Panera mobile order theft is so common that workers say they now have to keep bags behind the counter

• Five Panera workers told Insider that thefts forced them to keep mobile orders behind the counter.
• Some locations move orders behind the counter only at certain times of the day, workers said.

Panera customers flock to its Rapid Pick-Up mobile ordering system, but some workers say it's also leading to more thefts of bags waiting to be picked up at the restaurants.

Insider spoke to five workers employed in stores across the US who said that their locations have moved mobile orders behind counters to prevent people from walking out with food they didn't pay for.

The workers' identities were verified by Insider, but they remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Panera, like many other quick-service restaurants, leaves bagged mobile orders on shelves for customers to pick up. The chain introduced Rapid Pick-Up for customers who order food to-go in 2014 as part of its Panera 2.0 rebrand. Panera has since opened a digital-only location in Chicago, where all food is served on Rapid Pick-Up shelves.

"As long as I remember having RPU [Rapid Pick-Up] at Panera, there has always been theft," a cashier in the Midwest told Insider. During less-busy parts of the day, the worker said that their location keeps delivery and pickup orders behind the counter, with names facing away from customers.

When a customer approaches the pickup area, workers ask them for their name and then hand them the appropriate order. "This keeps theft down and still makes guests happy," the Midwest worker said.

"From my experience, thieves will look at what the order is before grabbing [a] random bag," the worker told Insider, suggesting the would-be thieves look for high-value orders to snatch.

Panera did not respond to Insider's requests for comment, but previously said that "fraud is a normal part of the restaurant business" when workers had flagged that some people were taking advantage of the chain's Unlimited Sip Club by stealing drinks they hadn't paid for. "We are always innovating to optimize the entire guest and associate experience," Panera said at the time.

Meanwhile, a manager in Michigan said stolen mobile orders were a "huge" issue at Panera. The shelf system used to work "flawlessly," the manager said, up until the last 18 months, when as many as 20 orders per week go missing, the person said.

In Oklahoma, another worker said that thefts were relatively rare, but typically happened with big-value orders of $100 to $200, which the store now keeps behind the counter.

"It takes a big toll, losing all that food — as well as having to remake the order," the worker said.

Workers at some Panera locations have also moved self-service drink stations that serve the chain's Unlimited Sip Club behind counters due to thefts, Insider reported. A manager in the Southeast told Insider that all caffeinated Charged Lemonades in her market are behind the counter because of theft.

Panera previously told Insider that moving drinks behind the counter is a "limited small test."

Mobile orders are responsible for billions of dollars of sales for the quick-service restaurant industry. Panera, which is privately held by JAB Holding Co., no longer publicly shares financial information, but it was on track to do $2 billion in digital sales by 2018 — a number that's almost certainly exploded.

Competing brands tell a similar story of big growth in mobile orders: At Chipotle, digital orders made up 37% of sales in the most recent quarter, and at Starbucks, they made up 40% of sales.

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.