Chipotle, Panera Prepare to Open Restaurants at Oakdale Commons

Two national chain restaurants are about to start operations next to each other in Johnson City.

Workers are putting the finishing touches on the new Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread units at the Oakdale Commons on Harry L. Drive.

The restaurants will get a head start on a Chick-fil-A unit that is expected to join them at the south end of the regional shopping center within the next couple of years.

A spokesperson for Chipotle said the Johnson City restaurant will open on Thursday. It will have a drive-thru pickup lane to permit customers to pick up digital orders.

A sign details the opening plans for the Oakdale Commons Chipotle Mexican Grill. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The company hires about 25 people for each restaurant. It is continue to recruit workers for the Oakdale Commons unit.

This will be the second Chipotle operation in Broome County. The first local unit opened at University Plaza in Vestal in 2012.

The Panera Bread building at Oakdale Commons on September 12, 2023. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The new Panera Bread restaurant in Johnson City is scheduled to open on September 22.

Panera Bread also has an existing unit in Vestal. That unit on the Vestal Parkway has been in operation since 2007.

A Key Bank branch continues to operate just east of the new Chipotle and Panera restaurants at the Oakdale Commons. The bank is expected to remain open at that spot until its lease expires. Then the site reportedly will be used for a long-awaited Chick-fil-A restaurant.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.