Panera Expands Pay-What You-Can Concept to All BreadCo Bakery Cafes

Panera Bread, which operates St. Louis Bread Co. bakery cafes throughout St. Louis, and the Panera Bread Foundation, embarked on a social experiment three years ago – the Panera Cares Community Cafes.  The locations are non-profit cafes with no set prices, just suggested donation amounts.  In a news release, Panera announced last week that, inspired by the success of these cafes and their ability to help people in need, elevate the discussion about food insecurity and provide a vehicle for people to help one another, the company is launching a Panera Cares menu item in all 48 metropolitan-area Saint Louis Bread Co. bakery-cafes including the BreadCo in Fenton, 453 Old Smizer Mill Rd.

In an extensive news release, Panera explained the pay-what you-can concept.

"The 'Meal of Shared Responsibility,' as the item is called, is Turkey Chili in a Sourdough Bread Bowl, the news release stated. It has no set price and provides a delicious, wholesome entree, with dignity, to anyone – regardless of their means."

“When we launched our community cafe concept three years ago, skeptics thought that too many people would take advantage and too few would share in the responsibility of sustaining the effort,” said Ron Shaich, founder, chairman, and co-CEO of Panera Bread and president of the Panera Bread Foundation, in the news release.  “But there are now five non-profit community cafes across the country and they’re all working.  They elevate the issue of food insecurity, they offer a vehicle for those with the means to help those with a need, and they help nourish their local communities.  Based on their success, we feel confident in attempting this escalation of our efforts against hunger and challenging the St. Louis community to take care of each other.”

To do so, the Saint Louis Bread Co. cafes will offer three payment options for the Meal of Shared Responsibility.  First, a customer may pay the suggested amount.  Second, if a customer has the means, they may pay more to help cover the cost of the meal for someone who cannot afford to pay.  Third, if a customer has the need, they may pay what they can.

“We are launching the Meal of Shared Responsibility because we know that one in six Americans – over 50 million people nationwide – are food insecure, meaning they have limited or uncertain access to adequate food.  That includes more than a quarter million people in St. Louis,” Shaich said.  “While this meal will obviously not eradicate hunger in St. Louis, we believe it’s a step in the right direction.  We’re calling it our Meal of Shared Responsibility because we’re asking our communities to join together to share in the responsibility of paying it forward to help their neighbors.”

Panera Bread decided to launch this program in St. Louis where the company has its roots, its headquarters and where the first Panera Cares community cafe opened, according to the news release

For the Meal of Shared Responsibility, Panera Bread was looking for an item that was nutrient-dense, delicious and self-contained.  The Turkey Chili in a Sourdough Bread Bowl met those criteria.  Based on the FDA’s recommended 2,000 calorie diet, it provides 56 percent of the recommended daily value of fiber and 34 percent of the recommended daily value of protein.  The chili is made with all-natural, antibiotic-free turkey and garbanzo and kidney beans, cooked in a turkey broth with tomatillos, corn, Pasilla Negro and Ancho chilies, cumin, edamame, diced onion, carrot, garlic, and green chilies.  Serving the chili in a bread bowl complements the nutritional content and makes the dish a meal in itself.  

Panera Bread has worked to help combat the problem of hunger for 25 years, since it began donating unsold bread and baked goods to local organizations, according to the news release. Under its "Day-End Dough-Nation" program, Panera bakery-cafes nationally last year donated a retail value of approximately $100 million worth of unsold bread and baked goods to help neighbors in need. 

The Panera Bread Foundation currently operates five Panera Cares community cafes in St. Louis, Detroit, Portland, Chicago and Boston. The Foundation estimates that, in 2013, more than one million people will be fed at these locations, which allow customers to enjoy a full Panera meal with dignity and respect by donating what they can afford.

In addition, through the Panera Cares Community Breadbox program, the company matches a portion of dollars donated by customers in the bakery-cafes and the funds are donated to support local hunger initiatives.  Operation Food Search receives the funds in St. Louis.  Panera Bread also has a national alliance with Feeding America, the nation’s leading anti-hunger organization, through which participating member food banks in more than 75 U.S. markets are able provide the same soup served in Panera’s cafes to local food pantries and other organizations serving those in need.  The Panera news release pointed out that half of the Community Breadbox donations are used to help fund the soup procurement program.  The other half is donated as cash to support participating food banks in their efforts to provide quality, nutritious food.

Panera also recently launched a social media campaign called “Food Chain Reaction” to raise awareness about the issue of food insecurity.  Panera’s customers are encouraged to join with others to create online circles of five friends on a Food Chain Reaction platform on Panera’s Facebook page.  For every circle of five friends formed, Panera will work with its foundation to provide a bowl of its Low-Fat Vegetarian Black Bean soup to a person in need through its alliance with Feeding America.  The goal is to donate up to 500,000 bowls of soup to help those in need.