Though it has expanded a lot since its early St. Lucky residents of Washington D. After the chain shed Au Bon Pain in , it completely blew up. What started out as just 20 shops in the St. Louis area became nearly 2, locations in just a decade. In alone, the store expanded by more than 30 percent , meaning a new location was unveiled almost every five days. Not to mention that the company did this all while maintaining quality and customer commitment. If Beethoven isn't your jam, then Panera might not be the place for you.
The cafe is notorious for only pumping the classical beats. So if you were hoping for some jazz, you might be better off kicking it at Starbucks. Yes, you read that right: A handful of locations in lower-income areas operate on a "pay-what-you-can" system. At these shops, or Panera Cares Community Cafes as they're called, the menu lists suggested donations, but accepts whatever you can afford.
Panera estimates that about 60 percent of customers usually pay that amount or more, and that these stores tend to bring in 70 to 75 percent of the profits of a normal store. Before McDonald's started shilling kale salad, Panera led the healthy eating revolution by doing something that's now considered commonplace: It was the first to start listing calorie counts on menus.
Louis Kane and Ron Shaich, who co-founded Au Bon Pain back in , sought to re-brand and expand the humble midwestern chain, and thus Panera Bread was born. It didn't take long for them to realize that the brand had a potential to expand and become the giant it is today, so they sold all of Au Bon Pain to work on Panera Bread exclusively.
You'll still find the original Saint Louis Bread Co. One of the amenities Panera offers its customers is free wifi at many of its locations, a policy they implemented quite some time before other chains like Starbucks and McDonald's. They wanted to find a way to boost sales between meals, and providing wifi certainly did the trick, as sales rose initially about 15 percent. However, so many people were using the service that it became the country's largest provider of free wifi, and with that came some setbacks that arose from too many people logging on.
These days it's not so much of an issue with ubiquitous 3G and 4G networks and many more wifi providers, but back then what they did was pretty revolutionary. Panera does indeed bake bread on-site every day. That ensures that the loaves you purchase are fresh, and sometimes, in my experience, still warm from the oven. But they don't make the dough on-site — rather, their dough is prepared in their Fresh Dough Facilities, then shipped by truck to each individual location. That makes them one of the largest networks of professional bakers out there.
Given that they move a bulk of products fairly quickly, your bread is likely a lot fresher than the pre-sliced loaves you can grab on a grocery store shelf.
Rather, it's sent to the stores frozen, and it reheated in either in the microwave or in boiling water. The employee also claims that the avocados get left out during the day, so they're not in optimal condition toward the end of the day. Of course, this is not substantiated, so your mileage may vary. According to the USDA, Panera took note of this, and back in , decided to do something about it. That's when they opened the very first Panera Cares community cafe in Saint Louis, in an effort to combat food insecurity with dignity.
My store was really lax about employees eating the food, so I ate quite a bit. Oh, and I made myself a dirty iced chai every morning. I think my store was an exception, though. There are few things better than hot soup in a toasty, freshly baked bread bowl, but employees recommend getting there early if you want to snag one. Then we run out at about 4 or 5. Get there early! Refinery29 spoke to an employee who wished to remain anonymous, and she said that the macaroni and cheese arrives much like the soup does — frozen in blocks that were heated in a hot water bath.
We throw 12 at a time into the thermalizers in the back, which is essentially a gigantic boiling pot, with specifically marked sections for soups and macaroni. For lunch, the bread bowl of clam chowder comes in at over 1, calories and half of your daily sodium allotment. Many people eat their salads with nothing more than lemon juice as the dressing.
Some rely on the flavors of the other veggies and use no dressing at all. My store has potato soup every single day because of how many people requested it. They might not always advertise it, but according to one Reddit user , you can modify any menu item into what you want it to be.
Closing up a Panera may mean a long night for employees, but working the late shift does have its perks. Think it's hard to get benefits in food service? Not at Panera. One employee reveals that anyone working over 30 hours a week is eligible for health insurance and other benefits.
That warm bagel you're eating wasn't just stuck in the microwave, it may actually be fresh out of the oven. However, if you're looking to slim down, ditching the bagels for one of the 37 Best Breakfast Foods for Weight Loss can help you reach your goal faster than you ever thought possible.
Don't worry about all that unused bread going to waste: Panera gives it away. If you've ever fallen in love with a painting at a Panera, don't be shy about asking to take it home.
Panera's policy when it comes to managers dating their subordinates is surprisingly strict. One Panera employee reveals that when a manager-employee relationship was discovered at their restaurant, the manager was sent to another location to work. If you think the price on your go-to Panera order seems steeper than usual, your mind isn't playing tricks on you.
Good news, carb-lovers: you might be able to get a whole month's worth of free bagels at your local Panera. Multiple employees and customers reveal that Panera Card members may be eligible to receive a free daily bagel for a month.
When you're done with your month of free bagels, just make sure you're eating plenty of healthy carbs in their place. Unfortunately, just because you're an employee doesn't mean you can hand out free food to your friends.
Food costs, my friend. Don't harm the cafe that pays you.
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