Another large food chain recognizes the vegan market! Panera Bread Company just unveiled seven all-vegan menu options as part of their new digital-ordering platform. The new menus are designed to ‘take the guesswork’ out of ordering for guests with dietary preferences (or specific tastes). Of the three new curated menus, one — simply called Plant Based — is entirely vegetarian, with seven vegan salads, sides and smoothies.
The seven entirely-vegan options include:
- Watermelon Arugula Salad with Almonds (pictured)
- Seasonal Greens Salads
- Low-fat Vegetarian Black Bean Soup
- Steel Cut Oatmeal with Strawberries and Pecans
- Summer Fruit Cup
- Watermelon Fruit Cup
- Peach & Blueberry Smoothie with Almond Milk
Okay, so the fruit cups barely count as something new or exciting. But, Panera nutritionists promise that “many of our vegetarian items can be made vegan with a few tweaks.” Plus, all items on the new digital menus can be customized with a slew of additional toppings. Some of these include edamame, mandarin oranges and roasted cashew pieces.
Panera founder, Chairman and CEO Ron Shaich said their new investments are an effort “to constantly improve the guest experience …making it faster and easier for them to enjoy our food.” In keeping with that intention, the digital menu offers a custom form to add special instructions. While Panera will prepare your order as you would like it, they cannot guarantee there won’t be any cross-contamination, as the prep areas are shared with both meat and dairy products.
The digital-ordering platform can be found on in-store kiosks, the Panera mobile app (which you receive rewards!) and Panerabread.com.
It’s always exciting to see big chains like Panera, with over 2,000 locations across the United States and Ontario, embracing plant-based opportunities and making vegan options available to the masses. Let’s hope the trend continues. Who do you think will be next to expand their vegan menu?
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