Panera Bread asks patrons not to bring guns into its restaurants

Bryan Pace/for New York Daily News

WASHINGTON - Panera Bread on Monday asked customers not to bring firearms into its restaurants, joining a movement by retail and fast-food chains to make their establishments gun-free zones.

The company said it wants to ensure that 'customers and associates feel comfortable and welcome' in its restaurants.

'We ask that guns not be brought into this environment unless carried by an authorized law enforcement officer,' the eatery chain, which boosts 1,800 locations in the United States and Canada, said in a statement Monday.

'Panera respects the rights of gun owners, but asks our customers to help preserve the environment we are working to create.'

Chains such as Starbucks, Target and Chipotle already have adopted guidelines asking patrons not to bring guns into their locations following pressure from gun control advocates, principally Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

Panera's decision followed talks with the gun control group, which is funded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

But Erika Soto Lamb, a spokeswoman for the Moms Demand Action, said, 'There was no pressure campaign here. That's what's so meaningful about it.'

A Panera spokeswoman said the company will not ask its employees to enforce the new guideline. Nor will the policy be posted on signs in the restaurants. Other chains that have adopted voluntary restrictions, including Target, also have declined to post such signs..

dfriedman@nydailynews.com