A Panera Bread on Canal St. in Chicago. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune)
Associated Press | Panera Bread Co. is asking customers at a new restaurant to pay what they want. The national bakery and restaurant chain launched a new nonprofit store this week that has the same menu as its other 1,400 locations. But the prices are a little different — there aren’t any. Customers are told to donate what they want for a meal, whether it’s the full suggested price, a penny or $100.
The new store in the upscale St. Louis suburb of Clayton is the first of what will Panera hopes will be many around the country. Ronald Shaich, Panera’s CEO until last week, was on hand at the new bakery Monday to explain the system to customers.
Get the full story: New Panera near St. Louis is ‘pay what you want’.
The food at Panera is so bad – they should pay me to eat there!
Love Panera, one of the places where you can get fresh food that tastes great. Great concept.
Love Panera, one of the places where you can get fresh food that tastes great. Great concept.
—-> Sure the food is fresh its also horrible for you, ever check out the fat or sodium on some of their iteams is terrible
CheifDaddy, yes I have but you can still have a salad.
At least it’s still St. Louis Bread Co. in the STL area.
Notice it was opened in an ‘upscale’ neighborhood. A pay-what-you-want in South Chicago would be bankrupt the 1st day it opened. Hopefully, the ‘upscalers’ will have a modicum of integrity and won’t mind paying a fair price for a product. At least that’s what Panera is counting on.
Another attempt at socialistic concepts…..
When will you socialists learn?
It doesn’t work!
>Another attempt at socialistic concepts…..
>When will you socialists learn?
>It doesn’t work!
Just like those socialist roads you drive on, and the socialist public transportation system, the the socialist Police and Fire Departments that keep your home safe? How about those socialist public schools you send your kids to? I love how you people complain about socialism, but love to reap the benefits of socialism when it suits you. Now STFU and go somewhere else on the internet to spew your garbage…oh, except you should probably be against the internet too, because it was developed with tax dollars by the military and put out there for use by everyone. SOCIALISM!
jm, thanks for highlighting the fact that you don’t know what socialism is.
Regardless, NO absolute political system “works” on its own. Unfettered capitalism doesn’t work. Doesn’t mean it’s bad, either. Everything in moderation…
I think its safe to say this “model” of store will not be coming to Chicago.
Wow, can you say ROAD TRIP.
“Um, yes, I’ll take 10,000 bagels to go…”
What’s that? How much do I want to pay? I want to pay a penny.
“Pay what you want” restaurant = homeless shelter. 3 months and this bright idea will be gone.
People this is a great concept but it is not Panera rolling out a profitable store but a non – profit that is run by people who need work who get skills and the store will need to break even as set up costs are Panera’s contribution. Of course they will lose money training and head staffers but what a great concept and what great food.
Ha. This is ’socialist’? Pretty sure this is an independent decision by a company operating, at least concerning this, in a completely free manner.
I think we call that: Free Market. Get it straight.
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