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Panera Bread to Debut a New Bakery-Café Design

Panera Bread plans to unveil a next-generation bakery-café restaurant design, the first of which will open in November 2021 in Ballwin, Mo. The new modern design concept will include enhanced digital capabilities, personalized options and more drive-thru access, allowing the concept to thrive in off-premise channels such as Delivery, Drive-Thru and Rapid Pick Up – both in-cafe and via a dedicated drive-thru lane.

The fast-casual restaurant’s new design also will emphasize a modernized and revitalized dine-in experience, as it expects both dine-in and off-premise to continue to grow. Panera worked with brand design agencies BrandOpus to develop the updated brand identity and logo, and ChangeUp to design the next-generation Panera restaurant concept.

“Innovation is core to who we are and with our new next-generation Panera concept, we are doing what we’ve always done — keeping a personalized experience for the guest at the heart of everything we do,” said Eduardo Luz, Chief Brand & Concept Officer of Panera Bread in a statement. “We’re doubling down on what has always made Panera unique — creating human connection through caring associates and a warm, inviting environment filled with the smell of freshly-baked bread — while continuing to be a leader in digital access for the off-premise world.”

The next-generation Panera bakery-café will feature the following main updates:

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  • Craft Bakery Experience: Panera is moving the bakery-café ovens to be in full view of the guests, so they can fully immerse themselves in the experience of baking happening throughout the day.
  • Dual-Drive Thru with Dedicated Rapid Pick-Up Lane: Panera aims to significantly increase its locations with drive-thru and the new concept features a double-lane drive thru, with one lane dedicated specifically to the brand’s Rapid Pick-Up service.
  • Enhanced Digital Experience: The concept will feature new digital innovations including contactless dine-in and delivery, updated ordering kiosks, automatic loyalty identification and a fully digitized menu both in-café and at the drive-thru.
  • Contactless Ordering: This new service will allow guests who choose a fully contactless experience to easily order their meal from their own phone for dine-in, Rapid Pick-Up, drive-thru or delivery. Once the order is made, guests are notified via mobile notifications when their food is ready, minimalizing interaction with cashiers, kiosks, paper receipts or pagers.
  • Refreshed Brand Identity: The next-generation bakery-cafés will introduce an updated Panera Bread logo and brand identity, which was unveiled in May 2021. The refreshed Panera “Mother Bread” logo is a nod to Panera Bread’s more than 30-year-old sourdough starter from which all of its sourdough bread is still made today.
  • Intuitive Guest Journey: A core focus of the next-generation design has been improving the guest journey and making it more intuitive. This includes deploying clear and concise wayfinding on the exterior of the café and refining how the guest routes through the café after entering the front door.

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