Sandwich chain Panera to start own delivery service in Phoenix area
Jul 7, 2017, 11:44 AM
(Instagram Photo)
(Instagram Photo)
PHOENIX — Popular casual sandwich-bakery chain Panera Bread will add delivery service to its Phoenix-area locations by the end of the year.
The company’s nationwide rollout began in 2016. The St. Louis-based cafe operates about 2,000 sites and planned for all of them to be delivering by next year.
For the Valley, home to nearly two dozen Paneras, that added up to about 400 openings for drivers, the Phoenix Business Journal reported.
“For us, hiring our own drivers was the only way we could ensure that our delivery guests get the same high quality experience they have come to expect from our bakery cafes,” company president Blaine Hurst said in April.
Hurst told CNBC that Panera had a difficult time finding a delivery partner at the necessary scale.
He said the service area would top out at an eight-minute drive from each Panera.
Delivery hours at most Panera sites have been daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. A minimum order of $5 was required.
A $3 service charge will be added to each order.
The company has also recently installed touch screens at restaurants and launched a mobile app to cut down customer wait times.
Panera opened its doors in Phoenix in 2014, taking over some locations from Scottsdale-based Paradise Bakery.
