Panera Bread is giving customers a new way to order food and avoid lines or shared devices with the debut of Contactless Dine-In.
A new feature in the Panera Mobile App, Contactless Dine-In allows customers to order on their own devices for plated dine-in service. Once alerted by text or email, customers will be able to pick up their meal at the Panera pick-up counter.
The new service joins Panera’s other ordering options, including Curbside, Drive-Thru, Rapid Pick-Up and Delivery.
“Panera is constantly innovating our technology to respond to the ever-shifting needs of our guests, and Contactless Dine-In is a great example; in fact, we sped up the national rollout to provide a solution for today’s guest concerns,” says George Hanson, senior vice president and chief digital officer of Panera Bread. “Now, guests can avoid lines or shared devices and simply order from a quiet corner of the bakery-cafe. With options like Curbside, RPU, Drive-Thru and now Contactless Dine-In, our guests can order in a way that best suits their needs.”
Panera has been on a mission to ramp up its tech-enabled convenience. In November, Panera opened its first bakery-cafe featuring a next-generation restaurant design in Ballwin, Missouri. Features include new drive-thru and digital ordering options.