81% of Panera Bread's sales through the end of 2021 were takeout orders. Now, the company is trying something new — they're opening three test stores that will be pickup or delivery only. That means no seating at all, just an area for customers and delivery drivers to pick up orders that they place through the Panera app or website.
The first store opened in May in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood in an old Pizza Hut. Two more stores are set to open in Washington, D.C. and California later this year.
The company's plan with the new setup is to get Panera into more urban areas, but also helps address its surge in to-go orders and decrease in dine-in business.
