Panera Bread plans to expand its salad and sandwich options in its “biggest menu transformation ever,” including many items under $10, as it moves away from its dinner menu, the company announced Thursday.
The popular chain, which recently won an exemption from California’s new $20 an hour minimum wage law, has added nine new menu items for the company’s “new era,” adding recipes from 12 existing classics. It is said that it will strengthen. press release.
The rollout in Panera’s more than 2,100 stores is scheduled to begin April 4.
“We listened to thousands of guests during the process of introducing more than 20 new and enhanced menu items, and we are proud to introduce these products to all Panera bakeries nationwide,” said Alicia Mowder, SVP of Product Strategy & Insights. We’re excited to bring it to our cafes.”
The affordable menu includes Tomato Basil BLT, Ranch Cobb Salad, Mediterranean Vegetables with Grains, and more. Other new menu items include Toasted Italiano with Black Forest Ham, Soppressata and Provolone, Southwest Chicken Ranch and Ranch Cobb Salads, as well as a Chicken Bacon Rancher Sandwich with Black Pepper Focaccia.
Panera’s hearty macaroni and cheese is served inside a bread bowl, but now comes its luxurious counterpart: bacon mac and cheese. Panera teased that it will feature a “tangy aged white cheddar sauce topped with applewood-smoked bacon.”
It’s not immediately clear whether Panera will remove items from its menu other than flatbreads, which it introduced in 2019 to attract customers during dinner hours.
The menu overhaul moves away from dinner and refocuses Panera’s breakfast and lunch offerings.
“The ‘New Era’ at Panera is incredibly exciting, not only for our customers but also for our employees. ” said Debbie Roberts, Panera’s chief operating officer. He said.
The company says its revamped menu will “help streamline the Bakery Cafe team’s operations,” and it comes at a time when Panera is reportedly looking to go public again.
Panera said it appears there will be no changes to the bakery at this time, but further details regarding the menu revamp will be announced in March.
The company confirmed to CNN that kitchen sink cookies are not going anywhere.
What remains here is Panera’s controversial Charged Lemonade. Its caffeine content of 390 milligrams (more than three times the 111 milligrams of caffeine in a standard 12-ounce can of Red Bull) was accused in a separate lawsuit of causing fatal heart attacks. .
Most recently, Lauren Skerritt, a 28-year-old Rhode Island resident, claimed in her complaint that Panera’s popular drink sent her to the emergency room after suffering heart problems.
Two other plaintiffs, Ivy League student Sarah Katz, 21, and Dennis Brown, 46, of Florida, suffered fatal heart attacks after drinking the lemon-flavored drink. argued in each lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Panera franchise owners in California won’t have to pay a higher minimum wage due to an unusual carve-out that exempts “chains that bake and sell individual items.” According to Bloomberg News.
governor of california Newsom reportedly sought an exemption that would specifically benefit billionaire Greg Flynn, whose Flynn Restaurant Group owns about 20 Panera Bread stores in the state.
This is not the first time Flynn, who attended the same high school as Newsom, has been involved in business deals with the Democratic California governor, according to reports.
Mr. Flynn, worth an estimated $1.1 billion according to Bloomberg, also contributes to Mr. Newsom’s political efforts.
