Radar, a leading geofencing platform, announced that they will support Panera Bread, an innovator in the fast-casual restaurant segment, to accelerate the digital transformation of Panera’s next-generation cafe design. Radar offers a flexible and extensible platform that can be adopted within weeks to power location services for every aspect of Panera’s omnichannel business.
According to PYMTS’ recent Order To Eat Report, nearly 60% of all digital restaurant orders were placed via mobile apps, with digital revenue accounting for 50% of restaurant sales in the industry today, over the last eighteen months. The pandemic fueled the rise of digital ordering and drive-thru options at restaurants, while simultaneously creating a divide between digital and physical experiences. Panera is leading the charge to create more connected and seamless fast casual experiences that bridge this divide across its mobile app, kiosks and drive-thru. Panera announced its plans to create a new model for fast casual dining in May 2021 and officially opened its first location last month.
Radar is playing a central role in bringing this vision to life. The company’s geofencing platform enables Panera to offer enhanced and customized digital capabilities, including contactless dine-in and delivery and automatic MyPanera loyalty membership identification—both in-cafe and through a dedicated drive-thru lane. Radar also powers more personalized channels for Panera’s Delivery, Drive-Thru and Rapid Pick Up options to meet the growing demand for off-premise services. Radar’s easy implementation process enables developers and businesses to move quickly to meet evolving consumer needs, such as order-ahead and curbside pick-up.
“Meeting customers wherever they are has always been a top priority for the team at Panera, and our tech-enabled next generation bakery-cafe satisfied new preferences as we look towards a post-pandemic future,” says George Hanson, Chief Digital Officer at Panera Bread. “Radar’s easily adoptable platform has allowed us to get these features up and running quickly so that we don’t miss a beat. We’re thrilled to work with a trusted partner that shares the same guest-first values that are core to our philosophy.”
“Location services have always played a critical role in creating best-in-class customer experiences, and the pandemic heightened this role tenfold,” adds Coby Berman, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at Radar. “Many quick service restaurants have talked about adapting to a new era of fast casual, but not many brands have been able to deliver on this. Panera is making its next generation cafe a reality, and we look forward to continuing to iterate with their team to meet the modern guest’s needs and preferences.”
Panera joins a rapidly-growing roster of Radar customers, including Fortune 500 companies and high-growth startups like T-Mobile and Ibotta, across multiple verticals including retail and ecommerce, food and dining, and payments and rewards. To learn more about the variety of benefits that Radar offers brands, please visit www.radar.io
