Panera Bread’s New Era menu transformation continued this week with the launch of new breakfast items, including sandwiches made with the chain’s popular cinnamon rolls.
The fast-casual chain on Wednesday rolled out a line of CinnaScrambles, with scrambled eggs and American cheese—and the option of sausage—tucked into a split warm cinnamon roll playing the role of bread or bun. The CinnaScrambles start at $5.39, though prices may vary by location.
It makes sense. Other breakfast pastries, from croissants to waffles, have long played host to breakfast sandwich fillings.
Panera’s cinnamon rolls are also the star of a new limited-service line called CinnaTops, which features the rolls topped with icing and a choice of sweet topping, such as Candy Cookie, Choco Chipper or Fudgy Brownie. The LTO is priced at $4.79.
Steak is the favorite protein in fast casual these days and Panera is joining that party too.
New breakfast sandwiches include the Steak & Wake, an LTO with marinated, thin-sliced steak served on ciabatta bread.
There’s also the Bacon Double Take, which has twice the amount of bacon of a traditional breakfast sandwich, with two types of cheese.
And traditionalists can find a Ham Egg & Cheese option for what Panera calls a more classic breakfast sandwich experience.
Panera's new breakfast sandwiches. | Photo courtesy of Panera Bread.
“We’re thrilled to introduce exciting new breakfast items to our bakery-caves nationwide as part of our ongoing menu transformation,” said Alicia Mowder, Panera’s SVP of product strategy and insights, in a statement. “These delicious offerings will feature sweet, savory and protein-packed options to kickstart your day, including options that feature our signature cinnamon rolls—a customer favorite that are baked for guests in our cafes. This is just the beginning of our commitment to providing an even more delightful breakfast experience for our guests.”
Panera’s menu overhaul began in April, when the nearly 2,200-unit chain announced the addition of nine new dishes, and updates to 12 classics.
The goal was to focus more on the sandwich, salad and soup categories, including mac and cheese. At the time, the company said portion sizes were being enhanced and there were some options under $10.
As is the case with most menu overhauls, a number of offerings were also dropped from the menu, like flatbreads. The controversial caffeinated Charged Lemonades have also been phased out.
Panera is also promoting three months free membership in the chain’s Unlimited Sip Club for new subscribers who sign up by Aug. 31. The subscription is $14.99 per month plus tax and members can get unlimited drinks once every two hours, though some beverages are excluded.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.