GCU News Bureau
David Johnson called it the greatest opening of his 43 years in restaurants. It wasn’t hyperbole. Panera Bread at Verde River Apartments set an opening-day sales record for GCU campus eateries Tuesday, said the manager.
It wasn’t just the money. Johnson said he’d never seen a staff of mostly students pull it together so quickly with a few days of training and with such grace under fire. They faced an onslaught of customers, with a line that snaked out the door from the 8 a.m. to a 6 p.m. closing, when all the food was gone.
Student customers were just as patient at the soft opening while waiting for their favorite macaroni and cheese or chicken chipotle sandwiches. They even clapped when Johnson went into the crowd to explain the wait.
“I’ve opened 19 restaurants, and this is the best I’ve seen in competency and attitude,” said Johnson. “Everybody was happy. It’s why I waited for a year for this job.”
