7 Discontinued Panera Bread Items We Wish They'd Bring Back
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Back in 1987, the St. Louis Bread Company opened its doors with a sourdough starter imported from San Francisco. What started as a small bake shop has grown and expanded and evolved into the company we now know as Panera Bread, the go-to destination for anyone wanting a hearty, fast meal.
Over the years it has been open, customers have lined up for their chicken sandwiches, tomato soup, and meal-sized salads. However, as a constantly growing company, juggling changing tastes and (sigh) supply chain issues, Panera has had to make changes to its menu. That means cutting some favorites in order to make room for new items.
While change is hard, if the company has discontinued your favorite, it never hurts to mount a social media campaign or start a petition to get Panera to bring it back. That's what happened with the Toasted Frontega Chicken Sandwich, which returned to the menu after disappearing.
Here are seven other items we hope Panera will bring back to the menu:
Power Kale Caesar Salad
If you were looking for a healthy lunch to get you through the day, the Power Kale Caesar was a winner with its lean protein, healthy carbs, and nutrient-packed kale. Plus, it tasted delicious. Sadly, Panera took it off the menu. Sure, there is still a chicken Caesar on the menu, but it just doesn't have the same, well, power as the kale version. Also missing from the menu? The spinach power salad.
French Toast Bagel
The combination of cinnamon, spice, and everything nice made this bagel a sweet way to start the day. While the Cinnamon Crunch and Cinnamon Swirl bagels are still on the menu, they just don't have the same flavors that made the French Toast bagel such a treat.
Sierra Turkey Sandwich
This sandwich combined smoked turkey breast with a zippy chipotle mayo, field greens, and red onions all served on Panera's Asiago Cheese Focaccia. It was a classic flavor combination with just enough heat to keep things interesting, but that wasn't enough to keep it on the menu. Customers miss the Sierra Turkey so much that they've started a petition to bring it back, according to Spoon University.
Fontina Grilled Cheese
Panera still has a grilled cheese on the menu (and even a grilled mac & cheese sandwich!), but the fontina version was special and is missed. If you haven't had it before, fontina is a buttery cheese with a subtle nutty flavor that elevated an ordinary grilled cheese to something truly special. Then Panera axed it. Now Panera customers have to settle for either white cheddar, American, mozzarella, gouda, parmesan, or feta on their grilled cheese sandwiches.
Sonoma Chicken Stew
A Reddit thread on discontinued Panera items called out the company for pulling the Sonoma Chicken Stew off the menu. For good reason, too. This creamy chicken-and-vegetable stew was a perfect way to warm up in the fall.
Coronado Carnitas Panini
Made with pork, mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, and slathered with a spicy green sauce before hitting the panini press, this warm Cuban-style sandwich was a customer favorite. Sadly, Panera paninis seem to be on the outs and folks have to settle for a toasted chicken or steak sandwich or try to DIY a panini by smooshing two flatbreads into a sandwich.
Sundried Tomato Cream Cheese
While bagel and cream cheese purists may not love them, flavored cream cheeses are here to stay—unless Panera continues to chop flavors. The zesty sundried tomato version was the perfect savory addition for a bagel sandwich and now customers have to settle for chive-and-onion or plain, which just don't have the same effect.
