Panera Bread menu/price changes

[LoveBWVVBR]

Panera is pretty much the only place where I'll eat out (because I can watch them make my food). Anyways, I usually take DD there for lunch on Fridays. Today I ordered her kid's meal, and they asked me if I wanted a drink with it. Now, organic milk has always been included with this meal. It was included last Friday when we were there. I asked if it was still included (as they'd never asked me IF I wanted a drink with her meal before), and they said no, that it was extra now. Interestingly, the kid's meal didn't seem to cost any less, though.

They had some sign up about changing the menu to better serve their customers or something Yeah. I'm sure that that explains the changes I didn't feel better served, LOL! Seriously, I think we're just at the tip of the iceberg for changes like this being made all around us as the economy continues to tank.

 

[SAINT1983]

I also love Panera's. There is never a time where I'm not stumped trying to decide what to get. As for your post, the one that I frequent here in Syracuse, NY had a similar sign up. It mentioned customer service stuff, but it also spoke about how the price of wheat had increased 100% over the past four weeks.

 

[Frye7127]

I know what you mean about Panera. We eat there quite a bit and the last bit I feel a little ripped about the kids meal. DS eats PB & J and a couple of times we have gotten it and it was made with bread like off of a french roll - you know smaller than the size of your palm. It also used to include yogurt regardless of what side you got. For $5, it ought to come with a bit more food than that. He can't even get full on that.

 

[Chicago526]

In general you can't blame restaurants for raising prices. Their costs are going up too, just like our grocery bills! I heard a report the other day on the news, they intereviewed a man that owns a pizza parlor. He said the price of a bag of flour just about doubled in a week! He said he'll have no choice but to raise his prices. Wheat prices have skyrocketed over the past year because farmers are growing so much corn (ethanol) and a lot of wheat that is being grown is exported. Corn is also going up (ethanol again) and corn is what feeds the cows and pigs so meat and dairy is going up too.

 

[DisneyTigers]

We just ate at Panera. Two kids meals, one cup of chicken noodle soup, one Greek Salad, one chicken Ceasar sandwich, 3 drinks, 2 juice boxes... $40!!! WHOA!!

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

We just ate at Panera. Two kids meals, one cup of chicken noodle soup, one Greek Salad, one chicken Ceasar sandwich, 3 drinks, 2 juice boxes... $40!!! WHOA!!

Wow, $40 for Panera is a lot. The 2 of us and our toddler spent like $20 there last weekend for lunch, though, so I can see how you can hit $40 pretty easily with a couple of older kids. We had a gift card from our rewards' credit card, but still...those gift cards used to go a lot farther.

While I don't blame restaurants for raising prices, I DO blame them for doing sneaky things. The price of the meal is the same, but the milk is no longer included. They immediately ask you if you want a drink with that. How many people will say yes, not realizing that they are now paying extra for that drink? How about just putting up a sign that says "we kept our prices the same but reduced what you're getting for them." Let's be honest here at least. I'm not feeling "better served" by the changes. In fact, I'm feeling like I'll be getting this month's cc rewards gift card to Chili's instead and telling DH to use it when he goes out to lunch with his friends

 

[Melrosgirl]

The prices there are crazy. Kids' meals are overpriced IMO. I saw the sign there this week also about the changes. Basically it said...since we don't want to change the quality of our food, we have to raise the cost.

 

[nuke]

I don't blame them. That little carton of organic milk probably cost twice as much as her meal.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

It probably did, but then again, a tiny turkey sandwich and a tube of yogurt aren't worth $4-$5 to me. I was willing to pay it when the milk was included, but from now on we'll be eating our Friday lunch at home. Restaurants do have to pass on costs, and that's fine. When they do it in sneaky ways, they lose customers, though. To me, it's very sneaky to take out something that's always been included but then to ask the customer if they want a drink with that lunch as soon as it's ordered. If I hadn't asked if the drink was no longer included, I would have been charged for something that had always come with the meal before. Sneaky IMHO.

I really used to like Panera. Like I said, it was the only place where I'd really eat out. The more I think about it, the more ticked I get, and the less likely I am to order another rewards GC to their restaurant.

 

[wowsmom]

Panera is one of the few places we eat out at anymore. The last few times, though, DS10 hasn't ordered a kids meal - he's been into their soup in a bread bowl. So lunch/dinner for the 4 of us (DH, me, DS13 and DS10) is usually in the $30-40 range.

It's a shame they are being sneaky about their price increase. It won't stop us eating there, though, since it's one of the few places we feel like we are getting a fairly healthy meal (no trans fats, no high fructose corn syrup).

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

yeah, I haven't been to Panera in awhile. When they started raising their prices (which I thought were high anyway) I just stopped going. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE their food, but just can't stomach the prices.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

yeah, I haven't been to Panera in awhile. When they started raising their prices (which I thought were high anyway) I just stopped going. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE their food, but just can't stomach the prices.

I guess that I never thought that their prices were all that high until this past month or so. Our usual $50 credit card GC didn't go very far this time. I used to be able to use it to take DD out to lunch every Friday and then take the 3 of us out to lunch about twice a month too. Now it barely lasted 2 weeks, and we're not ordering anything different I don't love eating out in general, but my toddler loves Panera for some reason. We drive by it every time we leave the house (it's unavoidable), and she always screams for it. UGH, I wonder how it's going to go over with her when she realizes that we don't go there anymore

 

[GoofItUp]

Panera is pretty much the only place where I'll eat out (because I can watch them make my food).

Ok...I probably don't want to know....but why do you only go to places where you can watch them make your food? At the Panera Bread in our town, you don't see them make the food.

Also, do you have a Subway near-by? I know it's not as good as Panera, but the costs are very reasonable and you can watch them make your sandwich there.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

Ok...I probably don't want to know....but why do you only go to places where you can watch them make your food? At the Panera Bread in our town, you don't see them make the food.

Also, do you have a Subway near-by? I know it's not as good as Panera, but the costs are very reasonable and you can watch them make your sandwich there.

I'm uber-paranoid about food safety after having food poisoning multiple times from different restaurants over the years I can see what they are doing pretty well at Panera (although it's not a totally open food prep area). I can at least tell if they're coughing on my food or wiping their nose and then touching my food, KWIM? The other places that I'll eat at are The Melting Pot (like twice a year, if that, though$$$), and the local sushi place (again, only a few times a year due to cost). I can watch them make the sushi, and you cook your own food at the melting pot (except the cheese, which they mix up at your table in front of you). I just can't deal with getting sick from a restaurant again if I can help it. We even cook all of our own meals at Disney (in the DVC unit), and we rarely eat out there. We did on our last overnight trip, but only because we didn't stay in a place w/a kitchen.

 

[Belle5]

My kids and I used to eat at Panera every week to kill time between activities we are attending that are far away from home. No more! First of all they ditched the Crispani that we adored. Then, the kids meals... hello! Agreed...$5 for turkey, bread and a tube of yogurt...NO! If they don't want to provide the organic milk any longer--offer a fountain drink. (My kids would probably get iced tea) It all just seems so small to offer my kids for dinner for the price. Now we have found a Boston Market in the area we can "kill time" at while waiting and get our dinner out of the way in a healthy and price effective way.

 

[luv2nascar]

A couple of weeks ago my two DDs and I ate there. I didn't see a sign but got asked if I wanted a drink with child's meal. We went through the whole thing its not included anymore etc. Manager happened by our table as we were finishing up and asked how everything was. I complained about the rising costs - kids drink not included anymore. He offered a free cookie for my 4 yr old then saw I had two daughters and said he get them both a cookie. When he came back with the brown paper bag he said I couldn't leave mom out and sure enough we got three cookies for free. I felt a little better but we haven't been back since. I love there food and felt I could make healthy choices there. Oh well.

 

[Alice's Mom]

Had the cashier not asked if you need a drink, you would have received your food without it. I know that it would annoy the heck out of me to then buy a drink after we were seated and settled.

My daughter and I like Panera. We have eaten lunch there twice this year so far (we don't eat out too much). She likes tuna sandwiches, so I order the tuna sandwich and tomato soup combo. I also always carry a water and will either buy my daughter an organic milk or bring one from home.

When restaurants like Panera have to raise prices to cut costs, I'll find ways to make it easier on my wallet. We like to eat out once in awhile...we aren't big eaters so splitting meals and bringing my own water makes it possible.

 

[grlpwrd]

We love Panera, too, but it's just as well we make our own copycat recipe. It's just too darned costly nowadays.

 

[Pigeon]

In my experience, any time a business changes its policies "to serve you better" you are about to get the shaft.

Dh used to work at a bank, and we used to laugh hysterically at the stuff they'd pull. "To serve you better, $$$Bank will now charge you $3.00 to use a non-network ATM." Ah, no, I don't think so.

 

[dismom24]

I haven't taken the kids to Panera in a few weeks, but usually when I go I ask for a soft drink cups for the kids (one is allergic to milk and only drinks soy, so they get a treat when we go out). Sometimes we split a meal, sometimes we do kids meals. They have never charged me for the kids soft drink cups. They always just hand them to me. I do eat there every week with a friend and meet my DH there a few times a month. I am going to go soon and see if they charge now.