Overview
- The plan focuses on four pillars—refreshing the menu, igniting value, elevating service, and expanding the network—with support from franchisees and owner JAB.
- Food changes reverse prior cost cuts by returning salads to romaine-only, increasing ingredients, slicing cherry tomatoes and avocados starting early next year, and enlarging sandwich portions.
- Guest experience investments include adding front-of-house staff, modernizing decade-old self-order kiosks, and updating dining rooms.
- Panera is trialing Frescas (caffeine-free) and Energy Refreshers in about 65 cafes from Oct. 15 to Jan. 6 across Nashville, the Mobile/Pensacola area, and Baltimore.
- The push follows shrinking traffic and a roughly 5% sales decline to $6.1 billion last year, as the company also moves to close all fresh-dough facilities within two years after recent site shutdowns.