Non-profit Panera cafe: Take what you need, pay what you can

[Ralph Wiggum]

Imagine walking into a Panera Bread and picking out anything you wanted to eat or drink — then, at the end of the line, instead of handing your money to a cashier, you faced a donation box.  What would you do if you knew that some of the money you placed in the box would be used to train at-risk youths or to feed folks lacking funds to feed themselves?

That's what Panera Bread is trying to find out this week in an outside-the-box experiment in St. Louis. It's a concept that has never been tested by a restaurant chain — and that marks a new career for Ron Shaich, who stepped down as Panera's CEO last week.

"I'm trying to find out what human nature is all about," says Shaich, 56, who has converted a former Panera-owned restaurant in an urban area of St. Louis into a non-profit restaurant dubbed Saint Louis Bread Company Cares Cafe. (Similar cafes planned outside of the St. Louis area will be called Panera Cares Cafes. Panera was founded in St. Louis and still brands its restaurants there as St. Louis Bread Company.)

A sign at the entrance says: "Take what you need, leave your fair share." Customers who can't pay are asked to donate their time. The cafe opened Sunday and will operate seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

While the store does have cashiers, they don't collect money. They simply hand each customer a receipt that says what their food would cost at a conventional Panera. The receipt directs customers with cash to donation boxes (there are five in the store). Cashiers do accept credit cards.

Shaich considers the non-profit Panera Foundation to be his next big thing. "My hope is that we can eventually do this in every community where there's a Panera," says the entrepreneur who bought Panera more than two decades ago when it had just 19 locations and grew it to more than 1,400 locations and upwards of $2.8 billion in annual sales.

He plans to open two more of the non-profit cafes in two more cities in the next six months, but declined to say where. His goal is hundreds of Panera Cares Cafes around the country.

But first, this one has to work.

"It's a fascinating psychological question," says Shaich, who says he's dreamed of doing something like this for years. "There's no pressure on anyone to leave anything. But if no one left anything, we wouldn't be open long."

I'm thinking places like this won't be open long.

LINK

[thundley4]

They just talked to the guy on FNC. Any profits from that store are going to charity.  I pity that charity, and hope they aren't sent a bill instead.

[Chris_]

He should pay more attention to the news.

In other news, the city decided to make their main bus routes free to all riders.  I took the #12 bus downtown last week because I thought it was easier than finding my way down there and looking for parking.  That bus was packed.

[DumbAss Tanker]

They'll be lucky if the box isn't stolen by the end of the week.  And yes, the good Democrat voters of St. Louis will indeed knowingly steal an empty box.

[The Village Idiot]

It has been tried before. It does NOT work.

[The Village Idiot]

It has been tried, just not by a chain.

[NHSparky]

It has been tried, just not by a chain.

Ah, so because it's a chain, it's GOT to work this time...

(Disclaimer: I'm not bagging on you, FGL.)

[The Village Idiot]

(Disclaimer: I'm not bagging on you, FGL.)

lol.

bagger! 

[vesta111]

This idea may work in a place where everyone knows your name.   However when faced with people that they will never see again, give me a break.

I would like to see this tried in a biker bar.  Really, if the owners are bikers then it just may well work.

Bikers will for the most part look out for their friends Strangers come in drink and eat and refuse to donate what they have or wash dishes, ----someone call 911.

[NHSparky]

This idea may work in a place where everyone knows your name.   However when faced with people that they will never see again, give me a break.

I would like to see this tried in a biker bar.  Really, if the owners are bikers then it just may well work.

Bikers will for the most part look out for their friends Strangers come in drink and eat and refuse to donate what they have or wash dishes, ----someone call 911.

I know the perfect place for that--Hawg's Pen over on Route 11 between Farmington and New Durham.  Last I heard, the owner was under federal AND state indictment.

[vesta111]

I know the perfect place for that--Hawg's Pen over on Route 11 between Farmington and New Durham.  Last I heard, the owner was under federal AND state indictment.

 I take it the Chiefs special is deep fat fried twinkies.

[JohnnyReb]

It might work until word spreads in the DUmmie community about "FREEBIES" over at ______________'s (fill in the blank.

Free clothes, food, toys for kids, etc....you should see the shiny high dollar SUV's on 22's with drivers loaded down with bling there to get whatever they can. Never any proud but poor there.