Articles from Panera Bread

Panera Bread, a leader and pioneer in the fast-casual restaurant industry, today announced “Panera RISE,” its transformation strategy designed to guide the next phase of Panera’s growth. Panera RISE is focused on four strategic pillars: Refreshing the menu, Igniting value, Serving our guests with excellence, and Expanding our network.

Panera Bread, a leader and pioneer in the fast casual restaurant industry, today announced that Santhosh Kumar has joined the company as Chief Information Officer, effective February 12, reporting to Interim CEO Paul Carbone. Kumar will lead the company’s technology organization, responsible for the development, integration and deployment of technology across more than 2,200 Panera cafes. In his new role, Kumar will partner with the Panera Bread leadership team and franchisees to drive an exceptional team member and guest experience.

Panera Bread, a leader and pioneer in the fast casual restaurant industry, today announced that Brian Krause has joined the company as Chief Development Officer. Krause will be responsible for driving strategic new store growth for Panera Bread, leading development planning, franchise development and sales, design & construction and real estate. Krause joined the company on January 13 and reports to Interim CEO Paul Carbone.

Today, Panera announces the nationwide launch of Drive-Thru Pick-Up, combining the ease of the digital ordering experience with the comfort and convenience of the drive-thru window. Guests can now choose the Drive-Thru Pick-Up option when ordering ahead on the Panera app or website to get their favorite Panera order at the Drive-Thru without leaving their vehicle. To celebrate the national launch, starting tomorrow, June 1 through June 30, any MyPanera member ordering Drive-Thru Pick-Up will receive $5 off any order of $15 or more by using code 5OFFDTPICKUP at checkout*.

Today, the Panera Bread Foundation* announces 30 non-profit organizations will receive a collective $2 million from the Panera Bread Foundation Grant Program. The Panera Bread Foundation launched the grant program in 2021 to support non-profit organizations that provide access to education, opportunity, and mentorship to at-risk, underserved, or historically underrepresented children and youth.

Today, Panera Bread announced that MyPanera members can now order via Alexa on Echo Show devices. Ordering with Alexa provides convenience for MyPanera members and allows them to order their Panera favorites via voice or touch—without having to open the Panera app. With this new feature, MyPanera members can simply ask Alexa to order their favorite Panera items for pick-up or delivery, and the order will be completed.

Today, Panera Bread announced its planned rollout of Amazon One as a loyalty identification for MyPanera, its industry-leading loyalty program with 52+ million members, and a contactless payment method. The technology is deployed at select bakery-cafes in Panera’s hometown of St. Louis with plans to expand to additional locations in the coming months. Panera is the first national restaurant company to use Amazon One as both a way for guests to pay and access their loyalty account with their palm.

Today, Panera Bread announces it will now offer an Annual Unlimited Sip Club membership, the first-ever nationwide unlimited annual beverage subscription in the restaurant industry for all self-serve beverages. For $119.99 per year (plus tax), the annual membership yields additional savings, offering a year’s worth of unlimited beverages for the price of 10 months*. Annual members will also receive the added benefit of a $0 delivery fee on all Panera digital orders, year-round**. Unlimited Sip Club subscribers have access to the entire Panera portfolio of self-serve beverages, including hot and iced coffee, hot and iced teas, Agave Lemonade, Pepsi-Cola® fountain beverages, and Charged Lemonades†.

Panera Bread, a leader and innovator in the fast casual restaurant segment, today announced the opening of its updated urban store format in New York, the newest of several new formats targeted at more densely populated and non-traditional trade areas. With digital sales at Panera now representing 50% of total system sales, Panera now offers a portfolio of store formats designed to cater to the needs of an increasingly digital and off-premise guest. With more than 3 million average transactions each week from digital channels including the app, kiosk and web, Panera guests continue to seek freshly-prepared menu items with the increased convenience, customization, speed and ease that the digital experience enables.

Today, Panera Bread (“Panera”) has announced a suite of new, elevated packaging for its line of grocery products, along with the launch of several exciting new additions to its portfolio. Panera offers a diverse range of grocery products, including bakery-cafe favorites across categories including Refrigerated Soup, Refrigerated Mac & Cheese, Refrigerated Dressing, Artisan Bread, Sliced Bread and Bagels.

Beginning today, Panera Bread begins testing AI technology in drive-thru lanes with an aim to improve and enhance the guest experience. With support from OpenCity, select Panera bakery-cafes in the greater Rochester, NY area have implemented OpenCity’s proprietary voice AI ordering technology, called “Tori”, for drive-thru orders, with the goal of maximizing efficiency and increasing speed of orders. Guests at Panera Bread cafes in Greece, NY (800 Greece Ridge Center Dr) and Webster, NY (935 Holt Rd) are the first Panera locations to experience this drive-thru innovation.

Panera Bread, a leader and innovator in the fast-casual restaurant segment, has opened the first “Panera To Go,” a new Panera Bread restaurant format offering digitally-enabled convenience for Rapid Pick-Up® and Delivery orders. The Chicago-based restaurant is the first of three Panera To Go test locations scheduled to open this year. Panera To Go is a digital-only bakery-cafe, with a reduced front of house where guests and delivery drivers can easily pick up orders from Rapid Pick-Up® and Delivery shelves. Designed for densely populated areas that cannot accommodate a dine-in bakery-cafe, the new format allows Panera to meet the demand in these areas for easy off-premise options with its delicious offerings of The Familiar, Made Fantastic™.

Today, Panera announces the appointment of Marlene M. Gordon as Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary effective May 2.

Today, Panera announced it continues to transform the dining experience with the nationwide launch of Contactless Dine-In, a new feature in the Panera Mobile App that allows guests to order their favorite Panera meals on their own devices for plated dine-in service. Now available in most Panera bakery-cafes, Contactless Dine-In helps guests avoid lines or shared devices like kiosks or pagers, and joins Curbside, Drive-Thru, Rapid Pick-Up® and Delivery as one of the many ways guests can order their Panera favorites when they want, how they want them.

Panera, a leader and innovator in the fast-casual restaurant segment, today opened the first bakery-cafe featuring its next-generation restaurant design in Ballwin, MO. As the brand that introduced fast casual to the industry, Panera is redefining its experience to serve today’s guest in an increasingly off-premise world. The new restaurant design features a modern and revitalized dine-in experience around its signature fireplace coupled with enhanced digital, personalized options, and dual drive-thru access.

Today, Panera Bread announces its commitment to become climate positive – removing more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits – by 2050. The first national fast casual restaurant company to set a climate positive target, Panera today updated its Food Beliefs to include climate goals, establishing an ambitious vision for its business. With approximately 25 percent of global greenhouse gases created from food production1, Panera hopes to lead and inspire its industry to address the climate crisis.