Marketing

Michael Bolton song honors Panera's latest menu creation

Provided

September 16, 2020

Grammy Award Winner Michael Bolton is known for his heartfelt ballads about love, and Panera Bread is using his voice to bring together two of its most-loved menu items: Broccoli Cheddar Soup and Mac & Cheese. The brand has combined them to create the Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese, and Bolton has created a digital short — "When Some Mac Loves Broccoli Cheddar" — to honor the union.

"As the new head chef at Panera, I am incredibly excited to work with our pantry of fresh, clean ingredients to create delicious new innovations on the Panera menu," Claes Petersson, Panera head chef and chief food and innovation officer, said in a company press release. "I'm obsessed with the flavor combination in our new Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese — it's an insanely craveable and irresistible creation that our customers nationwide are sure to love."

Developed by combining two distinct cheddar cheese sauces into a singular velvety blend, broccoli cheddar mac and cheese is simmered with a burst of seasoned broccoli florets and julienned carrots. Guests may order it for $5.79 or as part of a You Pick 2 order. It's also available in the refrigerated deli area at select grocery retailers.

"To celebrate the first-ever mash-up of two iconic Panera menu items coming together in perfect harmony, we knew we had to do something big," said Eduardo Luz, Panera chief brand and concept officer. "The combination of our crowd-pleasing broccoli cheddar soup, with our mac and cheese is a true embodiment of Panera's dedication to delicious food. We felt so passionately about the flavor combination that the love song almost wrote itself, and who better to help us announce to the world than love song legend and Panera superfan, Michael Bolton."