Panera Bread with drive-through approved near Woodfield Mall

A Panera Bread with a drive-through will be the first of four tenants in a 10,364-square-foot commercial building to be called Meet Me On Meacham Center, which Schaumburg trustees have approved at 830 N. Meacham Road, just west of Woodfield Mall.

The new building is south of several other restaurants including On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, Beerhead Bar & Eatery, Giordano's and Weber Grill.

Schaumburg's Community Development Director Julie Fitzgerald said the new development is reflective of the restaurant district that has evolved along that stretch of Meacham Road.

The existing Panera Bread at the corner of Golf and Meacham roads just to the north, which does not have a drive-through, will close when the new one opens, Fitzgerald said. There are no plans in place yet for the space Panera will vacate at 1140 Plaza Drive.

The land on which the new building will be constructed has been owned by Chicago-based Areawide Realty Trust LLC for about 30 years and previously housed a two-story, 40,000-square-foot office building that was recently demolished in anticipation of this project.

The new Panera Bread will be in the southernmost space occupying 4,845 square feet, including a 588-square-foot patio, in the Meet Me On Meacham Center. The 2,500-square-foot unit at the northern end of the building also is expected to house a restaurant, though a tenant has not yet been named.

The two middle units are also unspoken for at this time, but would have to be service or office businesses rather than retail, Fitzgerald said.

There is not yet a firm time frame for the completion of the new building or the opening of the Panera Bread, she added.