A Panera Bread location in Northeast Portland, Ore., was closed Jan. 11 to transition into the company's third pay-as-you-go restaurant. The store will reopen Saturday under the name Panera Cares Community Cafe and will be run by the Panera Bread Foundation.
The purpose of the program is to make sure everyone gets a meal, even those who can't afford one, said Panera Bread board chairman and former CEO Ron Schaich.
"It’s not a hand out, it’s a hand up," Schaich said. "And it’s not a problem somewhere else, it’s a problem in our community."
Portland was the third market selected to receive the cafe based on its diverse demographic. The first Panera Cares cafe opened in early 2010 in Clayton, Mo., and a second opened up during the company's fourth quarter in Detroit.
According to the foundation, 60 to 70 percent of cafe customers pay in full while 15 percent pay more, and another 15 percent pay less or nothing.
Locations are selected based on a community's ability to support it and its accessibility to those who use its service.
