Panera Bread has been the darling of the Fast Casual category for a very long time, with its unlimited sipping deals and classical-only playlist (there are some things you should just know as a Panera Bread customer). Its stated ambition has always been to serve patrons food that the founders would be proud to serve their own families. And its success indicated that customers did not mind paying a premium compared to fast food prices for hot, freshly prepared soups and sandwiches made with quality ingredients. Of late though, Panera Bread’s pricing seems to be hitting an all-time high, according to customers.
Panera Bread overhauled its menu in 2024. At the time, it said it wanted to deliver bigger portions at lower price points. It also has “You Pick Two” deals that help patrons save money. But, despite the fact that there are affordable combos you can order at Panera Bread, the overall sentiment is that it’s become too pricey — as one irate patron on Instagram showed. “When was the last time you went to Panera Bread? Because an individual went in there to purchase two soups and two grilled cheese sandwiches and another sandwich and could not believe the price for all five items,” he said in his reel, before cutting to a shot of a bill upwards of $70. “The location closest to me just closed down, and I think I’m getting a better understanding as to why it closed down. $71.62 for five items: Two grilled cheese sandwiches, another sandwich, and two soups.” This isn’t just a one-off either. The complaints have been popping up across social media channels.
‘Subpar and overpriced,’ say customers
Panera Bread’s customers over on Reddit seem to agree about the prices. “Souffle used to be $4.50, then went up to $5.25, then $5.95, now they are $7.89,” one Redditor said. Another pointed out that not only was the food expensive, it wasn’t even that good anymore. “It had been a while since I’d had Panera, so I was surprised by how expensive it’s become when I ordered the other day,” they wrote. “The sandwiches were subpar and overpriced, the fruit cup wasn’t fresh and only had two types in it.” They did add that the soup in the bread bowl was delicious and fairly priced (in case you’re interested in sampling some, we tried and ranked all the breads at Panera).
Panera Bread was taken over by Private Equity firm JAB Holding for $7.5 billion in 2017. Since then, it made big operational changes that have largely backfired. By its own admission, it squeezed both food and labor costs. Moves like serving cherry tomatoes whole instead of halved to cut labor costs, or adding boring iceberg lettuce to salads, didn’t go down well with customers. It also moved away from the core proposition of serving fresh bread. Customers blame private equity for the state of affairs. “Private equity strikes again,” one Redditor wrote, triggering a couple of scathing replies — from “they morgue more businesses than they save or enhance” to “they ruin everything they touch.”
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