The smell of fresh bread baking will be wafting through Meridian Township next month.

Panera Bread, a bakery-cafe, is expected to open Aug. 30 at 4730 Central Park Drive in Meridian Township, just east of the Meridian Mall.

Bridget Westhoff, public relations manager for Panera Bread, said the market in Meridian Township looked right for the company to move in.

“The area looked like it could support it,” she said. “And it looked like an area that needed a bakery-cafe, somewhere where people could go for soups and salads.”

The building for Panera Bread is 4,100 square feet, and Westhoff said like others that size, it will most likely have a section with couches and chairs, as well as a dining room.

“There are places where people can study and meet with friends,” she said. “You can grab a bagel, a cup of coffee, hang out, do some work or read a book.”

Westhoff said the bakery-cafe’s hours may vary depending on the need in the area, but typical hours for the store are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.

Westhoff also said she expects the business to attract residents and students living in the area, as well as people working around the area.

Jenn Putney, a social relations senior, said she orders food from the bakery-cafe about once a week while working at Bollert’s Ace Hardware, 600 Frandor in Lansing.

A Panera Bread is located in the Frandor Shopping Center at 310 N. Clippert St. in Lansing.

“Soup in a bread bowl is my absolute favorite,” she said.

Putney said the shop should do good business in Meridian Township.

Panera specializes in fresh-baked bread and pastries, as well as soups and sandwiches during lunch hours, Westhoff said.

“We make our own bread, it’s never frozen,” she said. “You can expect the best bread in town.”

Mark Kieselbach, director of community planning and development for Meridian Township, said Panera will be a different type of restaurant in the township because of its fresh-baked bread.

“They are sort of unique,” he said. “I don’t know others that make their own bread and pastries and have a restaurant to go along with it.”

Westhoff said the lunch and breakfast areas will be separate from each other.

“It will be a good size with a really pretty, warm-looking inside,” she said.

Westhoff also said customers who go to the bakery-cafe once keep coming back.

“The typical customer, once they start coming to us, they go all the time,” she said. “It’s such a great lunch option, you don’t have to get something that is greasy or fried.”