Operations

Panera launches 1st ‘Panera To Go’ digital-only café

Provided

June 10, 2022

Panera Bread's first Panera To Go, a digital-only café focused on off premise dining, is up and running in Chicago.

It's the first of three test locations opening this year. The upcoming stores will be in California and Washington, D.C., according to a press release.

The 2,500-square-foot store is digitally-enabled with reduced front-of-house operations in which guests and delivery drivers pick up orders from the Rapid Pick-Up and delivery shelves.

The location design is aimed at densely populated areas that can't accommodate the 4,500-square-foot store format.

"We strive to make it easy for our guests to access Panera's chef-curated menu in the most convenient way. Panera To Go creates yet another access point for our guests, via Rapid Pick-Up or delivery in locations where Panera has not historically operated," Eduardo Luz, chief brand and concept officer, Panera Bread, said in the release.

As of the end of 2021, 44% of Panera bakery cafes included a drive-thru, and the company has been focused on adding access points in response to the growing demand for off-premise dining. Panera launched Rapid Pick-Up in 2016 and in 2020, it launched Panera Curbside, a geofence-enabled service that allows guests to easily get their favorite Panera Bread meals delivered directly to their car.

"Panera To Go is another way we can make our guests' lives easier through digital convenience, which is always at the heart of what we do," George Hanson, chief digital officer, Panera Bread, said in the release. "We are already leaders in providing our guest with an exceptional digital experience and adapted our digital channels to provide our guest even more options in the Panera To Go format."