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Panera is adding pizza to the menu. Panera
Panera is adding pizza to the menu, rolling out three flatbreads in restaurants this week.
- Panera exec Eduardo Luz told Business Insider that the rise of Panera's take-out, drive-thru, and delivery during the pandemic helped convince the chain to add pizza to the menu.
- The chain wanted to make a pizza that people "feel good about eating," Luz said.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
On Wednesday, the chain announced it is rolling out three flatbread pizzas: cheese, Margherita, and chipotle chicken & bacon. Prices will start at $7.99.
"As the pandemic hit and we saw ... our guests moving more and more off-premise — ordering food to be delivered or picked up or via drive-thru — we believe that it's a platform that fits really well with what Panera can do," Panera's chief brand and concept officer Eduardo Luz told Business Insider.
Panera's flatbread is engineered to hold up as a delivery order. Panera
Luz said Panera's off-premise sales have exploded in recent months, with delivery growing in the triple digits. Pick-up and drive-thru have increased in the high double digits, according to Luz.
Pizza is an ideal menu item for the pandemic because it holds up for customers who order delivery or take-away.
As a result, chains like Domino's and Papa John's have been thriving in 2020. Domino's reported in early October that US same-store sale grew 17.5% in the most recent quarter. Papa John's preliminarily reported its same-store sales for the quarter were up 23.8%.