Panera Bread’s first downtown Bethesda location will open Wednesday morning.

The bakery and fast casual cafe will open at 6 a.m. at 7201 Wisconsin Ave., the former spot of bd’s Mongolian Grill.

Lemek LLC, the franchisee company of Panera Bread restaurants in Maryland, had been looking for a location in downtown Bethesda for years, according to its marketing rep. There are locations in Friendship Heights, Upper NW D.C. and Rockville, but none with a Bethesda address.

The company is hoping to take advantage of nearby Parking Lot 24, a metered lot along Willow Lane.