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| - Panera Bread sucks! Wish I could leave a negative star rating (-1) when I found out Panera had bought out Paradise Bakery, I sighed. When I went and experienced the service, I groaned. When I had the food, I cried. Wow! Way to ruin a thriving brand with a mediocre substitution.
I have bought and sold businesses myself. Rule #1: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Why would you replace an assembly line concept that keeps customers moving thru the line, allowing them to see their order being made and make them a part of the experience, with 2 poorly handled registers, no sight of food or preparation and an under-performing staff?
Rule #2: Don't lessen the product because you want to improve margins/profits. Create a better "experience" and the price won't matter. You think people choose Chipotle over Taco Bell on price? No way! The experience, the sights, the smells, the freshness, the service concept. They all matter.
Rule #3: If you don't understand the culture of the customers you're acquiring, don't buy the company. Ever wonder why Starbucks beat the pants off Coffee Plantation? They understood and tapped into the "culture" of coffee drinkers. They understood that 'where' you buy the coffee is perhaps more important than the coffee you buy. It's a destination. It's an experience. And, they made it a 'status'. Would you rather have a Dutch Bros. coffee mug or a Starbucks mug? Enough said.
I hate Panera Bread with their watery soups, limp and lifeless salads and sandwiches that leave you crying "Where's the beef?" They would have done a far sight better keeping the name and concept the same. Then having competition marketing between the two, driving customers back and forth and, improving each product along the way. Panera Bread missed the boat here. I mean really missed it. And now, they've lost another loyal customer. Here's the finger to you Panera. Way to go!
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