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WARREN -- Covelli Enterprises, the largest franchisee of Panera Bread, has received the Franchisee of the Year award from the bakery-cafe chain.
It is the top award a franchise owner in the system can receive, according to a news release from Covelli.
The award was presented March 8 in Nashville in front of thousands of Panera operators, managers and corporate support staff who gathered for the Panera Bread Family Reunion.
The event is hosted every five years to highlight the growth of the brand, recognize successes and discuss the future direction of the company with its employees, the news release stated.
The Franchisee of the Year designation is based on operational excellence, market / real estate growth, cafe openings, market acquisitions and financial metrics. Covelli Enterprises continually receives more awards than any other franchisee in the area of operations and sales.
"I have never been so proud in my entire career," said Sam Covelli, owner / CEO of Warren-based Covelli Enterprises. "I am humbled that Panera LLC honored our organization. This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our leadership team, our management and our associates. We have the absolute best employees in the restaurant industry and I look forward to continuing to grow our company with these truly amazing people."
Covelli also received other individual awards for largest sales increases, most cafe openings and highest cafe sales. Covelli Enterprises is the largest franchisee of Panera Bread LLC, with more than 300 bakery-cafes in six states.
In 2016, the company donated more than $28 million to charity through unsold bread products for local hunger relief agencies and monetary donations to other nonprofit organizations, according to the release.
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