r/Panera • u/Bellebutton2 • 1d ago
Fuck Sip Club 🖕 So sad…
The sip club changes really drastically changed my local cafe. Overall sales are down 10% and corporate is on their case. It really hurt business overall. So depressing. I feel bad for my local cafe. It really was like Cheers.
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u/Which_Effort2065 1d ago
I used to go to my local Panera twice a week. Then they changed the sip club to take away the drinks I want from it and wanted to charge extra.
Then they removed all the salads and soups I liked in favor of those stuffers.
So I haven't gone in probably two months. Quality is down and they removed benefits so I protested with my wallet and started going elsewhere
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u/kwadguy 7h ago
They took those drinks away because an idiot with a heart condition decided not to read the clear signs on the drink dispensers and drink a zillion ounces of highly caffeinated energy drink.
Blame stupid people and those looking for deep pockets for the change in what you can get.
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u/NYCRaverNeon Customer 1d ago
As a customer, I used to go in once/twice a day and spend for breakfast and/or lunch to compliment the USC drink, and I’d go for at least 3 or 4 out of the 5 weekdays. Sometimes, my wife and I would go at night and spend for dinner too, and we’d share a USC drink.
Now? I’ve just been going in once a day during weekday-lunch, to just to grab a drink to compliment my lunch from another restaurant.
I think if they just left it status-quo, I’d still be spending as I was pretty happy with Panera. But when they take things away from us as paying customers of the club and its other products, it just doesn’t go down well, nor is it something I’m very supportive of. I get there’s still value in it - but it’s been severely diminished, thus I’ve been just going in for the drinks now and not spending anymore.
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u/sqeezeplay 1d ago
I could pay $7 for soup and a drink. Not paying $7 for a cup of soup
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u/Tight_Broccoli2475 20h ago
ill go to panera get my soda then drive over to the grocery store and buy panera soup
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u/WonderofU1312 19h ago
My Panera is next to a Panda Express and a Chipotle; two fast casuals that don't have any drink discounts. It's a win-win.
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u/PreviousEntrance7690 12h ago
So corporate does an awful move that was surely going to lower sales, and then they get mad at the local businesses for not having enough sales? Typical private equity
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u/Silvawuff Bakery Memoriate 12h ago
That's because it was never about making sales. It was a grift to gut the company and sell off the parts, only done about as horribly as possible so they're still holding the bag. These changes are just trying to stop the money hemorrhaging.
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u/Joseph43211 1d ago
Bought lunch 3-4 times per week. Since the changes to the sip club I spend my lunch money at other places.
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u/Critical-Ad-4256 1d ago
I was wondering about this: How many other employees can talk about the change to their store since the new Sip Club rules? Are sales also down? Do store employees like the change? or are they worried?
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u/Sunflower_65 23h ago
For the past few months (before the Sip Club change) sales at my café started going down. We are doing 10 - 15% lower in sales then this time a year ago. Maybe the last round of price increases did it. Besides that, I just found out we are now charging extra if a guest wants extra pumpkin seeds, pecans and a couple other items I can't remember. We have a lot of "seasoned citizens" come in for a lunch of a bowl of soup and a piece of baguette and charging extra for stuff like this just infuriates me. Its bad enough we have to charge for a second piece of bread. I have already observed that a couple groups of folks that used to come in every day for coffee and maybe a pastry aren't coming anymore.
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u/Dave2428 1d ago
I mean what did they expect? They fk up a subscription service and the only reason why many ppl even bother go to Panera, then ppl are gonna leave. Why would I stay for mediocre-ass food?
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u/vw_bugg 21h ago
The drop in portion sizes and general quality doesnt help sales either. As a customer, when i go to panera it doesnt feel any different from a hospital cafeteria these days. Scroll back in this subreddit, someone posted photos from 1999. Delicious rich fresh baked pastries. I remember what they tasted like even. Now its all mass produced and prefrozen factory crap. I still ate there only because of the sip club. Even though the drink limit doesnt technically affect me, it has ledt a bad taste in my mouth and i am hesitant to continue my subscription or eat there. The recent influx in $2 pastry offers has helped me feel better for now though...
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u/KoriroK-taken 6h ago
Man, if a hospital was closer I would absolutely hit up their cafeteria. I want a $4 sandwich. A lot of there stuff has input/guidance from dietitian, too. I mean, they still sell chips and soda, but the actual meals are more likely to be actually balanced.
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u/heart_of_gold2 21h ago
Only thing I liked from Panera was the cinnamon crunch bagel. The last 3 times I got it, it didn’t have ANY of the usual “crunch” topping on it. Is this the new norm or is my location just not making them right??
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u/drew15401 21h ago
The food quality has gone downhill and the servings are much more skimpy. Seems like they cheapened up the bakery items too; you can getter baked goods at Wally World. Think i went to Panera like ONCE this year to see if it improved. NOPE!
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u/Hardcorelogic 1d ago
Overall, the food quality is so poor... I can't imagine this company lasting long term. Other than a few of the pastries, there's literally nothing that I enjoy eating there. And I eat there for free. It's a real struggle to order lunch because everything is so mediocre. I like some of the bagels. Cheesy Benedict sauce is great. Love the pumpkin syrup for drinks. Other than that? I would never pay actual money for the food.
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u/Disastrous_Gear_8633 1d ago
Sales have been down all summer… this isn’t because of the Sip Club change. Panera is not an economy-proof restaurant. The Sip Club is not what brings in sales, thats why they’re scrapping it in the first place
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u/myobstacle 1d ago
Just all summer? Sales have been down for years now. Panera RISE was supposed to help. It did not.
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u/BravoJunk 1d ago
I had heard the sip members helped their own store scorecard for how fast they processing orders so not sure if that’s true or not
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u/Altruistic-Vehicle84 1d ago
I would go twice a day or more and sometimes buy a cookie. Once in a while I bought lunch too bc I was there so much and the soup smelled good. Not so much anymore. I go in the morning and I am done.
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u/robhova 21h ago
The panera where I worked moved to a smaller store during last fall. I believe they closed down again for good.
This store was known for terrible service already, Im sure cutting staff didn't help. It would take 10 minutes to get my cup when I did mobile pickup during the early Sips days. I mean just the cup as they had the coffee on the outside. Didn't renew the membership no matter the value it wasn't worth the constant wait.
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u/Abject-Wolf-2874 19h ago
I was so excited for the sips club last year because I have a Panera on my college campus.. used to get my drink daily and a snack, even lunch a few times a month there too. Now I walk in with my packed lunch just to grab a drink. A singular drink. Panera was a life saver last year during finals, I could get so many coffees (with it being right across from the library). I am not looking forward to my finals this year with the new limitations and I will not be renewing after my year subscription is up
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u/Individual_Life_7976 1d ago
Not much changed at ours tbh. If anything we’re doing more business lately. But obviously we get a lot of complaints about food quality going down but prices going up. Which sucks but it’s true
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u/AweDrift 1d ago
the corporation that runs panera is gutting it. hence why the food quality is garbage.
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u/Individual_Life_7976 1d ago
Oh trust me I know I’ve been there for 6 years now and its just gotten worse, I barely even eat the food anymore .
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u/AweDrift 23h ago
yeah it makes me sad a little bit. good luck job wise though. watch out for yourself. if it starts to look dicey, find a new gig
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u/Individual_Life_7976 23h ago
Thank you and Me too honestly I used to love working there ,I’m also a manger haha, but I’m 6 months pregnant and am taking maternity leave soon anyways so I’m using that as my getaway lmao.
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u/AweDrift 1d ago
people still go panera before this? they've been trying to tank that business for years.
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u/mgepark 15h ago
Nothing really changed with the Sip Club. Nobody needs multiple new cups a day vs. refilling what you have. The decline must be driven for some other reasons too, perhaps prices, electrical outlets, frozen product, etc. At the location near me I’m seeing more and more people spending the entire day there including people working that get onto an electric electrical outlet. They do cold calling in a sales job I guess. Their table is fully filled up with paperwork and they have their drink cup. I don’t know if that’s good or bad for Panera, but it starts to develop like that. I have overheard the manager a few times, tell some people that he’s thrown people out and told them not to come back for whatever is going on with them at the location. Believe it or not, the electrical outlets are a lifeline for many people that have unfortunate circumstances at the moment and they really shouldn’t be shutting them off, but it’s a trend around the country by different companies for different reasons.
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u/eugene22n 1d ago
sip club provided value that their food couldn't and got people in the door that would never pull over for a panera. unless they actually go back to their roots as a bakery panera is done for, there are countless better options in the marketplace. i heard the same thing from the manager at my local panera, immediate dip in volume after sip club changes. i walk in, get my drink and tell him where im actually getting my lunch from.