I bought $1000 worth recently because I love Panera (the nationwide name for St. Louis Bread) and the company has very ambitious roll-out plans. But it's a gamble. Au Bon Pain was a very successful chain a few years ago, but now the service tends to be slovenly, the food mediocre, and the price too high for what you get.

I'm hopeful, and in any case I don't feel like I bet so much that I've got my butt on the line. But I do worry that we may end up with a great idea being run into the ground by the same old bad management.