Panera Bread Company’s organizational culture began with the overall company and the dough-making facilities and spread out to the bakery cafés, whether company owned or franchised. Panera Bread Company was centered on its dough-making capabilities. The company guaranteed freshness and high quality in each dough it created. The dough was then passed to the cafés, where it was baked fresh and delivered to the customer. The quality controls within the company were maintained through the entire process to ensure that the customer would be pleased with his purchase. Quality was the basis for success, and quality was what the company relied on to generate loyal customers. Franchising was also a crucial aspect to Panera’s organizational culture because cafés were where the majority of customer contact occurred, and it was the basis for some of management’s values. Panera’s franchising model was extremely stringent, so only certain individuals were able to have cafés. There were eight criteria that had to be met in order to be considered, and a passion for fresh bread was one of them. Panera ensured that each franchisee had the capital and prior knowledge necessary to succeed. The stringent criteria and Panera’s site selection technology provided a strong basis for café success, which in turn led to a strong and satisfying organizational culture. Although Panera did not own the franchised cafés, the company dictated where supplies could be obtained to ensure quality. Panera also trained the franchisees so they could operate on their own successfully, but turn to the company for guidance when necessary. The open environment was helpful without it being too overbearing. The strength in the organizational culture was a contributing factor to Panera’s success and continued growth.