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And it's St. Louis Bread Company, not Panera dammit!

From wikipedia(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panera_Bread)

wikipedia said:
In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co. purchased the Saint Louis Bread Company and renovated the 20 bakery-cafés in the St. Louis area.

In May 1999, in order to expand Panera Bread into a national chain, Au Bon Pain Co. divested itself of all other chains (including Au Bon Pain, which is now owned by Compass Group North America[1]). Au Bon Pain Co. then renamed itself Panera Bread Company. The Panera Bread Company now operates or franchises over 1,000 Panera Bread bakery-cafés in 36 states and 17 manufacturing plants to support the bakery-cafés.

In the St. Louis area, the stores themselves are still branded as The St. Louis Bread Company. However, they serve a full Panera menu, and most in-store signs, cups, and even napkins are branded as "Panera Bread." This "dual branding" can cause confusion and arguments over which is the chain's proper name.

:D :D :D
 
With this legal dispute over whether a burrito is a sandwich, it's kind of interesting to note that burritos, at least as Americans know them, are essentially an American invention. I suppose you could say burritos are to Mexican food what chop suey and chow mein are to Chinese food.
 
You need experts to make the court aware. Same with the burrito/sandwich. What if contrary to common sense, food experts grouped the two in the same class of "filling contained within a grain product"? This is especially distressing as "wraps" are becoming a popular low-carb alternative to traditional bread.

mmm ... but according to the article, this testimony from an "expert witnesss":

sandwich expert said:
Qdoba, owned by San Diego-based Jack in the Box Inc., called food experts to testify on its behalf.

Among them was Cambridge chef Chris Schlesinger, who said in an affidavit: "I know of no chef or culinary historian who would call a burrito a sandwich. Indeed, the notion would be absurd to any credible chef or culinary historian."

:confused:
 
mmm ... but according to the article, this testimony from an "expert witnesss" <snip>

Keep in mind that the expert that Qdoba brought in asserted that the burrito is the furthest thing from a sandwich. I would imagine that there are some experts who would comment that the "grain wrapped filling" is enough for a sandwich, or some other similar point. Those are the ones that St. Louis brought in. I just expect that since they lost, any pithy comments from their experts just didn't make it.

Also, what about a crunchy taco where the shell breaks at the hinge - is that a sandwich?
 
I used to work for Panera bread, and if the one in the lawsuit is the one I am thinking of, my Panera is part of that franchise.
I laughed and laughed all day.
I have nothing really substantive to add here. Except to fuel the "It's Panera, not ST Louis Bread Co" fire, because all my corporate training drilled into our heads that outside St Louis it was Panera Bread, no question.
 
nbs, I think the matter of deciding whether or not a burrito is a sandwich is one that is easily answered by common sense. I challenge you to find any food establishment with a menu that includes burritos under a sandwich heading. Not to mention we can also answer the question by picking up a dictionary. I suppose one could find a food industry expert to testify that a burrito is indeed a sandwich, but I think we all know that's pretty mendacious. The reason for this is purely to establish a monopoly. A burrito isn't a sandwich, and they know it.

As a side note, it is kind of ironic that we can find burritos in a Mexican restaurant.
 
oh no! Some one needs to inform Sam! He makes a delicious vegetarian item called a Sam Sandwich, it's amazing...mmm I go there at least once every week or 2, even though it's very much out of my way.

If your every in Calgary I HIGHLY recommend it :)

but I digress, it's in a pita! and not on bread!
 
I think we should refer this question to the good Earl.
The sandwich was named after 4th Earl of Sandwich, an 18th-century English aristocrat, although it is unlikely to have been invented by him. Indeed a form of sandwich is attributed to the ancient Jewish sage Hillel the Elder, who is said to have put meat from the Paschal lamb and bitter herbs inside matzo (or flat bread) during Passover.
It is said that Lord Sandwich was fond of this form of food because it allowed him to continue playing cards at cribbage while eating without getting his cards sticky, from eating meat with his bare hands. The Earldom refers to the English town of Sandwich in Kent — from the Old English Sandwic, meaning "sand place".
wiki
 
Or, if I understand you correctly, are you saying that the mall's food experts were not the signers - it was the mall's administration, who would not be viewed as understanding a broader interpretation?
The mall needs food experts to be around to define what a sandwich is? If I was mall administration, I don't think that would have been the 1st thing I'd consider. I would maybe have a lawyer present, at most, and not because of the word sandwich. Why? Common sense. I don't think the case should ever even make it to court because I think the judge would just laugh at this one.

Can I ask why you think that the clause wouldn't hold up in court?

Because it's a sandwich! :eek: The other terms and conditions should be understood, but a sandwich is a sandwich! Do lawyers always try to make things complicated? (rhetorical question, really)

Is a won ton also a sandwich? Damn it....no more chinese takeaway! Ice cream sandwiches? Goodbye Dairy Queen!


First we're the home of the highest crime rate in the US. Now we're the home of some idiots who think a burrito is a sandwich.

Exactly.
 
On the surface, it seems idiotic, but it really is quite valid. This is a big deal to the existing restaurant...do they have to face competition within the mall or not? To most of us, it's obvious that a burrito is not a sandwich. But where do you draw the line? Clearly a club sandwich with three pieces of bread is accepted as a sandwich even though it doesn't meet the usual strict definition of one. What about a wrap? If it has all the innards of a sandwich but is wrapped in a tortilla, is it a sandwich?
 
With this legal dispute over whether a burrito is a sandwich, it's kind of interesting to note that burritos, at least as Americans know them, are essentially an American invention. I suppose you could say burritos are to Mexican food what chop suey and chow mein are to Chinese food.
thats true, i have never seen someone selling burritos here in mexico, and i didnt know what a burrito was :D
 
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