Panera Just Discontinued Dozens of Popular Menu Items

If you haven't already heard, there are some major changes taking place at Panera Bread, one of America's biggest bakery-café chains.

Earlier this year, Panera announced that it would roll out the "biggest menu transformation" in its nearly 40-year history on April 3. The sweeping overhaul included the debut of nine new menu items, such as a Toasted Italiano sandwich, Bacon Mac & Cheese, and a Ranch Cobb Salad. The chain also promised bigger chicken and steak portions for many salads and sandwiches, as well as enhanced the recipes for 12 classic menu offerings like the Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt, Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, and Bravo Club Sandwich.

While the prospect of brand-new foods and new-and-improved recipes may be music to the ears of Panera's many fans, customers will probably be far less enthused to learn about the other side of this overhaul: popular menu items are being discontinued to make way for the new options.

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When Panera initially announced the transformation, the chain confirmed to Eat This, Not That! that it planned to remove some menu categories so it could refocus on core offerings like soups, salads, sandwiches, and mac & cheese. Panera said that its line of flatbread pizzas would be among the discontinued categories, but didn't offer any other hints on what else would be eliminated.

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So, ahead of the new Panera menu launching at restaurants nationwide on April 4, Eat This, Not That! recorded a comprehensive list of all the foods and drinks available at Panera. Then, we compared the old menu to everything available on the new menu and found that dozens of items customers could score just a couple of days ago are no longer available now. Here's everything that has been removed:

Black Forest Ham & Gouda Melt – Toasted Baguette
Pepperoni Mozzarella Melt – Toasted Baguette
Chicken & Pepperoni Mozzarella Melt – Stacked Toasted Baguette
Chicken Green Goddess Caprese Melt – Stacked Toasted Baguette
Chicken Cordon Bleu Melt – Stacked Toasted Baguette
The Signature Take Chicken Sandwich
The Spicy Take Chicken Sandwich
Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT
Toasted Steak & White Cheddar
Deli Ham Sandwich
Southwest Chicken Melt
Deli Turkey Sandwich
Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich
Vegetarian Autumn Squash Soup
Turkey Chili
Teriyaki Chicken & Broccoli Bowl
Baja Bowl with Chicken
Mediterranean Bowl with Chicken
Baja Bowl
Mediterranean Bowl
Blueberry Bagel
Sesame Bagel
Chocolate Chip Bagel
Lemon Drop Cookie
Cranberry Orange Muffin
Croissant
Blueberry Scone
Pastry Ring
Classic Sourdough Loaf
White Whole Grain
Asiago Cheese Focaccia
Spinach & Artichoke Souffle
Reduced Fat Chive and Onion Cream Cheese
Pepperoni Flatbread Pizza
Margherita Flatbread Pizza
Cheese Flatbread Pizza
Asian Sesame Salad with Chicken
Southwest Caesar Salad with Chicken
Madagascar Vanilla Cream Cold Brew
Madagascar Vanilla Almond Cold Brew
Cold Brew
Frozen Caramel Cold Brew
Frozen Chocolate Cold Brew
Chocolate Latte
Iced Chocolate Latte
Hot Chocolate
Green Passion Smoothie
Peach & Blueberry Smoothie with Almondmilk

bowl of Panera Bacon Mac and Cheese — Panera Bread

The Cinnamon Crunch Latte is also no longer available now, despite being on the menu earlier this week. However, the drink is a seasonal menu item that returned to Panera this past fall, so it wasn't meant to stick around permanently. Customers should also take note that the Smoky Buffalo Chicken Melt has undergone a minor name change and is now called the Spicy Buffalo Chicken Melt.

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The loss of so many menu items isn't a complete surprise since Panera tested a smaller menu at select restaurants over the summer of 2023. Still, the retirement of so many popular options means that many customers may have to find new go-to foods and beverages at the chain moving forward.

Panera Black Forest Ham & Gouda Melt — Panera Bread

When Eat This, Not That! reached out for comment on the discontinuations, Panera shared the following statement:

"Our new menu is refocused on our core offerings with the goal of adding more options, more innovation, and more value within the categories our guests love the most – soup, salad, sandwiches, and mac & cheese. The menu offers more new salads and sandwiches, better value with more new options below $10, and more in every bite with additional chicken and steak on many menu items."

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"We have listened to over 30,000 guests on the journey to land on our new menu – it's also grounded in feedback from our bakery-cafe teams and makes it easier for our teams to give our guests a faster and better experience," the statement continued. "With nine new items and 12 enhanced classics, along with the addition of iconic flavors like ranch and balsamic, the menu reflects the very essence of Panera at its best."