anera Bread Company Covelli Enterprises is the single largest franchisee of Panera Bread and O’Charley’s Restaurants and was recently named the 4th largest restaurant franchisee in the nation. In May 2012, the Covelli franchise was the first Panera Bread franchisee to take the concept internationally with a record-breaking opening in Toronto, Canada. The company is headquartered in Covelli’s hometown of Warren, OH and currently employs over 25,000 people in over 260 cafes. The Toronto cafes are located in Mississauga, Oakville, Toronto and Vaughan....with more cafes planned for the future.
Covelli Enterprises works to promote staffers to managers, if they are interested, and also ensures that employees are well-trained. Another critical component of the Covelli management practice is to invest a great deal in employee training. “We have found that our people really value what they learn. Look at me, I am still using what I learned 40-plus years ago as a McDonald’s employee. Plus, it enables them to perform their jobs confidently and to enjoy their work more,” Covelli said. Covelli also works to ensure that all restaurants are properly staffed so that no workers have too much to do and become exhausted. “We always want to do the right thing for our employees and I think we have succeeded with that,” Sam Covelli said. “We encourage our employees to always be telling us how we can improve.” Covelli said some of the best ideas for changes or improvements originate with employees. “They’re closest to the customers and to our products and we really value what they have to say,” Sam Covelli said.
3900 East Market St., Warren OH.
Approx. 20,000 employees.