In the Panera 2.0 prototype, guests “cut the line” by ordering at Fast Lane Kiosks and taking a GPS tracker to the table for service; a kiosk ambassador helps, if needed.
To-go orders are alphabetized by customer name on the Rapid Pick-Up shelf (center); the drive-thru (left), integrated into the Coralville, Iowa, store, is projected to account for 25 to 40 percent of business, further easing long lines.
Operators have closed or rebranded nearly half of the chain’s locations over the past year and a half. And then as the chain was sold last week, franchisees were told the company lost its distribution contract.