Panera Bread customers had to say goodbye to 48 favorite menu items earlier this month as the chain undergoes a massive overhaul.
The fast food restaurant chain previously announced that they would be conducting an extreme menu overhaul starting April 4. The menu changes symbolize “a new era at Panera” that “refocuses on innovating and improving the core Panera items that guests love most.”
According to Panera’s statement, those core products are soups, salads, sandwiches and mac & cheese.
Some of the products that Panera Bread consumers had to say goodbye to are the blueberry bagel, the Baja bowl and cold brew. Scroll down for the full list of deleted items.
Another was an item that helped the chain when it launched nearly four decades ago.
Panera also welcomed 9 new items and “12 improved classics” on the same day the menu options were removed.
Panera Bread previously announced that 48 menu items would be disappearing on April 4, including the Blueberry Bagel
The menu changes symbolize “a new era at Panera” that puts “a new focus on innovating and improving the core Panera items that guests love most.”
The core items Panera Bread focuses on when it comes to guest satisfaction are soups, salads, sandwiches and mac & cheese
Panera Bread first opened a store in Missouri in 1987 a bakery with a secret sourdough starter – which the company is now eliminating from its menu.
They’ve expanded their menu over the years and the restaurant chain believes in serving “delicious, freshly prepared, clean food made with carefully selected ingredients.”
As of January 2024, Panera Bread has more than 2,160 locations in 48 US states.
The restaurant chain has tweaked their menu over the years, but in their February statement they confirmed that the April switch is by far the biggest.
“The new menu offers guests better value through improved portions and lower prices, while also being easier for guests to navigate,” the statement said.
“The transformed menu will help streamline the operations of bakery-café teams, making it easier for them to continue delivering delicious food always wrapped in the warmth of Panera.”
Panera Bread items removed from the menu include the turkey chili, green passion smoothie and pepperoni mozzarella melt.
Interestingly enough, these three items were ranked in the top 20 best Panera menu items by Tasting table in 2023.
The restaurant chain may be able to make up for this removal with their all-new menu items.
Panera Bread first opened a store in 1987. As of January 2024, Panera Bread has more than 2,160 locations in 48 US states.
Customers were forced to say goodbye to the Mediterranean bowl with chicken on April 4. However, the Mediterranean Veggie sandwich remains
The new entrees that Panera Bread has added to the menu include the roasted Italiano and the bacon mac & cheese.
The roasted Italiano comes with ingredients such as black forest ham, provolone, romaine and Greek dressing.
Another new favorite that will soon become a favorite could be the chicken bacon farmer.
The sandwich contains white cheddar and grilled chicken, making it delicious for all bacon lovers.
Panera Bread customers who are in a steak and cheese mood can order the all-new ciabatta cheesesteak.
The cheesesteak is packed with provolone, garlic aioli, and caramelized onions that will satisfy the taste buds of any steak and cheese lover.
Guests who aren’t in the mood for a new sandwich can also try a new twist on Panera Bread’s mac & cheese.
The restaurant chain has added a new Bacon Mac & Cheese bowl that contains many different cheeses.
Customers hoping for a regular menu option can also order an enhanced product.
Panera Bread has updated the recipes for products like Fuji Apple Chicken Salad and Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt.
Guests can try any of these all-new or updated menu items at any Panera Bread location today.
As Panera promoted its latest items, social media users were quick to express their frustrations as their favorites were removed.
“You’re calling out Panera Bread for removing all the good stuff from their menu to add new items like bacon mac and cheese. wow so innovative. so creative. How are you going to mess up your menu like that?’ X user Stephanie Liebel wrote.
Another user named @rosemags_ agreed, saying, “Whoever decides to absolutely decimate the entire Panera menu really needs to reevaluate their life decisions.”
User Mare Finley was angry not only about the removed items, but also about the costs at the chain: “Panera just changed their entire menu, made everything worse, and their prices are still outrageous.”