Ron Shaich

Ron Shaich is a U.S. business executive born in 1953 and associated with Florida. He founded Panera and helped build it into a chain of more than 2,500 locations; he later led the investment that converted Zoe’s Kitchen into Cava and helped take Cava public. He has an estimated net worth of ~$1.2 billion. NewsAPI RTB

Business & SEC Activity

Shaich built his wealth through restaurant businesses, including Panera, and through investments in Cava. He is also chairman and lead investor at Cava and has backed Level99, an interactive entertainment company. NewsAPI

Philanthropy

The Shaich Family Foundation, based in Miami, reported $75.9 million in total assets and $3.42 million in grants paid for tax year 2023. It reported $619,751 in revenue and $3.57 million in expenses. ProPublica 990

Political Activity

The available FEC data covers only the most recent 100 contributions in the sample; Shaich has at least 100 federal contributions, and the sample total of $632,743.87 is not a complete lifetime total. In this sample, the party breakdown was $181,139.92 to Democrats, $2,800 to the DFL, $6,600 to independents, $36,103.95 to Republicans, and $406,100 categorized as unknown; the largest listed recipients included AB PAC at $200,000 and the DNC Services Corporation at $76,800. FEC

In the News

A July 2026 Fortune report said Shaich was investing $100 million in Level99, applying his restaurant-industry strategy to interactive entertainment. The article also described his roles in building Panera and developing Cava. NewsAPI