Panera's New Breakfast Menu Is Already Dividing Customers
Panera's menu has undergone many changes this year, with the chain launching a slew of new and revamped offerings in April as part of its largest menu transformation to date. These menu item releases continued this week with the debut of several new breakfast options. However, not all of the newly unveiled items are winners among customers.
Since Panera announced its new breakfast items, customers have been hard on one offering in particular: the CinnaScrambles—novelty breakfast sandwiches featuring warm cinnamon rolls as the bread that come in two varieties. The CinnaScramble contains scrambled eggs, American cheese, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper, while the Sausage CinnaScramble consists of sausage, scrambled eggs, American cheese, plus salt and pepper. Customers can also choose to swap out the sausage for bacon.
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On Reddit, customers have shared a variety of opinions about the Cinna sandwiches, with some comparing them to McGriddles—a McDonald's take on a sweet and savory breakfast option.
"I tried it with 4 other people and it's actually pretty good. It's a better McGriddle [in my opinion]. I'd recommend giving it a shot," one Reddit user wrote.
"Honestly I'm picky and dislike our breakfast but I love the cinnamon roll sandwiches," another one, presumably an employee at Panera, added.
But many aren't as generous or enthusiastic with their first impressions.
"Panera is cinna scrambling for new customers. They have no idea what they are doing."
"These look really gross to me, but I'm not big on mixing sweet and savory. The last thing I need is a sugar and fat bomb to the gut first thing in the morning."
Meanwhile, some took issue with the sandwiches' calorie count, with the Cinna Scramble clocking in at 580 calories and the Sausage CinnaScramble as high as 790 calories. Others weren't thrilled with the sandwiches' price tag. The images on Reddit show them being priced at $6.99 and $5.89, though pricing varies by location.
The CinnaScrambles aren't the only new breakfast items getting negative reactions from customers. The newly released CinnaTops are, too.
They're basically a lineup of cinnamon rolls with fun toppings like Candy Cookies (860 calories), Choco Chipper Cookies (740 calories), and Fudgy Brownies (790 calories). In other words, it's a mashup of sugar on sugar.
"Those all look totally unappetizing to me, and I have a sweet tooth. It just looks gross to me," one Reddit user wrote.
"Absolutely not," another one added.
Both the CinnaScrambles and CinnaTops will only be available at Panera for a limited time.
In addition to the cinnamon roll menu items, Panera launched three other breakfast sandwiches, which include the Bacon Double Take sandwich (560 calories), Ham, Egg & Cheese sandwich (410 calories), and Steak & Wake sandwich (510 calories). The first two sandwiches are permanent menu additions, while the Steak & Wake sandwich is a limited-time item.
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