The first customers at the newly opened Panera Bread Sheboygan location lined up well before sunrise Friday. –Beacon photo by Dan Colton

As the Panera Bread location in Sheboygan opened Friday morning, dozens and dozens of Panera fans braved the dark and chilly weather for a chance to win free meals for a year.

People were lined up before 6 a.m. for a chance to be among the first 100 customers to enter the restaurant at 936 N. Taylor Drive. Those first 100 received a free “You Pick Two for a Year” certificate, which grants them one free combo meal per month for a year.

The morning was cold, and patrons were seen wearing heavy jackets and many were wrapped in blankets.

Guests who registered for Panera’s loyalty program also received a complimentary coffee tumbler.