The Panera Bread at 3548 Rayford Road in Spring held its ribbon cutting Wednesday, Aug. 5, marking the official grand reopening of a café that went dark nearly a year ago when its previous operator collapsed into bankruptcy.
The location resumed serving customers July 16 under new franchise operator Hamra Enterprises, a family-owned company headquartered in Springfield, Missouri. Wednesday's ceremony made the comeback official for residents of Imperial Oaks, Benders Landing, Harmony, Legends Ranch and other communities along the Rayford Road corridor who lost the restaurant last summer.
Why it closed
The Rayford Road café was one of three Spring-area Panera locations that shut down in August 2025 after former franchisee EYM Café of Texas LLC lost the right to use the Panera name. Panera Bread had sued EYM for failing to make required payments, maintain food safety standards and pay vendors and landlords, according to the Houston Chronicle. A federal judge issued a permanent injunction, and EYM filed for Chapter 11 protection.
EYM had operated 15 Panera cafés across the Houston area. Court records showed the company carried between $10 million and $50 million in liabilities against less than $50,000 in assets.
New operator, bigger plans
Hamra Enterprises purchased seven of those shuttered Houston-area properties through a November 2025 bankruptcy sale, according to Fast Company reporting. The company has been a Panera franchisee since the late 1990s and operates 88 Panera cafés across eight states. Texas is its newest.
"Houston is one of the most dynamic, diverse, and food-forward cities in the country, and we are committed to being an operator this community is proud to have," CEO Mike Hamra said in a statement ahead of the July 16 opening. "We are here to serve, we are here to give back, and we are here to stay."
Hamra plans to open all seven Houston-area locations by the end of 2026, creating roughly 280 jobs. The company's Katy location at 25546 Kingsland Blvd. also held a ribbon cutting Wednesday. Remaining sites include three in Houston, one in Conroe and one in Tomball.
What's next
As part of its Houston market entry, Hamra announced a charitable partnership with Make-A-Wish Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana. The company also operates Wendy's, Noodles & Company and Caribou Coffee restaurants, employing more than 6,000 people nationwide.
Five more Panera reopenings are on Hamra's schedule across Greater Houston before year's end.
