Collaboration, innovation focus of Fast Casual Executive Summit

by Breck Hapner — Director of Marketing, Chepri

Well, it came, and actually happened, with many great sighs of relief. Restaurant leaders were finally able to get together to collaborate and innovate…

Panera's on track to be 'climate positive' by 2050

October 21, 2021

Panera Bread has committed to becoming climate positive by 2050, which means it will remove some of the carbon from the atmosphere that it emits. With nearly…

Caribou launches domestic franchise plan fueled by Panera

October 11, 2021

Caribou Coffee, a Panera Brands portfolio concept with 714 locations, has launched a domestic franchise program. Leveraging the model that has fueled its…

Panera Bread execs: We're not afraid of taking risks

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Eduardo Luz, chief brand and concept officer, and Rob Sopkin, SVP, chief development officer, at Panera Bread, shared the keynote at the Fast Casual Executive…

2 Panera VIPs keynoting Fast Casual Executive Summit 2021

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Very few fast casual brands have been as successful as Panera Bread over the years, and that success is directly linked to its willingness to take risks when…

Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee, Einstein Bagels form fast casual powerhouse

August 6, 2021

Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels have teamed up to create Panera Brand, boasting nearly 4,000 locations and 110,000 employees across 1…

It's soup 'n' swim time at Panera

July 9, 2021

Citing its own study finding that over 70% of people said that hot weather does not stop them from eating soup, Panera Bread is hoping to make summer and soup…

Panera doubling down on dual customer experience

May 20, 2021

Panera is unveiling its next-generation Panera bakery-cafe restaurant design in November in Ballwin, Missouri. Although it features more digital service…

What's right and wrong with curbside at Panera, The Habit Burger?

by Jessie Chen — Marketing, Radar

Radar and FastCasual, which assessed nine restaurant chains' curbside experiences, reveal how Panera Bread and The Habit Burger fared.

'Boy Meets World' stars reunite for Panera commercial

February 9, 2021

Nearly 70% of Americans would be happy to receive comfort food instead of flowers for Valentine's Day this year and nearly 60% said they'd preferred it over a…

5 million is not enough: Panera extends pizza line

January 13, 2021

You will excuse Panera leaders if lately they seem to be smiling a lot more, after revealing that sales of their flatbread pizzas — introduced in late October…

The 2021 menu battle: Comfort food vs healthier options

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Menu trends experts from Panera Bread, Buffalo Wild Wings, Luna Grill, Culinary Tides, Qdoba and Pure Green predict the coming year's top menu trends.

Panera, Pepsi, King Bach teaming up to offer virtual pizza parties

December 11, 2020

Actor, content creator and comedian Andrew Bachelor, also known as "King Bach," is teaming up with Panera and Pepsi to offer consumers a virtual pizza party…

Starbucks, Panera Bread, McDonald’s winning the digital game

November 12, 2020

Digital sales will make up over 50% of limited-service restaurants' business by 2025, according to a study by Incisiv, which also predicted that although…

Kansas City-area Panera locations testing booze

November 2, 2020

Five Kansas City-area Panera Bread locations added beer and wine to the menu last month, according to a company press release from Pan American Group, a…

Panera slices into pizza category with flatbread pies

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Panera is launching a pizza category nationally this week with three takes on flatbread pies.

Will Panera customers care about carbon transparency?

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

October 14, 2020

In a move to make it easier for consumers to understand how their food orders affect the environment, Panera Bread is adding the carbon footprint of meals to…

Former McDonald's exec joins Panera as chief of staff

September 30, 2020

Panera Bread has hired Lauren Cody, a former McDonald's executive, as chief of staff and chief customer officer.

Panera powering up customers

September 9, 2020

The first 2,020 consumers who sign up Thursday for the Panera Coffee Subscription (typically $8.99) will earn a month of free coffee and Wi-Fi. For those who…

Panera names former McDonald's exec as COO

September 8, 2020

Panera Bread has named a former McDonald's president, Debbie Roberts, as EVP and COO.