Panera Bread Grows Delivery With Grubhub, DoorDash, Uber Eats Partnerships

To build on its in-house delivery model, Panera Bread announced national delivery availability for the first time via Grubhub, Uber Eats and DoorDash. The arrangements let diners order through apps while taking deliveries from Panera drivers, according to an announcement from the quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain.

Panera EVP Chief Growth and Strategy Officer Dan Wegiel said, according to the announcement, “Panera has been a leader in the delivery market as one of the first fast casual concepts to offer its own delivery service. Today, through these partnerships, we are pioneering once again by being the first fast casual to launch the ‘bring your own courier’ model nation-wide.”

Diners will now have the ability to tap into the three apps to order dinner or lunch from Panera. And, whether they place orders through Panera’s apps or partners, Panera’s own drivers will make deliveries in most markets. “Panera is creating more ways for guests to access their Panera favorites while still ensuring the quality Panera delivery experience the company has honed over the last three years,” the company said in its announcement.

Delivery through eCommerce platforms and the Panera app stays in place per the company and “will continue to be a strong point of access, for both new and existing Panera customers.” Its platforms have driven over 28 million delivery orders, according to the company, and as a result delivery has arrived at 7 percent of the company’s overall sales.

In separate news, Panera Bread has been experimenting with a menu for dinner at a Jacksonville, Florida restaurant in an effort that is said to possibly bring delivery opportunities. The QSR was extending the test in July to nine Lexington, Kentucky locations per reports in June. The report noted that dinner is a popular time for delivery orders and noted that the restaurant taps into its own delivery drivers.

Wegiel said per earlier reports, “We definitely saw for delivery an opportunity with dinner, but it flagged as something we could unlock further for sure.”