PNRA Panera Bread Company

Panera Bread (NASDAQ:PNRA) expects to add more than 10,000 new in-cafe and delivery driver jobs system-wide by the end of 2017 as it expands delivery service to 35-40 percent of its cafes by year end. Panera Delivery is the latest way Panera is meeting consumer demand for high quality food people can trust. Panera Delivery even further enhances the guest experience through industry-leading technology and Panera’s new delivery driver team.

“Panera is doing for delivery what we did for quick service – creating an elevated guest experience end-to-end,” Ron Shaich, Panera founder, Chairman and CEO said.  “In many places across the country, all that’s available for delivery is pizza or Chinese food.  We’re closing the gap in delivery alternatives and creating a way for people to have more options for real food delivered to their homes and workplaces.”

Since its introduction in early 2015, Panera Delivery has won over new and longtime customers who love the seamless integration with Panera’s easy to use digital and mobile payment platforms, as well as with the Company’s loyalty program – MyPanera®.  By linking delivery orders with MyPanera, the restaurant industry’s largest program with more than 25 million members, guests are able to save their favorites, earn and track rewards, and receive one-of-a-kind special offers.

The new digital and mobile ordering-based service, Panera Delivery, will provide lunch and dinner to offices, hospitals, campuses and homes, typically within an eight-minute drive of a Panera bakery-cafe. Cafes will generally deliver between the hours of 11 a.m. and 8 p.m., seven days a week, for as little as a $5 menu purchase plus a $3 delivery fee in most locations. 

In addition, Panera is currently rolling out a new order tracking system, powered by Bringg technology, which lets the guest track their delivery order all the way to their home or office.  The guest can see expected arrival time, follow the delivery’s progress on a map, see a picture of and be introduced to their driver, and receive a notification when their driver is arriving.

To bring the delivery experience to life, Panera is hiring its own drivers in company-owned and franchised markets across the country. These in-house drivers, with daytime hours and competitive wages, are bringing a new level of enthusiasm and delight to customers accustomed to a more traditional delivery experience. 

“For the first time, Panera Delivery is making it possible for us to hand deliver our great food directly to people where they work and live,” said Blaine Hurst, president, Panera Bread. “For us, hiring our own drivers was the only way we could ensure that our delivery guests get the same high quality experience they have come to expect from our bakery cafes.”

To find out if Panera delivers in your area, visit delivery.panerabread.com.

About Panera Bread 30 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 fresh bread 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 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 commitment to removing artificial additives (flavors, sweeteners, preservatives and colors from artificial sources) from 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 – all designed to make things easier for our guests. As of Dec. 27, 2016, there were 2,036 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).

Matters discussed in this news release and in our public disclosures, whether written or oral, relating to future events, including any discussion, express or implied, regarding our delivery plans and hiring by us and our franchisees and statements made therein, contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are often identified by the words "believe," "positioned," "estimate," "project," "target," "plan," "goal," "assumption," "continue," "intend," "expect," "future," "anticipate," and other similar expressions, whether in the negative or the affirmative, that are not statements of historical fact. These forward looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Our actual results and timing of certain events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including, but not limited to, those discussed from time to time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10- K for the fiscal year ended December 27, 2016 and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements and the internal projections and beliefs upon which we base our expectations included in this release are made only as of the date of this release and may change. While we may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Media Contact:
Jonathan Yohannan
jonathan.yohannan@panerabread.com