Marketing

Panera invites app users to 'circle back'

Photo: Panera

December 18, 2025

Panera Bread is leveraging its digital loyalty platform to reward the "office procrastinator" this holiday season with the launch of the "Circle Back Meal," an app-exclusive promotion designed to drive engagement during the year-end slowdown.

Available through Dec. 23, MyPanera members will receive engage with the app during a period when corporate productivity typically dips, according to the company.

The promotion features a curated menu of favorites from corporate-culture influencers @corporate.bro and @roxycouse, including the Toasted Frontega Chicken Sandwich and the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel. However, the core of the strategy is built around rewarding users for the inevitable "return to reality" in January.

Recognizing that the "circle back" culture creates a heavy workload once the holidays end, Panera has scheduled a specific digital reward for Jan. 5. On that day, app users who enter the promo code CIRCLEBACK will receive a complimentary sweet treat.