenwich, RI 02818
  3. 613 George Washington Hwy, Lincoln, RI 02865
  4. 49 Long Wharf Mall, Newport, RI 02840
  5. 43 Providence Pl, Providence, RI 02903
  6. 473 Putnam Pike Suite B1, Smithfield, RI 02828
  7. 160 Old Tower Hill Rd, Wakefield, RI 02879
  8. 1000 Bald Hill Rd, Warwick, RI 02886

What’sUpNewp has reached out to Panera Bread and Howley Bread Group for comment. This story will be updated when/if we are provided with more background or information.

This story is developing and will be updated.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...