Panera releases TikTok-inspired Roman Empire menu

Panera can’t stop thinking about the Roman Empire, so much so, that they made a new menu for it. The restaurant chain became the latest brand to chime in on the viral TikTok trend—which typically features a woman asking her male partner how often they think of the Roman Empire—when it published an online-only Roman Empire Menu consisting of eight of its most popular menu items. “When we saw the Roman Empire trend take off on TikTok, we knew we had to jump in,” said Drayton Martin, senior VP, brand building at Panera, of the menu, which went live Tuesday morning. The chain joined several other brands, including Coca-Cola and Sonic Drive-In, among others, that have embraced the trend. Read more: Brands hop on the Roman Empire trend While other brands have mostly engaged with the trend on social media, Panera opted to take it one step further with a curated menu online. The menu includes a Caesar salad (“It just had to be part of it,” Martin said), mac and cheese, broccoli cheddar soup, a cinnamon crunch bagel, the toasted frontega chicken sandwich, a southwest Caesar salad with chicken, the chipotle chicken avocado melt and the fuji apple salad with chicken. All of these items are available regularly at Panera. ‹ › × (Click image to enlarge) Panera’s Roman Empire menu. Credit: Panara Panera’s menu is a nod to the idea that there are just some things that consumers can’t get off their minds, including its most popular food items, Martin said. Panera isn’t the first brand to have TikTok inspire its menu. Earlier this summer, Popeyes jumped onto the “girl dinner” trend, which showed the low-effort or eclectic meals that women were eating after a long day or when they were alone. Popeye’s version consisted of mashed potatoes with gravy, mac and cheese, coleslaw, Cajun fries and two biscuits. Chipotle was also influenced by a TikTok menu hack, which led to the Fajita Quesadilla. Other brands have also leaned into the Roman Empire trend, especially on Threads. Barnes and Noble set aside a display of Roman Empire-themed books in one of its stores, and United Airlines promoted a sale on flights to Rome on TikTok.

Panera releases TikTok-inspired Roman Empire menu

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