Panera partners with business-to-business catering platform

Panera Bread is offering its food and beverage products on a third-party catering marketplace for business customers.

In a new collaboration with the eZCater digital corporate food solutions marketplace, the fast-casual restaurant chain is enabling businesses to order catering from nearly half of its stores across the U.S. on the ezCater website and mobile app.

In the coming months, Panera and ezCater intend to continue to add hundreds more locations to the ezCater marketplace as they continue to roll out the partnership. Businesses can leverage the platform to place catering orders with Panera while having visibility and control over their food spend.

“As two of the most established providers of food for work, Panera is excited to partner with ezCater to provide workplaces with even more access to our delicious menu of soups, salads, sandwiches, and more,” said Lisa Hamblet, VP, off-premise, Panera Bread. “An ideal complement to Panera’s existing catering service, ezCater adds additional reach and scale to expand to more businesses and take Panera Catering to the next level.”

“Not only is Panera a market leader in fast casual, but they’re also a powerhouse in catering and one of our customers’ most requested brands,” said Mike O’Hanlon, chief partnerships officer, ezCater. “We’re bringing the comfort and warmth of Panera’s crave-worthy offerings and the convenience and reliability of ezCater to workplaces across the country. We’re excited to launch this partnership and continue expanding it in the months and years to come.”

ezCater has more than 100,000 restaurants and caterers on its platform. These include Subway, which partnered with the company as part of a redesigned catering program.  Catering orders for the quick-service sandwich chain can be placed digitally via the Subway website or app, as well as through the ezCater site.

As of Aug. 29, 2023 there were 2,131 stores, company and franchise, in 48 states and in Ontario, Canada, operating under the Panera Bread or Saint Louis Bread Co. names. Panera Bread is part of Panera Brands, one of the largest fast casual restaurant companies in the U.S., comprised of Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels.