Coronavirus: Panera expanding into grocery business

With its dining rooms temporarily closed down because of the coronavirus pandemic, Panera announced a new way to make some dough.

The restaurant chain unveiled the launch of Panera Grocery on its website.

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“When you want to avoid the stores, we’re making it easier to stay at home,” Panera said in a tweet Wednesday. “Now you can order your Panera favorites and groceries for pickup or contactless delivery. We have the essentials like milk, a variety of breads, yogurt and fresh produce.”

Customers can order grocery items, along with entrees from the Panera menu, through the company’s website or app. The items can be delivered or made available for pickup, MarketWatch reported.

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Panera CEO Niren Chaudhary said the company lost half of its business after its dining rooms were closed, CNBC reported. He said the grocery initiative will be a help

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It’s a win for our associates because we will be able to keep our cafes open longer, and it’s great from a business standpoint because it should be incremental profit and revenue for us at a time when we desperately need it,” Chaudhary told CNBC.

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