Fine Cuisine

PANAMA: A STORY OF SUCCESS

By: Alejandra García

Willingness, commitment to do things well, excellent marketing, professional teamwork in search of excellence and diversity in service have been the trademark for 35 years of The Restaurants and Bakeries Panama chain to achieve success. Panama offers you a complete gastronomic concept with a variety of national, regional and international dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus many homemade cakes, French pastry and an excellent rich and delicious bakery line, making the chain the biggest in Northwest Mexico.

The history of this business goes back to the 70`s when Don Ignacio Osuna, the founder, decided to venture in the world of business buying a convenience store called the Canal de Panama from some oriental people to start baking homemade cakes, together with his lifetime companion Olivia; in 1976 the first Panama Bakery opened in the convenience´s store address in Belisario Dominguez 60 south in Mazatlan`s downtown.

The next step was the cake´s factory, a block away, in Old Mazatlan, and a small branch one block from the market, introducing the coffee shop concept of the famous Danish sandwich, made of delicious bacon bread and onion, it is still prepared. The chain restaurants started in 1982, when Olivia and his sister Teresa committed themselves by putting their creativity and effort on the menu for the branch at Hotel Los Arroyos in the Golden Zone. In 1990 Restaurants and Bakeries Panama chain decided to expand to Culiacan, investing in a cake factory, a restaurant, a bakery in the Francisco Villa street; after 8 years four establishments in Culiacan on the Francisco Villa, Constitucion, Rubi and Carrasco streets were a reality.

In the year 2000 with the new millennium a new stage in Panama started with the next generation of the Osuna family, Luis and Ignacio, who joined the group successfully, Ignacio with his studies in food industries took charge of the Bakery Division and Luis with his chef schooling the Restaurant´s division improving the success of the chain in Mazatlan and Culiacan.

Panama keeps innovating dishes and cakes to surprise us often with a great variety of flavours for all tastes.