Operations
Panera CEO unveils 'RISE' strategy to change company trajectory
November 18, 2025
Panera Bread CEO Paul Carbone has revealed an ambitious transformation plan, "Panera RISE," in hopes of guiding the company's next phase of growth and reasserting its industry dominance.
"Panera RISE is a momentum driver, grounded in the areas of differentiation that have made Panera an iconic brand for nearly 40 years," Carbone said in a company press release. "As we transform our business, we are investing in four strategic pillars that put the guest at the very center of everything we do."
He projected that the strategy will drive systemwide sales past $7 billion by 2028 through significant investments in food quality and the cafe experience.
Panera RISE
Panera RISE is built on four core pillars: Refreshing the menu, Igniting value, serving guests with excellence and expanding the network.
The initiative follows a year of foundational work and involves considerable investment to elevate ingredient quality, variety, and abundance across the menu.
Key components of the strategy include:
- Menu refresh: Elevating Panera's food across all dayparts by incorporating "abundant, flavorful and distinctive, high-quality ingredients," alongside strengthening the bakery and beverage portfolio
- Igniting value: Delivering high-quality, carefully crafted food at a range of accessible and affordable price points.
- Serving guests with excellence: Investing in front-of-house labor to deliver an exceptional, personalized guest experience, defined by "Panera Warmth," and reimagining the bakery-cafe as an "everyday oasis."
- Expanding the network: Driving growth, building units and modernizing the existing portfolio to ensure consistent operational excellence across both franchise and company-owned cafes.
"I'm incredibly confident that Panera RISE is the roadmap that will drive our long-term growth and value creation, and that together with our team members and our franchisees, we will reclaim our position as the industry leader in fast casual," Carbone said.
