The US food-to-go and coffee chain has expanded its Unlimited Sip Club subscription to include its entire range of self-serve soft beverages for $10.99 plus tax, marking a 22% price increase on its original $8.99 coffee subscription
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Soft beverages, including Pepsi, iced coffee and iced tea are now available through Panera Bread's Unlimited Sip Club subscription | Photo credit: Panera Bread
Panera Bread has expanded its in-store coffee subscription to include its full range of 26 coffee, tea and soft beverages. The Unlimited Sip Club has also increased in price from $8.99 to $10.99 per month, marking a 22% price increase on the coffee subscription
first introduced in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic.
The Unlimited Sip Club remains exclusively available to members of the MyPanera loyalty programme. Cold brew and espresso-based drinks are not included in the subscription and customers are limited to ordering one beverage once every two hours, excluding free refills, during normal store opening hours.
“At Panera, we believe in making great food experiences accessible to all—we're disrupting fast casual once again, providing unlimited access to high-quality beverages at tremendous value – just $10.99 a month. Our guests have loved the subscription model and the convenience and value it brings to their daily lives,” said Niren Chaudhary, CEO, Panera Bread.
Panera’s price rise echoes that of fellow JAB Holding brand Pret A Manger which in February 2022
increased the price of its coffee subscription in the UK by 25% from £20 ($26) to £25 ($33). In an email circulated to customers, Pret said that of the £5 ($6.50) additional charge, around £2 would cover VAT, £1.50 would be used to pay staff and £1.50 would offset inflation.
Panera Bread currently operates 2,117 bakery cafés across 48 US states and in Ontario. Canada.
The company is part of Panera Brands, a fast casual restaurant group formed in August 2021 with Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels and comprising around 4,000 stores. In November 2021 Panera Brands received new investment from New York-based restaurant group, Union Square Hospitality Group confirmed and confirmed it would launch an IPO.