In April, Panera launched a menu update with nine original menu items. The launch included sandwiches such as the toasted Italiano, with Black Forest ham, soppressata, provolone, romaine lettuce, red onion, pepperoncini peppers, garlic aioli and Greek dressing; the chicken bacon rancher, with grilled chicken, applewood smoked bacon, white cheddar and ranch dressing; the ciabatta cheesesteak, with sliced steak, provolone, garlic aioli, caramelized onions and sweet peppers; and the tomato basil BLT, with applewood smoked bacon, mixed greens, tomatoes, garlic aioli, salt and pepper.

Menu additions in the salad category included Mediterranean chicken greens with grains, Southwest chicken ranch, balsamic chicken greens with grains and ranch cobb salad. The company also launched bacon macaroni and cheese pasta.

Panera launched CinnaScrambles, which combined breakfast sandwich ingredients with a warmed cinnamon roll. The line included the traditional CinnaScramble with scrambled eggs and American cheese and the Sausage CinnaScramble with an added sausage patty.   

Additionally, Panera expanded its breakfast menu with three sandwiches: the Bacon Double Take sandwich, the Ham, Egg & Cheese, and the Steak & Wake sandwich. The Bacon Double Take featured twice the amount of bacon used in traditional Panera breakfast items and two types of cheese, while the Steak & Wake sandwich combined thin-sliced steak with artisan ciabatta bread.

Panera debuted a limited-time line of ciabatta sandwiches paired with soups designed for dipping. The ciabatta dippers line offered the French dipper, featuring marinated steak, provolone cheese, asiago cheese and a garlic aioli drizzle with a dipping portion of french onion soup, and the spicy chicken dipper, with grilled chicken, salsa verde and provolone cheese with tomato soup.

Panera jumped into the spicy category with the spicy fiesta chicken sandwich and the “kickin’” grilled cheese sandwich. The former combined a new salsa verde spread combined with grilled chicken, white cheddar cheese, sweet peppers, cilantro and roasted corn in between slices of ciabatta, and the latter featured the salsa verde spread with a blend of American and white cheddar cheese on top of white miche bread.

As part of the launch, Panera also added two avocado-focused menu items. The classic avocado toast offered a chunky avocado spread topped with everything bagel seasoning, sea salt and black pepper served on sourdough, and the garden avocado toast included the same spread with sliced tomatoes and a garlic aioli drizzle.

Panera expanded its seasonal soup line in the fall with chili and a rustic baked potato soup. The chili featured a blend of beef, kidney beans, tomatoes and green chili peppers, all of which are simmered in a broth flavored with a blend of chilis and cilantro. The potato soup combined chopped potatoes, bacon, chives and seasoning simmered in a Monterey Jack cheese sauce, along with a topping of melted asiago cheese.

Panera tapped into consumer desire for asiago bagel offerings with its asiago bagel stack line. The limited-time items featured a variety of toppings sandwiched in between asiago bagel buns, with varieties such as chicken Roma, made with grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, arugula, salt, pepper and garlic aioli; spicy steak, with marinated steak, provolone, arugula, red onions, peppers and a salsa verde spread; and zesty Tuscan, with grilled chicken, provolone, soppressata, basil, arugula, peppers and garlic aioli.

Panera expanded its bakery section with five offerings. Additions included almond pastries with an almond filling topped with icing and sliced almonds; cherry pastries with cherry filling and topped with icing; cranberry orange slice, a cake with cranberry and sweet orange flavor notes, sour cream and course sugar; coconut macaroons; and chocolate coconut macaroons.

“We are continuing to transform our menu in line with guest preferences and are excited to offer even more delicious reasons to visit Panera,” said Alicia Mowder, senior vice president of product strategy and insights for Panera Bread.