11–20 of 26 posts
It has the stench of a publicity stunt, but it seems well intentioned nevertheless.
Every one of their locations already donates a huge amount of baked goods to local charities each and every day. I would say on average, my store either threw away or donated 75-100 lbs. of food from our bakery every night (and this is a low ball estimate). And that's exactly how a non-profit model actually might work for them. They're shifting the burden of all of this waste from the company, to the charitable consumer. Theoretically, pay what you want pricing will drive up demand for their food and thus eliminate the amount thrown away each day.
This certainly wouldn't work everywhere, but the Clayton neighborhood is perhaps the most affluent in St.Louis. Bread Co. customers are already accustomed to paying $3 for a muffin--the idea of sending all of that straight to charity could be phenomenally successful for everyone involved.
From the article: "...Frierdich tried to hand him $12 in cash, but he directed her to put it in the donation jar."
Seems like an opportunity for a new tech that would allow a "customer" to make a credit card donation of an amount they choose. Maybe on exit? Or... idk. Could be an interesting project for someone with a little credit card industry knowledge.
I like how it looks on the outside as an experiment, but it obviously can't be sustained without rules -- surely they won't let someone come in, take everything for a penny, and leave? It has the stench of a publicity stunt, but it seems well intentioned nevertheless.
I worked at Panera (St.Louis Bread Co. actually) for three years back in high school, and this new store is literally down the street from me. Every one of their locations already donates a huge amount of baked goods to local charities each and every day. I would say on average, my store either threw away or donated 75-100 lbs. of food from our bakery every night (and this is a low ball estimate). And that's exactly…
If panera was experimenting in a vertical they were not firmly entrenched, I maybe would have a different opinion, but why would Panera really be interested in building a national competitor to their branded stores?
The tricky part is staying above the cost. I know it's relatively low, but I have no idea how much a loaf of bread costs Panera from wheat-to-customer. I wish more food stores operated on a minimum charge as opposed to pay nothing or whatever you want. I suppose that loses the "give a lot" mindset.
I personally think it's the part where you could pay just a penny- the store makes themselves vulnerable. If you charged a minimum, people would just pay the minimum, simple as that.
A question I'm wondering is how this works with credit cards... do they offer a credit card payment option? From the article: "...Frierdich tried to hand him $12 in cash, but he directed her to put it in the donation jar." Seems like an opportunity for a new tech that would allow a "customer" to make a credit card donation of an amount they choose. Maybe on exit? Or... idk. Could be an interesting project for someone…
I like how it looks on the outside as an experiment, but it obviously can't be sustained without rules -- surely they won't let someone come in, take everything for a penny, and leave? It has the stench of a publicity stunt, but it seems well intentioned nevertheless.