New Panera Bread No Registers - Pay or Not You Decide

"There are no prices or cash registers, only suggested donation levels and donation bins"


Just when you thought Corporations were all evil, this happens, lol and just in time for people that don't have the money and want to eat out or just get a meal.

Well folks could this be the new future, you decide what you want to pay and make a donation for your meal?

I would love to see more places like this.

This is a new concept from Panera Bread, maybe there are some corporations and CEO's that are good people. Let's watch this and see what happens. I live right near this place so I will report back with information as time progresses.


Non-Profit Panera Bread with a Twist

TDEARBORN, MI — The Panera Bread Foundation opened its second non-profit community cafe — called Panera Cares — today in Dearborn, MI, and shared plans to open a third in Portland, OR, in early 2011. This expansion is the result of the concept’s success in Clayton, MO, where the first non-profit community cafe — called Saint Louis Bread Co. Cares — opened in May.

Panera Cares is a new kind of cafe — one that exemplifies an entirely different way of giving back. It is a community cafe of shared responsibility. One of the goals of this charitable program is to ensure that everyone who needs a meal gets one. People are encouraged to take what they need and donate their fair share. There are no prices or cash registers, only suggested donation levels and donation bins.
Panera Cares

Panera Cares Cafe - Panera's Dearborn Non-Profit Community Store is Second in the Nation

“The vision for the Panera Cares Cafe was to use Panera’s unique restaurant skills to address real societal needs and make a direct impact in communities,” explained Ron Shaich, Panera Bread’s co-founder and Executive Chairman, and President of the Panera Bread Foundation. “Thus, the Foundation developed these community cafes to make a difference by addressing the food insecurity issues that affect millions of Americans.”

“At the end of the day,” Shaich said, “this community cafe isn’t about offering a hand out. It’s about offering a hand up to those who need it.”

Dearborn Panera Cares Cafe to Address Real Community Need

Dearborn, a Detroit suburb, was selected as the location of the second Panera Cares Cafe based on a diverse population of individuals who can sustain the cafe as well as individuals who may need a hand up.

“Given the economic challenges in the Greater Detroit area, opening a Panera Cares Cafe in this area was a natural choice,” said Shaich. “These cafes exist to make a difference by offering the Panera experience with dignity to all — those who can afford it, those who need a hand up, and everyone in between. We anticipate that Panera Cares will have a tremendous impact on the Dearborn community.”

Third Location Planned in Greater Portland

A third Panera Cares Cafe is expected to open in Greater Portland in January 2011. Like other Panera Cares Cafe locations, the Hollywood-area cafe is easily accessible via public transportation and attracts an eclectic mix of customers, exuding a genuine neighborhood vibe.

About Panera Cares Cafes

Panera Cares is a program run by the Panera Bread Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The Panera Cares Cafe menu is consistent with the traditional Panera Bread menu, however people are encouraged to take what they need and donate their fair share. There are no prices or cash registers, only suggested donation levels and donation bins.

At the end of the day, this cafe isn’t about offering a hand out. It’s about offering a hand up to those who need it. The cafes also offer the option of volunteering an hour of time in exchange for a meal. The Panera Cares Cafe model is designed to be self-sustaining with support from the community.

About the Panera Bread Foundation

Panera Bread Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The Foundation accepts contributions through cash donations received in donation boxes located in Panera Bread bakery-cafes located throughout the United States, as well as in connection with its community cafe(s) operating under the name Panera Cares. The community cafes provide high quality food in a warm, inviting and comfortable environment. Panera Cares Cafes exist to make a difference by offering the Panera Bread experience with dignity to all — those who can afford it, those who need a hand up, and everyone in between.

Awesome. I am going to eat lunch at Panera bread tomorrow....and ill pay full price (not that i have a choice at my local one )

Wonder whats in the bread.....

That's awesome and I hope it works out.

I have often thought of running a place like that myself. I like to make soup - no, I love to make soups, stews, breads.

I hope it works out.

reply to post by Realtruth


Thanks for bringing this positive news to our attention. Sounds like a wonderful idea. This just made my list for donations for next year. I'd hope those who can pay double to help those who can not. We need more of this.

That freaking awesome!

I've thought about doing this with a farmers market stand.

That way the people that need it can get it, and hopefully the more well off people will make significant tax deductible donations for their bundle of vegis that will cover many families bundles.

Great idea IMHO, any ATS lawyers know how to do it legally?

great idea...hope others in
the business world follow suit.

Thanks for the post.

Originally posted by Bonified Ween
Wonder whats in the bread.....

lool
-dont dream it be it.. a lovely idea.. I hope it spreads..

reply to post by Realtruth


Not really.. I mean technically it is a corporation that is sponsoring the store, but it's actually a non-profit classed organization.. meaning it one, doesn't pay taxes, and two, doesn't have share holders.. it's a cool idea in poorer areas (especially since that store is freakin crazy expensive imo, for what you get) but if it doesn't generate MORE profit, it doesn't catch on..

Not saying it's not a nice program, just not profitable, thus not realistic. More PR than anything, imo ..

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Not saying it's not a nice program, just not profitable, thus not realistic. More PR than anything, imo ..

...but countless billions (trillions?) are spent on pr every year and this is a non-profit sub-corp of a bigger for-profit corp... so, this seems reasonable and realistic to me...

reply to post by Realtruth


panera is awesome.

i predict profit for the first quarter. there'll be a secondary round of news about how revolutionary this is. then they'll consistently lose money and either quietly close the store or keep it open and subsidize it with the profits from the other stores.

this is DEFINATELY not going to be the trend.

reply to post by Realtruth


Well, it's a nice idea, but I mean, you can't have too many of these places, since you can't rely on the kindness of people, people would rather eat for free or below the cost of the price, so the restaurants that actually need money to keep their heads above water, will lose customers, go bankrupt, that results in too more unemployed people, what results in more people going to eat for free in that restaurant, eventually they can't handle the cost of the food because so many people eat for free, they'll have to start asking money for the food again, and the unemployed don't have money, and everybody dies!

Doesn't seem like such a good idea now, does it?

btw, I'm not entirely serious here

wow.. !!! I'm 30mins from DT Portland~! Definitely going to keep an eye out on this~! There's also one 15 mins in Beaverton. However, the DT Portland location, if that truly where it will be, is going to be prime, since there's a HUGE amount of mixed classes down there.

Awesome, something to resuscitate downtown LOL ..

I'd love to see them open one in East LA. Or maybe Skid Row. Instead of places prolly inundated with well off Hippies.

I wish we could live in a world where places like this flourish.

but in the end, .... humanity's true nature always wins.

It's all about the write off,corporations do have it figured out,non profit or no profit.
NEVER no gain.
Ya don't get,or give nothin,fer nothin..........

I have a new utterly insane concept: What you do is go out and through your own effort provide for yourself. I know it's crazy but you actually take care of YOU! If your body and mind function then you dress, feed and care for that body. Unless your a starving child in Africa you can do something.

Thanks for the thread, OP. Good to see positive subjects being posted here on ATS.

These PWYW (Pay What You Want) restaurants have actually been around for quite a while. I recall one I went to in Australia back in the 1980s. I was not well off then, but I still paid what I could. Some diners paid nothing, others probably paid more than they really "needed" to. But the place ran for a long time, so I guess I could say that it all seemed to balance out.

In fact, that's generally the way it works with these places. Things balance out. I'd like to refer members to a good article about the SAME Cafe -- the restaurant where you pay what you can -- that's been operating in Denver since 2006. The article details the whole process of how the place was set up (and why), how it runs, what the owners' philosophy is, and so on. It also mentions other, older restaurants that run on similar principles. The whole point is that people can eat with dignity, regardless of their circumstances.

EDIT to add: even though that article I've linked above is from last year, the SAME cafe is still running. Here's their web page.

Mike

I hope they put one where I live. I wouldn't give them anything. Almost all corporations are non-profit because they no longer pay dividends. You are "paid" off of the growth of stock prices which are just a reflection of a growth model, not profit. The corp continuously sinks its money back in the company. It never "pays" you like it is supposed to. There is no "profit"!!!! That is why the model(and the company) break down when their is an interruption in growth. Go read economics 101. By the way I would be very much for a barter economy. I almost totally survive on one now. A fool and his money are soon parted. Who is a bigger fool, the fool or the fool who follows him? LMAO!

I already liked Panera and now, like them even more. Sliding scale fees for services isn't anything new, but this is the first time I've seen it applied to a cafe. I'd be happy to pay a little more for my meal if it meant that someone else could have a decent meal too.