Panera Bread To Open At Least Two More Pay-What-You-Want Cafes

ST. LOUIS -- Panera Bread is opening at least two more pay-what-you-want cafes as part of its effort to help feed the hungry in a dignified way.

Panera spokeswoman Kate Antonacci said Thursday that locations will be announced this spring. One cafe could open by summer, another in the fall and possibly a third later this year.

The concept is simple: Panera lists a suggested price for food, but customers pay what they want.

Antonacci says about 15 to 20 percent pay more, and about the same percent pay less or nothing. She says it's enough for the cafes to essentially break even.

St. Louis-based Panera has such cafes in suburban St. Louis; Portland, Ore.; and Dearborn, Mich.

The only visible difference between them and regular Panera restaurants are signs explaining the concept.

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Comments

[gibby1855]

06:50 PM on 02/26/2012

If we can learn anything from this article its, give and help out others when you can. No one is asking anything from all you sarcastic people. It's nice restaurants are trying to help, considering all the food they throw out.

[ladyrosedeky]

01:15 AM on 02/25/2012

I just love Panera's. Their Mediteranian sandwich is so good. I miss their strawberry, chicken, cashew, poppy seed salad. That was delicious.

[aphextwin07]

11:24 AM on 02/24/2012

I could use one of these nearby...

[mbo2]

09:29 AM on 02/24/2012

I can certainly afford to pay more, but I'm against the whole "income verification/redistribution concept" that Panera is pushing here, so I pay peanuts for my Panera sandwich at the local outlet that does this. Just by principle.

[jplanner]

09:45 PM on 02/24/2012

varification? they aren't doing that.

[Christine Gallo]

09:24 AM on 02/25/2012

What a pig.

[OtayPanky]

01:08 AM on 02/24/2012

This doesn't sound biblical. Must be one of Obama's ideas.

[ladyrosedeky]

01:09 AM on 02/25/2012

Actually it isn't. This was the brain child of a very wealthy person who wanted to help their community and those in need to be able to access a meal without stigma. Bon Jovi has opened a restaurant on this principle in his community that does very well. Most of them do and a number of them run at a profit. Some of the people in need have actually started working at them.

[OtayPanky]

01:20 PM on 02/25/2012

Well, it still sounds like the work of Satan to me.

[BoldYetSmoothYetBold]

12:04 AM on 02/24/2012

i go to panera a few times a month but i would go more if i could name my own price. i would like to pay a buck for a coffee, a buck for a large sweet (cookie, muffin, pastry,etc), $2.50 for a sandwich, and i'd leave a 50 cent tip. total 5 bucks. if i could get all that for 5 bucks i'd go 3 times a week. lets make this happen panera! we are the 99%! lol.

[invirginia]

08:51 AM on 02/24/2012

You might be happier at Subway.

[ladyrosedeky]

01:13 AM on 02/25/2012

Well Subway should work great for you right now if you go between 3-5 p.m. with their 6' sandwich special for $2.50. And just think. If you go to Subway between 11 a.m. and closing on Feb. 29, you get a free cookie with any purchase. So you can either get one of their $5.00 ANY foot long deals for the month of Februrary and a free cookie or go between that two hour window and get a meal for under $3.00 bucks and have $2.00 to leave the people who wait on you. All for your $5.00 limit.

[czs5056]

12:01 AM on 02/24/2012

i would completely abuse the system until they closed due to lost revenue

[ltcaffey]

07:09 AM on 02/24/2012

You are so fn hilarious man!

[lsp1187]

11:59 PM on 02/23/2012

Maybe they could include their employees in this unexpected surge of generosity too!

[timbohp]

11:33 PM on 02/23/2012

Bring one to Phoenix please!

[dennissinned]

11:07 PM on 02/23/2012

How about letting us pay what we want for your $2 soda drinks?

[PapaPac]

10:35 PM on 02/23/2012

I trully applaud the CEO of PBC for what he is doing, but I have to admit I am very intrested to see how long it takes before all the pay what you want stores are losing money because some are going to abuse the system and others are going to get fed up with paying more and seeing the same faces getting reduced prices

[czs5056]

11:58 PM on 02/23/2012

i would totally abuse the system 2 to three times a day (depends if i can eat breakfast at home or not) but nobody is forcing people to pay the higher price

[sadwitness]

02:23 AM on 02/24/2012

You seem proud of your greed...how nice for you. Your family must beam with pride.

[ILoveGreatDanes]

05:37 AM on 02/24/2012

I agree. While I applaud the concept, I think abusers will outnumber the people who pay more or pay the suggested amount in no time.

[sanemd]

09:36 AM on 02/25/2012

That happened at first, but if you look up articles on other Paneras that have done this, you'll see that the overpayers outnumbered the abusers pretty quickly.

[balloonloon]

10:32 PM on 02/23/2012

I'll give ya fiddy cent for the one under the lamp...

[elicourey]

10:28 PM on 02/23/2012

i love Panera and eat there all the time, but there's no way i'd pay the suggested $1.30 for cream cheese on a bagel that only cost $1.29 if i had a choice.

[bring in swat]

10:18 PM on 02/23/2012

this is great! jon bon jovi did this at his place...

http://www.jbjsoulkitchen.org/

[littlebrowngirl]

10:12 PM on 02/23/2012

This is a great idea. If you can afford to pay more then do it. It probably covers a sandwich for someone who really needs it.