Panera Bread Might Be Cutting Your Favorite Menu Items

Say goodbye to kitchen sink cookies and a whole lot else.

If you’re looking for soup and sandwiches or a quick and tasty breakfast from a fast-casual joint, there’s a solid chance you end up at Panera Bread. But if your favorites include items such as the smokehouse BBQ chicken sandwich or a pumpkin muffin, we’ve got bad news. Your local Panera may be drastically shrinking its menu.

There were swirling rumors of a much smaller menu circulating throughout August. In a since-deleted TikTok, a Panera employee claimed that a large amount of menu items were being removed, at least at their location. Early in August, a photo was posted to a Reddit thread of items reportedly leaving the menu.

And what started as rumors is now confirmed. Panera provided a statement to “Restaurant Business” magazine confirming the menu change. In that statement, the brand said, “We are currently testing a streamlined menu in a small amount of Panera bakery-cafes, providing guests with a faster and more convenient experience while also simplifying operations for our associates.”

Panera Cuts 50 Items From Its Menu as Part of a Test

The good news here is that the smaller menu is being tested in a limited number of locations. The bad news is that if the location you visit is a part of the menu test, you’ll find the menu has slimmed down by 50 items. The brand is cutting items across categories—a variety of sandwiches, soups, hot entrées, drinks, specialty drinks, breads, bagels, sweets, and sides, as well as some take-home items and the entire kids' menu.

While it makes sense that the brand wants to create a simpler, faster service, customers aren’t pleased. On the Reddit thread above, one commenter said, “Sourdough bread? Napa Chicken salad? Cranberry muffin? Chocolate chip bagel? What's the point in going anymore? Saying goodbye to my sip club!” And Panera employees are likewise not exactly thrilled about the announcement, especially as they anticipate customer reactions. One commenter on the thread said, “Bro what??? I’m going to have to quit before this happens because I’m not dealing with customer outrage,” and another said, “As a GM, im literallly shaking in my boots. We are about to have to fight for our lives if this rolls out for all markets.”

Of course, right now there’s no confirmation that this test will become permanent at any location, but if any of your favorites are on the cut list, it may not be a bad idea to find a good copycat recipe just in case.

Read the original article on All Recipes.