Oyster Bay OKs plan to expand Syosset Panera Bread location

The Oyster Bay Town Board voted Tuesday to grant a special-use permit for the expansion of the Panera Bread restaurant at 407 Jericho Tpke., at the intersection with Jackson Avenue in Syosset, from 75 to 126 indoor and outdoor seats.

At a hearing in December, Tim Doherty, vice president of development of New Jersey-based Doherty Enterprises Inc., which owns the restaurant, said the eatery opened in Syosset in the summer of 2012 with a lower-than-usual capacity. Doherty said their restaurants are designed to seat more than 100 people, but Oyster Bay’s zoning would not permit a capacity of more than 75 in that space.

The company liked the spot and wanted to open immediately while pursuing approval for a higher capacity, he said.

Doherty told the board that the location had been successful and “met and exceeded our expectations.”

The town’s environmental review concluded the expansion would have no adverse environmental impact or affect the character of the area.