ST. LOUIS, May 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Panera Bread today announced the expansion of Panera delivery to Panera fans across the United States, with the service now available in 897 cities and 43 states nationwide. Panera delivery is available for lunch and dinner to offices, hospitals, college campuses and to your door at home in participating markets. The service is entirely digital via the Panera app or website, and meets pent up consumer demand for clean options. Panera is celebrating the service’s national expansion with a one-day giveaway of its best-selling product with delivery orders so guests can enjoy their favorites at home, or in the workplace.
Comment by Blaine Hurst, Panera CEO
“Panera delivery isn’t a pilot program. It’s not in just a few test markets. We now offer delivery across the country,” said Blaine Hurst, Panera CEO. “Delivery is fueling our next phase of growth, and the success we have seen so far is exciting. The combination of providing clean food options via an entirely digital experience is giving us a real advantage, and the momentum is just beginning.”
PANERADELIVERS Celebratory Soup Giveaway on May 9
For one day only, on Wednesday, May 9, Panera will add a free cup of soup to guests’ delivery orders when they enter the code “PANERADELIVERS” and place a cup of soup in their cart. To participate in the May 9 soup giveaway, guests must place a delivery order for an item in addition to the soup, and pay the delivery fee. Panera soups, as with all Panera offerings, are free from artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors and colors from artificial sources.
More than 13,000 Jobs Created To-Date
Panera aims to employ its own delivery drivers in every market, which contributes to the company’s ability to scale and expand its delivery business. By the end of 2017, Panera had hired more than 10,000 drivers and associates system-wide to accommodate the increase in orders in both company and franchised markets across the U.S. As of today, delivery has helped create more than 13,000 jobs since it launched.
Delivery to Home or Office
Delivery is helping to drive growing digital sales at Panera, which consist of online, app and kiosk orders and currently represent 30% of total company sales. An entirely digital experience, Panera delivery can generally be ordered from most areas within an eight-minute drive time of a participating bakery-cafe. Most delivery cafes will deliver between the hours of 11 a.m. and 8 p.m., seven days a week, for as little as a $5 menu purchase, excluding tax, plus a $3 delivery fee in the majority of markets.
Panera began rolling out delivery in 2016, and the service has proven to be a mass-market opportunity, driving consistent sales lifts and growth. By seamlessly integrating delivery orders with the company’s loyalty program – MyPanera®—guests are able to save their favorites, earn and track rewards, and receive one-to-one tailored content.
To find out if Panera delivers in your area, visit delivery.panerabread.com.
About Panera Bread
Thirty years ago, at a time when quick service meant low quality, Panera set out to challenge this expectation. We believed that food that was good and that you could feel good about, served in a warm and welcoming environment by people who cared, could bring out the best in all of us. To us, that is food as it should be and that is why we exist.
So we began with a simple commitment: to bake bread fresh every day in our bakery-cafes. No short cuts, just bakers with simple ingredients and hot ovens. Each night, any unsold bread and baked goods were shared with neighbors in need.
These traditions carry on today, as we have continued to find ways to be an ally for wellness to our guests. That means crafting a menu of soups, salads and sandwiches that we are proud to feed our families. Like poultry and pork raised without antibiotics on our salads and sandwiches. A commitment to transparency and options that empower our guests to eat the way they want. Seasonal flavors and whole grains. And a commitment to removing or not using artificial additives (flavors, sweeteners, preservatives and colors from artificial sources) in the food in our bakery-cafes. Why? Because we think that simpler is better and we believe in serving food as it should be. Because when you don’t have to compromise to eat well, all that is left is the joy of eating.
We’re also focused on improving quality and convenience. With investments in technology and operations, we now offer new ways to enjoy your Panera favorites – like mobile ordering and Rapid Pick-Up® for to-go orders and delivery – all designed to make things easier for our guests.
As a result, Panera has been one of the most successful restaurant companies in history. What started as one 400-square-foot cookie store in Boston has grown into a company with more than 2,300 units, nearly $6 billion in system-wide sales, and over 100,000 associates. In more than 25 years as a publicly traded company, Panera has created significant shareholder value. Before the JAB acquisition in July 2017, Panera was the best-performing restaurant stock of the past 20 years, delivering a total shareholder return up 86-fold from July 18, 1997, to July 18, 2017, compared to a less than twofold increase for the S&P 500 during the same period.
In late 2017, Panera acquired Au Bon Pain Holding Co. Inc., parent company of the 304-unit Au Bon Pain bakery-café chain. The acquisition reunites Panera and Au Bon Pain, both of which were founded by Ron Shaich, and will intensify Panera’s growth in new real estate channels, including hospitals, universities and transportation centers.
As of March 27, 2018, there were 2,076 bakery-cafes in 46 states and in Ontario, Canada, operating under the Panera Bread®, Saint Louis Bread Co. ® or Paradise Bakery & Cafe® names. For more information, visit panerabread.com or find us on Twitter (@panerabread), Facebook (facebook.com/panerabread) or Instagram (@panerabread).
Media Contact:
Jonathan Yohannan
jonathan.yohannan@panerabread.com