Panera’s 3D-printed bread bowl hat pays homage to broccoli cheddar soup

Brooke Kato
·2 min read
A woman wearing a hat
A woman wearing a hat

If fashion is your bread and butter, try this hat on for size.

Less than a day after launching, Panera has sold out of its “Bread Head” hat — a 3D-printed bread bowl headpiece with plumes of multicolored ostrich feathers sprouting from the “fascinator-style” accessory.

Described by Eater as “a bird [that] tried to make a nest out of stale leftovers,” the $21 hat is an investment piece — it is accompanied by a $100 voucher meant to entice patrons to taste the 21 new and enhanced menu offerings ahead of the Kentucky Derby.

The hat is an investment piece, coming with a $100 giftcard to the casual eatery. Panera
The hat is an investment piece, coming with a $100 giftcard to the casual eatery. Panera
Panera is no stranger to the food-as-fashion fad, releasing a buzzy baguette shoulder bag last year that immediately went viral. Panera
Panera is no stranger to the food-as-fashion fad, releasing a buzzy baguette shoulder bag last year that immediately went viral. Panera

The “limited edition” headpiece, an homage to the eatery’s broccoli cheddar soup with a golden spoon protruding from its lid, sold out in less than 24 hours after the launch, despite customers being limited to only one hat per order.

A Panera spokesperson told The Post they are working to restock the feathery fascinator in the meantime, and that shoppers hungry for a hat can check back on Thursday morning to try their luck at purchasing the popular accessory, designed by celebrity-favorite label A-Morir Studio.

The quirky cap is among a growing sect of food-inspired accessories that have become a viral phenomenon — the buffet of jovial accessories defying decades of rebuke about playing with food, although you’ll have to shell out some serious dough to get your paws on them.

The derby-inspired fascinator pays homage to the restaurant’s broccoli cheddar soup bread bowl, with color-coordinated feathers and a golden spoon. Panera
The derby-inspired fascinator pays homage to the restaurant’s broccoli cheddar soup bread bowl, with color-coordinated feathers and a golden spoon. Panera
The hat sold out in less than 24 hours after its launch. Panera
The hat sold out in less than 24 hours after its launch. Panera

There was Loewe’s beaded asparagus bag from the fall 2024 collection, Balenciaga’s $1,800 potato chip bag or the lunchbox-inspired sacks from Louis Vuitton and Bottega Veneta, the latter selling for $2,500.

Then, the baguette inception — comically hyperrealistic clutches fashioned after the French bread from the likes of Moschino and Dauphinette.

But this is not Panera’s first voyage into the food-as-fashion fad.

Last year, the chain restaurant launched a $40 green shoulder bag long and slender enough to store an entire loaf inside. Billed as “carb couture,” the “P” monogrammed purse sold out online, although resellers attempted to pawn off the bag for more than double its original price.