Panera Bread's Closures Have Nothing To Do With A Logo, But Customers Are Mad Anyway - Tasting Table

"For years, Panera Bread set itself apart from competitors by promoting bread made fresh from scratch every morning. In fact, the Panera website still prominently notes how "the craft of baking bread fresh each day remains at the heart of Panera Bread." But a slow shift over the past year is now accelerating, resulting in the closing of all remaining "fresh dough facilities" (FDFs) over the next two years."

"On Reddit, some longtime Panera Bread patrons complain that breads and bagels don't taste the same, with one Redditor noting the bagels are "hard to chew" and another saying the tomato basil bread now lacks the crust and honey-sweet notes that once defined it. Some supposed employees admit to inventory being easier to manage with frozen par-baked bread, but that taste and quality aren't necessarily identical to the original Panera menu."

Panera Bread is closing all remaining fresh dough facilities over the next two years and shifting to a par-baked, frozen bread model distributed to stores. The chain historically promoted breads baked from scratch every morning and emphasized baking craft on its website. Customers and some employees report taste and texture declines, including harder bagels and loss of crust and honey-sweet notes on certain breads. Social media users expressed disappointment and concerns that the change abandons the brand's founding standards. The company manages over 22,000 U.S. locations where the new partially baked breads will be implemented.

Read at Tasting Table