How Panera Bread Navigated Covid, the Labor Market, Inflation and More To Become The Business Of The Future
In 2018, Panera Bread celebrated 50 years of service to the public good – that which connects individuals to the community. There are many ways to measure that service, but one measure in particular – whether or not people want to do business with you – is one we all take for granted: The customer experience.
This year, while many businesses, especially in the restaurant industry, have taken a collective hammering as they attempt to reinvent themselves to attract new customers, the people at Panera Bread have been quietly working hard to ensure that the experience is as great as they can make it. And it’s worked.
In this video, we talk with Panera CEO and President Mark Haines about what it meant to open a Panera Bistro in the summer of 1969, and how the experience has evolved, from a single location in San Antonio, to a franchise that today serves more than 3,000 locations in 20 states. Our conversation continues with him as he looks back on the past 50 years, and what’s ahead of him.
This first episode of the Business of the Future podcast focuses on the food and drink delivery business, and the impact of technology on it. From the impact of the Great Recession on the restaurant industry to how consumers are shifting toward delivery based food service, this episode explores the impact of technology on the delivery industry in 2019 and beyond.
In our world of unprecedented connectivity, it is absolutely essential that brands are able to reach their customers at any time and on any device. And when done the right way, it creates a seamless customer experience – connecting the brand with the user – and creating a memorable first interaction with a customer.
In this episode, we discuss how technology and the new digital economy are creating new opportunities in the physical retail world, and how brands are moving into that space with a strategy that not only creates brand loyalty, it creates a competitive advantage in the emerging world of retail.