May 21, 2013

Panera Bread

Focus On the Values

May 2013

Panera Bread’s new marketing platform highlights the why, not the what.

The Boston Fire Department was treated to free meals at Firehouse Subs.

Nurturing Boston

Quick serves step up to support volunteers, responders after Boston bombings.

Panera's Bill Moreton Steps Down; Shaich To Be Sole CEO

The Secret’s Out

April 2013

Though not new, secret and hidden menus have taken hold in recent years as social media–savvy diners share off-the-menu experiences with potentially viral audiences.

And today, more quick-service brands are finding that a secret menu can offer guests a fun and unique experience...

Stamp of Approval

Hospitals and national quick-serve chains may seem odd bedfellows, but a new program in Orlando is pairing the two in an effort to promote healthy meals.

IFMA Recognizes Outstanding Limited-Service Brands

For the third consecutive year, The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) recognizes four outstanding foodservice chain operators through the COEX Innovation Awards.

The winners will receive their awards during IFMA’s Chain Operators EXchange (COEX), March 3...

Panera Unveils New 'Live Consciously' Brand Platform

Panera Bread Company aspires to elevate the lives of its guests and associates while also making a difference in the communities it serves. Panera unveils a new initiative that for the first time articulates this purpose-driven philosophy.

Science: The Next Big Ingredient

Quick-serve menus may start taking cues from the science lab as operators increasingly experiment with high-tech cooking methods like molecular gastronomy.

Molecular gastronomy, which blends technical food science and practical kitchen techniques, has been offered on exclusive fine-dining...

Panera Extends Its Helping Hand in Boston

The Panera Bread Foundation opened its fifth nonprofit community café, called Panera Cares, in Boston. The cafe opening comes on the heels of four successful community café launches in St. Louis, Detroit, Portland, and Chicago over the past three years.

Panera Cares is a new kind of café...

12 for ’12

December 2012

Our athletes went to the Olympics, our science went to Mars, and our people went to the polls. But what of the restaurant industry in 2012? These dozen items from the year had the biggest impact on the foodservice landscape and shaped the industry for a potentially game-changing 2013.

...

Study Shows Panera Serves Up America's Favorite Sandwiches

Panera Bread is at the top of the list of favorite sandwich chains, according to a national study from Market Force, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions. Panera was voted America’s No. 1 sandwich chain in a restaurant industry survey of more than 7,600 consumers. Jason...

Fast Casual Strengthens, Led by Panera, Five Guys

Fast-casual chains strengthened their gains on the overall restaurant industry, with the top 150 fast-casual chains growing 8.4 percent to $21.5 billion in 2011, a faster rate than in 2010 (6.6 percent). In comparison, 2011 sales growth for the ...

Panera Wants to Know: Who Is the Top Teacher?

Panera Bread announces Panera's Top Teachers video contest. Students are encouraged to submit nominations for outstanding teachers at PaneraTopTeachers.com from April 6 –...

Shaich's Back! Moreton to Co-CEO Panera

Panera Bread Company has announced that Founder and Executive Chairman, Ron Shaich, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Bill Moreton, will become co-CEOs, effective immediately.

Read QSR's exclusive interview with Moreton...

New Ads, Table Delivery to Highlight Panera's 2012

Fresh off the opening of its 1,500^th unit—and first in Manhattan—Panera Bread announced during its...

Tour Panera's First Manhattan Location

This week, QSR got an exclusive media tour of the first Panera Bread to open in Manhattan.

"Like" QSR on Facebook to access behind-the-scenes photos from...

Panera Opens in Manhattan, Competition Happy

When Panera Bread’s 1,500^th store opens Tuesday, Feb. 7, it will be the company’s first location in Manhattan.

"Like" QSR on Facebook to see exclusive...

Popular Menu Proteins

January 2012

As Americans’ hunger for burgers and chicken continues to grow, restaurant operators are tweaking their menus to meet consumers’ demands for new meats and higher quality.

An increasing number of limited-service restaurants have added better and more “natural” meat...

Fame, Fortune & Fries at McDonald's

January 2012

Late last year, McDonald’s announced that it would launch in 645 California stores its own TV channel that broadcasts news, sports, and local-interest stories. The move resonated loudly across the industry, signaling that food alone might not be the future of quick-serve dining rooms....

Bakery Cafes Outpace Industry Growth in Last Three Years

The bakery café segment, which accounts for $5 billion in annual sales and more than 3,600 units nationwide, has been able to successfully navigate the middle ground between quick- and full-service restaurants to outpace industry sales and unit growth for each of the past three years. Total...

Interpreting the Top 100

June 2011

Every year, many of us anxiously await the release of Technomic’s Fast Casual Top 100 report. Technomic’s Darren Tristano, one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry, gave me an interview and a sneak peek at the report. Here are his thoughts, followed by a few of my own....

Panera Plans Development in Toronto

Panera announced an agreement with Covelli Enterprises to co-develop the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Ontario, for Panera Bread. Covelli, through its affiliate Canadall ULC, has aggressive plans for expansion in the GTA including two or three new bakery-cafes in the communities of Mississauga/...

Exclusive First Peek! Fast-Casual Top 100

Last week QSR's in-house fast-casual expert, George Green, snagged the interview of the season with Darren Tristano, executive vice president at leading research firm Technomic. Not only did he get Tristano's coveted insight on the fast-casual industry, he gained exclusive...