Their services are available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Panera Bread was founded in 1987 in Kirkwood, Missouri by Ken and Linda Rosenthal. They were originally called “The St. Louis Bread” and were bought by the Au Bon Pain Co., in 1993 for $23 million. A few years later, in 1997, Au Bon Pain would change the name of The St. Louis Bread to Panera, the main name they’re known for nowadays.
The word “panera” means breadbasket in Latin, Spanish, and Catalan. Quite the fitting name for a bread and baking company don’t you think?
You can find out more about Panera bread at their official website here.
Which Countries Have a Panera Bread Restaurant?
Panera Bread has locations in the United States and Canada, and a total of more than 2.000 locations.
They have the most locations in the US states of California, North Carolina, Illinois, Florida, Ohio, Texas, and Pennsylvania. In Canada, they have many locations in Richmond Hill and Mississauga, among other areas.
What is Different About Panera Bread?
The first thing that makes Panera Bread stand out is its dedication to not using any preservatives, artificial sweeteners, or artificial coloring agents. The meat is also antibiotic-free. This results in food that is as clean as you can get.
They also have one of the first loyalty programs in the industry – a monthly subscription system that gives you a wide variety of benefits the longer you stay subscribed to it and the more you use their services, like discounts, special offers, and early access to new foods in their menu. On top of that, the program also gives you options for other sub-programs that are incredibly valuable, like the “Unlimited Sip Program” which lets you get unlimited drinks – from coffee to tea and lemonade – whenever you want.
Is Panera Bread Spicy?
No, but they do have some spicy options like the Spicy Take Chicken Sandwich, which comes with spicy buffalo sauce, and their Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt which comes with peppers and a chipotle sauce.
You can expect to find sandwiches, salads, soups, flatbread pizzas, bagels, cookies, brownies, fruits, and more.
Some of their most famous sandwiches include their Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT, the aforementioned Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt, the Signature Take Chicken Sandwich, and their Tuna Salad Sandwich.
As for salads, some recommendations are their Caesar Salad, their Greek Salad, or their Asian Sesame Salad with Chicken.
Amongst soups, they offer a hearty Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup, Creamy Tomato Soup, and Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
They’re also well-known for their delicious Mac & Cheese, which also has a variant that gets broccoli added to the meal.
They also have a number of beverages you’d expect – Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Coffee, Smoothies, and Chocolate-based drinks. But where they really shine is with their unique Guarana & Caffeine drinks (either Strawberry Lemon Mint base or Fuji Apple Cranberry). Guarana is a plant from Amazon that has been used to make many Brazilian drinks and has a large quantity of caffeine in the plant.
And if you’re in a large group, don’t worry! They’ve got you covered too with different family-sized items like the Premium Family Feast with Cookies and the 2 Flatbread Pizza Family Feast.
Some of their sides include French Baguettes, Bananas, Apples, and Strawberry Squeezable Yogurt.
How Do I Order Food at Panera Bread?
You can order in person at one of their locations or you can order it through delivery or for pick up at one of their locations. At their locations, you can also use one of their iPad kiosks to place an order and pay without needing to go to the counter.
Does Panera Bread Cater to Vegetarians?
Yes, they have a wide variety of vegetarian-friendly meals like the Greek Salad, their Mac & Cheese, their Vegetarian Autumn Squash Soup, their Margherita Flatbread Pizza, most of their bagels, and more.
Yes. They have a full Kids Menu with kid-sized variants of most of their menu items, like the Kids Signature Mac & Cheese, Kids Creamy Tomato Soup, Kids Grilled Cheese, and the Kids Napa Almond Chicken Sandwich, as well as their Horizon Reduced Fat Organic Chocolat Milk and Organic Apple Juice.
What Are Panera Bread’s Opening Hours?
Their standard schedule is to open at 6 am and close down at 9 pm but make sure to check on the locations near you for their specific hours.
Is Panera Bread Healthy?
Yes! With preservative-free ingredients and antibiotics-free meat, you can expect their foods to be of high quality and incredibly healthy.
Not only that, but many of their sandwiches are relatively low in calories compared to most fast food chains, and they typically use low-fat meats like chicken and tuna as the meat of their sandwiches. Not to mention that most of the sandwiches are loaded with veggies.
Their smoothies are also packed with micronutrients, like their Strawberry Banana Smoothie and their Green Passion Smoothie.
Of course, with almost restaurant, you can make it unhealthy by choosing some of their not-so-healthy items, like the Sausage & Pepperoni Flatbread Pizza or their Toasted Steak & White Cheddar sandwich, both of which contain fattier and high-calorie ingredients.
Can I Cook Panera Bread at Home?
Yes! They offer a wide variety of cook-at-home products with their Panera at Home services, like their Mac & Cheese, and a bunch of different soups like the Baked Potato Soup and the Autumn Squash Soup.
They also have their own line of dressings, like the Asian Sesame Vinaigrette Dressing, Caesar Dressing, and Chipotle Ranch Dressing & Dip.
And of course, it wouldn’t truly be Panera if they didn’t have a variety of bread as well, like Brioche Rolls, Ciabatta Rolls, Asiago Cheese Bread, Sourdough Bread, and more.
Some of the other products you can buy for use at home include different coffee blends, cheese crisps, and food bowls.
And if you’re ever in doubt about how to use these products, you can also check their official recipes page for guidance.