Have you ever been enjoying your bread bowl at Panera and wished you had a nice glass of wine to go with it? Your wish may come true because in addition to their new flatbreads, the chain is testing out a pilot program with beer and wine offerings. It’s kicking off at locations in Kansas City to start with, but if it goes well, it could go nationwide.
They’re calling it “Panera Tonight: Beer, Wine & Dine” and five restaurants in Kansas City will get to try it first. The program is a partnership with Boulevard Brewing Co and Ménage à Trois Wines and will offer beer and wine from 4pm to close. Drink options include a Pale Ale, an Unfiltered Wheat Beer and a Quirk Spiked & Strawberry Lemon & Basil seltzer. As for the vino, they’ll have a Ménage à Trois Red Blend and Gold Chardonnay, as well as Limelight Pinot Grigio.
The boozy offerings will range from $4 to $6 and Panera is hoping they’ll help people think of them as a dinner place, not just a breakfast and lunch spot. “Panera offers delicious food all day long,” says Marketing Manager Rebecca Diefendorf. “Now you can start your morning with coffee and bagel and end the day with wine and a flatbread pizza. It doesn’t get better than that.”
Source: Delish