Panera Expands Catering Options To Entice Folks To Head Back To The Office

Prior to remote life, there was a time where we had to cater lunches for meetings, and those lunch spots were extremely limited in delivery, including the soup and sandwich chain, Panera Bread.

That’s right, the You Pick 2 paninis and Broccoli Cheddar Soup that you love so much was only available for delivery through Panera. Now, that’s all about to change through a new partnership with ezCater, a trusted provider of corporate food services.

Starting now, businesses can now order catering from nearly half of Panera’s bakery-cafes across the U.S. on the ezCater website and mobile app. In the coming months, Panera and ezCater intend to continue to add hundreds more locations to the ezCater marketplace as they continue to roll out the partnership. 

“As two of the most established providers of food for work, Panera is excited to partner with ezCater to provide workplaces with even more access to our delicious menu of soups, salads, sandwiches, and more,” said Chris Correnti, Senior Vice President, Channels & Guest Experience at Panera. “An ideal complement to Panera’s existing catering service, ezCater adds additional reach and scale to expand to more businesses and take Panera Catering to the next level.”

As of 2023, 27 percent of U.S. employees are still remote and that number is expected to rise to 36.2 million American employees by 2025. We can’t help but think that this is smart strategy as the workforce is encouraging people to head back to the office. Does this mean free lunch daily on corporations in 2024?

An ezCater survey found that 86% of employers say that food encourages employees to come to the workplace and they see increased attendance at any work meeting or event with food. As a matter of fact, employers are spending more money on food to attract and retain talent and incentivize onsite work.

To entice even more orders, Panera will also offer new and exclusive catering menu items through ezCater, such as the Toasted Baguette Sandwiches Assortment.

So, does free food entice you to go back into the office?