Panera Offering Groceries In New Coronavirus Marketplace

ACROSS CONNECTICUT — Panera Bread has begun offering groceries as its dining rooms remain temporarily closed over coronavirus concerns.

The announcement was made Monday and a link to the new grocery menu was prominently displayed on the Panera website this week. The ad slogan was, "Groceries when you need them most ... for rapid pickup and contactless delivery."

The offerings include:

• Milk
• Greek yogurt
• Cream cheese spread
• Kids yogurt tubes
• Breads
• Bagels
• Fruits
• Vegetables

Customers can obtain the items at the drive-through or contact-free delivery.

"From limited choices on grocery shelves to the growing need to limit the number of trips outside of the home, it is an incredibly stressful time when it comes to putting wholesome food on the table, and we knew Panera could help," Panera Chief Executive Officer Niren Chaudhary said in a statement. "With this new service we can help deliver good food and fresh ingredients from our pantry to yours, helping provide better access to essential items that are increasingly harder to come by."

Restaurant towners have been sayng that the supply lines to their businesses are relattively abundant compared to those of grocery stores becase of the closed dining rooms.