Panera Bread on Monday became the latest in a string of U.S. businesses to ask customers not to bring guns into its locations.
“The request is simply we recognize everyone’s rights,” Panera CEO Ron Shaich told CNBC in a phone interview. “But we also recognize that we are building communities in our cafes and are where people come to catch a breath.”
Shaich added that the chain was “respectfully requesting” that customers leave their firearms at home. Panera restaurants will continue to follow state and local firearms laws and employees will not be asked to enforce the new policy.
There have been no problems to date with customers carrying guns into Panera restaurants, Shaich told CNBC. And while he acknowledged that the request would thrust the business into a nationwide, politically-charged debate over gun policy, Shaich didn’t appear to be worried about alienating customers.
“I think at its core people get the request to make this an everyday oasis and not make this a battleground for political opinion,” he told CNBC.
Panera joins retail and fast food chains including Target, Chipotle, Chili’s and Starbucks that have already similarly requested that customers leave their firearms at home.
