Shea Simmons
Your neighborhood purveyor of soups, sandwiches, and coffee is getting a bit of a menu update. Panera Bread serves pizza now, and the options look delicious.
The cafe chain’s head chef Claes Petersson has created three flatbread pizzas for the menu: cheese, Margherita, and Chipotle Chicken and Bacon. All three feature a crispy flour crust and are made from the brand’s clean ingredients. All three will retail for $7.99 each and are already available on the menu.
The move to introduce pizza comes as Panera has worked to expand its dinner services. In a press release, the brand explains that the new flatbreads will act as an “anchor” for its evening meal times, which already makes up 30% of its business.
Newsflash in your newsfeed: flatbread pizzas are here. pic.twitter.com/wPInQesgtz
— Panera Bread (@panerabread) October 28, 2020
If you’re thinking pizza seems a little out of left field for the cafe brand, Chef Petersson explains in a press release that it’s actually a sensible expansion for the brand. He explains, “At Panera, baking is at the core of who we are and what we’re known for—we knew that we had all the elements to bring our delicious, hearty flatbreads to life. With the launch of Flatbread pizza, we are looking to redefine the expectation of pizza and carve out a niche for Panera in the pizza category. Our Flatbread Pizzas encompass the best of what Panera has to offer: clean, delicious ingredients from our pantry on top of oven-baked flatbread that is expertly crafted for our guests.”
