Panera Bread

4/23/2012

Mr. Ronald M. Shaich, Founder, Chairman of the Board and co-CEO
Mr. William W. Moreton, President and co-CEO
Panera Bread Corporate Office
6710 Clayton Road
Saint Louis, MO 63117

Dear Messrs. Shaich and Moreton,

I have been a long-time patron and fan of Panera Bread. You offer unique and healthy menu items, all of which are very tasty and always fresh. The wait staff is almost always courteous and professional, and all locations I’ve visited have had a cleanly and positive atmosphere.

I was however distraught to learn that the price of your takeout portion of Chicken and Wild Rice soup was almost $6.00. I feel this is offensively high priced because 1) the takeout portion is significantly smaller than the dine-in portion and 2) $6.00 would be a high price for soup even if sold by the gallon.

I understand that Panera Bread considers itself a higher-class establishment, however I feel this price is prohibitively expensive to those of us struggling to get by. After taxes are taken out, that meager portion of soup is equivalent to more than an hour’s wage for many folks. If I ate Panera Bread Chicken and Rice soup for each meal, every day, the grand total would be $6,570.00 a year. And, barring a generously-sized baguette, I would starve.

I did not consume the soup myself, though I am certain that it was delicious. It was purchased for my 89-year-old grandmother, who, due to an esophageal motility condition, requires all her food to be pureed. Because of that, there isn’t much she is actually able to eat, and she weighs less than 90 pounds. She enjoyed your soup, but even with her small appetite, she found the portion lacking.

I would never take it upon myself to presume that I could run your business. Clearly, you do a very fine job and everything associated with Panera Bread is of the utmost quality. I did however feel that there was a serious discrepancy in the pricing for this portion, and being a longtime patron, I felt obligated to offer this observation to you for the sake of the Panera Bread brand. I seek nothing from you, only that you would take this into consideration for future endeavors.

Sincerely,