Panera Bread 2011 Annual Report Download - page 48

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To Board of Directors and Stockholders of Panera Bread Company:
In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the related consolidated statements of operations, of changes
in equity and of cash flows present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Panera Bread Company and its subsidiaries
at December 27, 2011 and December 28, 2010, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years
in the period ended December 27, 2011 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
In addition, in our opinion, the financial statement schedule listed in the index appearing under Item 15(a)(2) presents fairly, in
all material respects, the information set forth therein when read in conjunction with the related consolidated financial statements.
Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of
December 27, 2011, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for these financial
statements and financial statement schedule, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment
of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial
Reporting under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements, on the financial statement
schedule, and on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits
in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require
that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits
of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial
statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of
internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design
and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures
as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability
of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain
to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets
of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial
statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are
being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable
assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that
could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also,
projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because
of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
St. Louis, Missouri
February 21, 2012