Panera Bread has recently confirmed that it will be trying out its new dinner-centric menu in a string of restaurants during the next month in Lexington, Kentucky, before expanding to locations in Providence, Rhode Island, by September. Dan Wegiel, Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, Panera Bread, informed about the chain’s decision to test out a dinner menu.

Apparently, the menu offers ten handcrafted delicacies comprising of flatbreads, sandwiches, dinner bowls and seasonal sides that will be available from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. The chain has reportedly claimed that its brand-new offerings would complement some of the favorite existing menu items of Panera customers, providing the audience with a variety of dinner options without sacrificing quality or taste.

Panera Bread also mentioned that its latest dinner options would help meet guests’ demand of eliminating the trade-off between ease and health. The chain has assured that the items on the menu would be hundred percent clean, will contain no added flavors, sweeteners, colors or preservatives from artificial sources.

Wegiel added that the company has established itself as a favored brand for lunch, but most consumers consider sandwiches, soups and salads as too light for dinner.

Sources with knowledge on the subject stated that customers would also have the choice of ordering dinner options through its Rapid Pickup and Delivery service. Seemingly, the chain looks forward to making the most of American consumers ordering delivery for dinner.

For the record, Panera Bread is a St. Louis, Missouri-headquartered chain of bakery-café restaurants with more than 2,000 venues across the United States and Canada, and is best known for its breakfast and lunch options. These include soups, salads, pasta, sandwiches, bread bowls, specialty drinks, and bakery items. According to statistics, Panera was once the largest provider of free Wi-Fi Hotspots among US restaurant chains.

Source credit: https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/panera-bread-tests-dinner-menu-crowd