“Cincinnati will be one of the first cities to get delivery service,” said Melanie Murray, regional marketing director for local Panera Brand franchisee Covelli Enterprises. “Most of the rest of the country rolls out the option nationwide next year.”
It’s also projected to create at least 120 new jobs in the region for the service, which is available through the Panera website/app. That will mean the ability to order lunch and dinner to homes, offices, campuses and hospitals within an eight-minute drive of a Panera bakery-cafe.
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Panera cafes will generally deliver between the hours of 11 a.m. and 8 p.m., seven days a week, for a minimum order of $5, plus a $3 delivery fee.
Ron Shaich, Panera founder, chairman and CEO, said the company is doing for delivery what it did for quick service, “creating an elevated guest experience end-to-end.”
“In many places across the country, all that’s available for delivery is pizza or Chinese food,” Shaich said. “We’re closing the gap in delivery alternatives and creating a way for people to have more options for real food delivered to their homes and workplaces.”
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Those interested in delivery jobs may visit https://jobs.panerabread.com and type "delivery" into the keyword box.
The new jobs are a part of 10,000 new in-cafe and delivery driver jobs the company said it would add system-wide by the end of 2017 as it expands delivery service to 35 to 40 percent of its cafes, according to a company statement.
A new order tracking system lets guests track a delivery order all the way to their home or office, along with expected arrival time, the delivery’s progress on a map, a picture of and introduction to the driver and a notification when that driver is arriving.
The service will be available at all Panera locations in Butler and Warren counties with the exception of Bridgewater Falls.
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