The new Panera Cares Community Cafe in Dearborn isn't your usual soup and sandwich spot.
Well, sure, there's soup, and sandwiches, and other items, too, just like a typical Panera Bread Co. But patrons pay what they can based on what they can afford and suggested donations for each item on the menu. This way, everyone who needs a meal gets one, and those who can afford to give a little more have the opportunity to do so.
Kate Antonacci, a Panera spokesperson, says the company had spent months researching models for food distribution, including food pantries and soup kitchens, and decided they wanted to do something that looked and felt just like a regular Panera. The signs are different, but the menu is just like the Panera everyone recognizes. There are donation bins, and they can break a bill or run a credit card, just like a regular restaurant. "For the most part, it does feel the same," Antonacci says.
She explains that they wanted to offer their full menu and be self-sustaining, so the location had to be in a place where some people would be able to give the recommendation donation or more. But they also wanted it to be available to people who need it.
"Dearborn was this great mix for us," she says. "It's near public transportation, it gets a good flow of people who come in and out -- we felt it was the right place for us there."
The Dearborn location is Panera's second Panera Cares; the first was in Missouri, and a third is set to open in Portland next month. Panera Cares doesn't have any figures for the Dearborn store yet, but Antonacci says the cafe in Missouri runs at about 80-85 percent of the retail costs, which is enough to be self-sustaining. There's no way to tell for sure, but she estimates that about 60 percent of patrons pay the suggested amount, 20 percent more, and 20 percent less, with some paying significantly less or nothing.
"We wanted there to be a certain level of anonymity, so people don't feel like they're being watched," she says. "It gives them the opportunity to give what they want -- the exact amount is up to them."
The Missouri cafe is so successful that the company is implementing a program to give at-risk youth on-the-job training to learn work and life skills. "The ultimate goal is to use the space and skills we have to do something even better than feeding people," she says.
She explains that the Panera Foundation, which runs the cafe, is not part of the corporation any more, hence the name change. And although Panera already donates money for food distribution and donates its leftover product, "We weren't directly interacting with the people we were helping," she says.
Source: Kate Antonacci, spokesperson for Panera
Writer: Kristin Lukowski
Enjoy this story?
Sign up for free solutions-based reporting in your inbox each week.