Panera Bread offers so many delicious meals and baked goods but, is Panera Bread Fast Food?
Panera Bread is not what we have grown to know and love or loathe as fast food. Panera Bread offers an expansive menu filled with customizable options made to order from fresh minimal processed ingredients. This is all present in a welcoming and often cozy dining room.
Is Panera Bread Considered Fast Food
Panera Bread is not considered fast food instead it is often referred to as being fast casual.
What Is Considered Fast Food
Most of us have grown up in a world where fast food can be found on every corner.
We can all recognize a fast food restaurant just from its name, appearance, or food offerings.
What Determines A Fast Food Restaurant
Fast-food restaurants will often have many of the same things in common.
- Low Price Point
- Limited Menu
- Highly Processed Foods
- Many Frozen Foods
- Late Hours/Open 24 Hours
- Foods Are Often Bought As Take Out
- Sometimes There Are Mascots
Well Known Fast Food Restaurants
- McDonald’s
- Burger King
- Wendy’s
- Taco Bell
- White Castle (The first fast-food chain)
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What Is A Fast Casual Restaurant
Fast Casual is a much newer concept compared to fast food and can often be confusing to determine the differences.
Where there are many overlaps between fast food and fast casual, they both deliver on serving a quick meal that comes with consistency but, there are many differences as well.
What Determines A Fast Casual Restaurant
- Higher Quality Food
- Fewer Frozen Foods
- Fewer Processed Ingredients
- Often Made To Order Food
- Often Adjusts The Menu Offerings For The Season
- Doesn’t Have A Table Service
- More Focused On The Ambiance
- Customers Often Sit And Enjoy Their Food At The Restaurant
- Sometimes Serves Alcohol
Well Known Fast Casual Restaurants
- Panera Bread
- Chipotle
- Starbucks
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If Panera Bread Has A Drive Thru Does It Make It Fast Food
Having a drive-thru used to be an indicator that a restaurant was a fast food restaurant, this is no longer true.
Many other restaurants like Panera Bread and Starbucks that are considered fast casual have implemented the convenience of a drive-thru window.
What Are The Differences Between Fast Food And Fast Casual
The biggest differences between a fast-food restaurant and a fast-casual restaurant are the quality of the food and the ambiance of the restaurant itself.
When you go to a fast-casual restaurant you are met with often an abundance of freshly made-to-order options and a welcoming dining room where you can’t help but, want to stop, sit down and enjoy your meal.
At a fast food restaurant, you are grabbing a quick meal that is often very processed and previously frozen.
In addition, the type of food you get at a fast food restaurant you are most likely going to grab your food to go instead of relaxing in the often outdated dining room.
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Why Is Panera Bread Considered Fast Casual
Panera Bread is considered fast casual because they offer a large variety of freshly made foods that are minimally processed and completely customizable while being made to order.
The dining room at Panera Bread is a welcoming environment with a comfortable setting and ambiance.
Why Isn’t Panera Fast Food
The experience at a Panera Bread restaurant is very different from that of a standard fast-food restaurant.
A fast food restaurant offers a minimal menu that is filled with highly processed, lower quality pre-frozen foods with a restaurant setting that is not as welcoming as Panera Bread often sparking customers to grab their food to go.
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Final Thoughts
I think fast-casual restaurants like Panera Bread are my favorite.
I appreciate the high-quality ingredients used in the food and the ability to customize my meal, especially as a vegetarian.
The atmosphere is always welcoming and enjoyable.
It’s almost like going to a sit-down restaurant but, it’s more at your own pace.
Fast casual restaurants are great for families giving you the freedom to select great foods and be able to eat and leave as fast or slow as you need to.
