R.I.-BASED EXECUTIVE Bahjat Shariff says the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the restaurant industry has led him to be laid off by Howley Bread Group, which operates Panara Bread locations in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. / COURTESY HOWLEY BREAD GROUP
PROVIDENCE – A high-profile executive at a franchisee that operates 28 Panera Bread locations in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut has been laid off as revenue declines steeply during the coronavirus epidemic. Bahjat Shariff, of Cumberland, operating partner and senior vice president of operations at the Howley Bread Group Ltd., told Providence Business News on…