Panera opened 2 new 'to-go' restaurants in New York and Chicago half the size of a typical store with plans to expand 'aggressively' see inside

Panera

• Panera has two new restaurant formats designed for smaller footprints in cities.
• Panera To Go in Chicago has no cashiers or seating at all, and is designed exclusively for takeout.

Panera is expanding beyond the suburbs with a new to go format in cities.

Panera

The Chicago location was the first digital-only Panera restaurant.

Panera

The Panera To Go concept is designed to go in "densely populated areas that cannot accommodate a dine-in bakery-cafe," Panera said, without cashiers or dining areas.

Panera

These changes to the classic Panera design make about half the size of a typical store, making it economical in areas with more expensive real estate.

Panera

Customers pick up their orders on shelves that take up an entire wall of the store, using the Panera Rapid Pickup design the chain has been using since 2016.

Panera

Panera has plans for two more To-Go format restaurants, in California and Washington, DC, following the success of the Chicago location.

Panera

The smaller format serves the full Panera menu despite its size, Chief Brand & Concept Officer Eduardo Luz told Insider in an interview.

Panera

In November, Panera announced another format designed for cities launching in New York City.

Panera

The new urban format is different from the To Go format, but still 40% smaller than a regular suburban Panera.

Panera

Unlike the To Go store, the Urban format has some counter seating and some front-of-house workers.

Panera

Like the To Go store in Chicago, the bulk of the new New York City location is dedicated to shelving for picking up orders.

Panera

The location is the first to feature Panera's new branding and art, too

Panera

A digital order status board shows customers how their food is coming along before they pick it up.

Panera

Now that digital orders make up half of Panera's sales, Luz told Insider that the chain plans to "aggressively" pursue more openings of the new restaurant formats in urban markets in 2023.

Panera

The push towards opening stores in cities doesn't mean Panera is moving away from its presence in suburbs.

Panera Bread

By the end of 2021, 44% of locations had a drive-thru, Panera said.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The chain is working on drive-thru updates for suburban stores, like double lanes and tests for AI technology that can take drive-thru orders.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Source: Insider

The suburbs remain a "stronghold" for Panera, Luz told Insider.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

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