CRESTWOOD, Mo. – Panera Bread is planning a new standalone location in south St. Louis County as part of a major redevelopment project on the former grounds of the Crestwood Mall.

The Crestwood Board of Aldermen approved a conditional use permit for Panera café in a meeting last month. Construction could begin as soon as the city gets approval from a fire marshal.

According to a recent memo from Crestwood mayor Scott Shipley, Panera’s planned location would offer drive-thru service and inhabit an outlot building closer to Watson Road. It will not be attached to a Dierbergs supermarket or a residential development on the mall’s former grounds.

Some interior components are already in the works for the planned site, but it’s not yet clear how soon Panera might open.

Panera is locally known to some as St. Louis Bread Company, though the brand has been trending away from using “St. Louis Bread Co.” to name new locations or ones outside of St. Louis City and County.

Panera Bread was first founded in 1987 in Kirkwood as St. Louis Bread Co. In present day, the company has more than 2,000 locations nationwide and is well known for a variety of baked goods, lunch options and specialty drinks.