Panera has two new restaurant formats designed for smaller footprints in cities.
Panera To Go in Chicago has no cashiers or seating at all, and is designed exclusively for takeout.
Panera Urban in New York City has a small seating area, but focuses on mobile orders.
Panera is expanding beyond the suburbs with a new to go format in cities.
Panera
The Chicago location was the first digital-only Panera restaurant.
Panera
The Panera To Go concept is designed to go in “densely populated areas that cannot accommodate a dine-in bakery-cafe,” Panera said, without cashiers or dining areas.
Panera
These changes to the classic Panera design make about half the size of a typical store, making it economical in areas with more expensive real estate.
Panera
Customers pick up their orders on shelves that take up an entire wall of the store, using the Panera Rapid Pickup design the chain has been using since 2016.
Panera
Panera has plans for two more To-Go format restaurants, in California and Washington, DC, following the success of the Chicago location.
Panera
The smaller format serves the full Panera menu despite its size, Chief Brand & Concept Officer Eduardo Luz told Insider in an interview.
Panera
In November, Panera announced another format designed for cities launching in New York City.
Panera
The new urban format is different from the To Go format, but still 40% smaller than a regular suburban Panera.
Panera
Unlike the To Go store, the Urban format has some counter seating and some front-of-house workers.
Panera
Like the To Go store in Chicago, the bulk of the new New York City location is dedicated to shelving for picking up orders.
Panera
The location is the first to feature Panera’s new branding and art, too
Panera
A digital order status board shows customers how their food is coming along before they pick it up.
Panera
Now that digital orders make up half of Panera’s sales, Luz told Insider that the chain plans to “aggressively” pursue more openings of the new restaurant formats in urban markets in 2023.
Panera
The push towards opening stores in cities doesn’t mean Panera is moving away from its presence in suburbs.
Panera Bread
By the end of 2021, 44% of locations had a drive-thru, Panera said.
Mary Meisenzahl/Insider
The chain is working on drive-thru updates for suburban stores, like double lanes and tests for AI technology that can take drive-thru orders.
Mary Meisenzahl/Insider
Source: Insider
The suburbs remain a “stronghold” for Panera, Luz told Insider.
Mary Meisenzahl/Insider
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