Founder of Panera Bread Ken Rosenthal passed away on Friday at the age of 81. He is survived by his wife and their four children.

Kenneth “Ken” Rosenthal, who founded the company that later became Panera Bread, died on Friday, Feb. 14. He was 81.

Kenneth “Ken” Rosenthal, founder of the company that later became known as Panera Bread, has passed away. He was 81.

Panera is a renowned bakery-cafe chain founded by Ken Rosenthal (Kenneth Rosenthal), who passed away recently at the age of 81. Believed to have died on February 14, Rosenthal started the St.