Panera focuses on cafes in first ads from 72andSunny

Last year, Panera unveiled what it described as a new “era” with the biggest menu transformation in its history. Now it’s putting out a new campaign from a new agency aimed at driving more dine-in traffic to its cafes. The campaign, “It Just Meals Good,” is the first from 72andSunny New York since winning Panera’s business earlier this year. The ad starts by tearing through a loaf of bread to find a full Panera cafe, followed by close-up shots of salads, mac and cheese, soups, bagels and salads. The ad then depicts a range of occasions bringing people to Panera, including getting a salad fix, meeting an ex-partner (however awkwardly) and lunching with dad. “Whatever you’re feeling, at Panera, it just meals good,” says the voiceover. “We wanted our brand story to talk about the food and how it can show up in consumers’ lives,” said Mark Shambura, Panera’s chief marketing officer. “Whatever the dining occasion, there is a menu item for everyone,” said Geoff McHenry, head of strategy at 72andSunny New York. “It’s very customer-centric but still about the food, so we showed the relationship between those.” The work comes after Panera trimmed its menu last year to focus on core items—soup, salads, sandwiches and mac and cheese—in a move meant to “re-embrace the core of what Panera is,” as Shambura previously told Ad Age. But it also comes as the company deals with some turmoil. Panera’s U.S. systemwide sales totaled $6.1 billion in 2024, down from $6.5 billion in 2023, according to data from Technomic cited by Restaurant Business. Last year, Panera made headlines for lawsuits over its caffeinated lemonades and a data breach that compromised employee information. It has also had a couple of corporate layoffs and executive changes, including Paul Carbone being named CEO earlier this year. Shambura took the CMO job late last year after serving as Papa Johns’ CMO. Focusing on dining in is one of the strategies that executives believe can drive more traffic. According to Restaurant Business, a recent internal memo at Panera highlighted steps the chain has taken to stay “laser-focused on what drives guests to our cafes—the food experience, the café experience and delivering great value for our guests.” “We wanted to get to the feeling in the cafe,” Shambura told Ad Age. “We talked about the cafe almost like a supporting character. While there are lots of ways to experience our brand off-premise, I think the nostalgia comes from the cafe itself, which is a point of differentiation for us.” Previously, ads for Panera focused on limited-time menu items, driving rewards sign-ups and value messaging around prices, such as menu items under $10. While the new work is meant to appeal to a wide range of potential consumers, McHenry pointed to how Panera’s menu can be flexible across different meal occasions, including for Gen Z. “Younger consumers are defining dining occasions on their own terms, like ‘rat snacking’ or ‘girl dinner,‘” said McHenry. “Panera lets you make your own meal occasions, like the ‘You pick two.’ We wanted to highlight that this is food for any mood.” You Pick Two allows customers to choose any two entrees, such as a soup and a salad, and includes a side choice of chips, an apple or a baguette. The new campaign will run on linear and connected TV, as well as digital. Shambura said that the new creative would also show up in the Panera app and emails. He added that in a few weeks, the app will have a feature where customers can give a name to their favorite order for easy reordering.

Panera focuses on cafes in first ads from 72andSunny

Featured Stories