The Pleasures and Pain-Points of Panera 2.0
Panera is one of my favorite fast dining places and I have noticed they pay attention to customer feedback. For a short while, they stopped serving a baguette with their meals and substituted a roll. I wondered if others were also disappointed when voila, the baguette was back. I found this story in UXMagazine.
Thirty years ago, Panera Bread founder Ron Shaich wanted to improve the fast dining experience. Over the years he became a leader in the fast-casual movement, working to make warmth, deliciousness, and trust key elements of the Panera experience.
Today Panera is a multi-billion dollar restaurant chain in the middle of an 18-month innovation and service-based revamp called Panera 2.0, a multifaceted strategy to differentiate themselves from their fast-casual competitors and improve the guest experience.
According to a 2011 Experian Marketing Services Survey, the typical Panera customer is female (their target customer is 24-54 years old), has a higher than-average income, and is working towards a healthier lifestyle. The Panera customer also seems to be technologically savvy.
There are three consumer-facing elements I want to critique: MiSeat at Panera (pilot), the Panera mobile app (iOS), and the Panera kiosk tablets.
A full critique isn’t possible without detailed information on user demographics and the development process, but as users, development professionals, and Panera customers ourselves, my colleagues and I at Lextech have some insights to share.