Panera Bread Opening On UWS In Former Victoria's Secret Storefront

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — In some of the biggest Upper West Side business opening news of the year, Panera Bread is replacing the major vacant storefront that has been left behind by Victoria's Secret closure, an employee of Meridian Retail Leasing confirmed to Patch.

Panera Bread will open at 2333 Broadway (corner of Broadway and West 85th Street), but it's unclear when it will welcome its first customer.

The fast-food bakery/cafe chain has over 2,000 locations in the United States, including four already in Manhattan, and is best known for its soups, salads, and sandwiches.

It will be the first location above 42nd Street.

Victoria's Secret announced the closure of its 2333 Broadway storefront in November 2021. At the time it was the latest in a string of closures on the street, which also included the shuttering of Aldo and Origins.

Playa Bowls has opened on the block in the time since.

Part of the local business' struggles to stay open might have had something to do with the rent.

A past listing for the Victoria's Secret space at 2333 Broadway had an initial asking price of $250 for every square foot.

The UWS store is 7,500 square feet, meaning that the asking rent is $156,250 a month and $1,875,000 a year.

It is unclear if Panera is paying that or how many years the signed lease is for.

ILoveTheUpperWestSide was the first publication to report on the Panera Bread opening.

This story will be updated with more details about the lease.