Fast Casual Food Pioneer Ron Shaich Explains How to Find a Niche — and then Scale

The restaurant business is notoriously competitive
and often propelled by passing fads. But, first at the helm
of Au Bon Pain, and then as the founder
of Panera Bread, Ron Shaich managed to create an entirely
new category of dining between fast food and table service and then
dominate that market in the United States. He says the strategies
that brought him success can be applied in any type of
organization:  listen to and
observe customers so you know what they want, create a
truly differentiated offering, execute with excellence, and find
the right opportunities to grow. He’s employed this
playbook as an investor in newer ventures like Cava and
Tatte, as well. Shaich wrote the book Know What Matters:
Lessons from a Lifetime of Transformations.