Panera Bread opens Panera Cares "pay-what-you-can" cafes

[Terminator X]

http://www.alternet.org/food/151730/restaurants_where_you_only_pay_what_you_can_afford _a_visionary_way_to_bring_good_food_to_the_poor_is _taking_off/


Using the slogan, “Take what you need, leave your fair share,” the cafés are doing just fine. Shaich claims that an estimated 60 percent of customers pay suggested retail price, 20 percent pay extra, and another 20 percent pay less or nothing. The net average comes out to approximately 80 percent of suggested retail price and the shops generate revenues well above their costs. Interestingly, there are no cashiers and cash registers to tally humility or generosity, only greeters and donation boxes to preserve dignity and collect offerings. Further still, some of those who can't contribute monetarily offer their time and effort instead which, in turn, lowers operating costs for the business.

And it's all because Shaich gets the bigger picture: “The vision for the Panera Cares cafe was to use Panera’s unique restaurant skills to address real societal needs and make a direct impact in communities. Thus, the Foundation developed these community cafés to make a difference by addressing the food insecurity issues that affect millions of Americans.” More than 50 million, to be exact.

[The Douche]

I worked for panera bread for around a year. Their slogan is (was?) "a loaf of bread in every arm", which I always found funny.

But the management at my location was fucking terrible. I worked over 40 hours, but was listed as part-time so they didn't have to give me benefits, my schedules were regularly changed w/o notification (so I'd show up at 4 am, but my schedule would be changed to 11 am or vice versa), and they tried to make us attend mandatory meetings off the clock.

They also make a big deal about their donations to charities of left over food, but they only did donations one day a week, every other day the food was thrown out, and if employees tried to take food at the end of the day (food which was to be thrown away), you had to pay for it.

Breaks were also not enforced, and it was not uncommon (even if you worked a 12 hour day) to be told that you could not take a break (even an off the clock 30 minutes break for lunch, which is state law).

[Rusty Shackleford]

cultural capitalism as zizek likes to put it.

@cmoney

are most panera's franchise or corporate?

[Terminator X]

I'll agree that it's far from a perfect idea - Panera is still a multi-billion dollar company, and I'm sure they wouldn't undertake this venture if there wasn't SOME money to be made. It's a decent idea, a start, something to help out a few people while still functioning within the capitalist construct. I give them props for that, but a restaurant owner still goes into business to make money, not a desire to feed people.

[The Douche]

cultural capitalism as zizek likes to put it.

@cmoney

are most panera's franchise or corporate?

I am 99% sure they're corporate, I remember having a general manager, and not an owner.


I will say that the CEO seemed like a nice guy, when he did a secret visit to our store I ended up being his cashier, I rang him up and he paid with a gift card, the balance remaining after he bought food for like 5 people was like $150, so I go to hand his card back and tell him the balance and I'm like "your order number is 1234 and your balance on the card is...uh...$150, bro?". He grinned, said thanks and walked off, then the GM told me he was the CEO, and he came back and gave me the gift card, said I did a good job and told me to eat on him for the next few days.

I should've told him what a bunch of shitheads he had running the restaurant.

[Susurrus]

When they collectivize as well I'll be impressed.

On a side note, this sort of system seems like a good thing for collective businesses to implement.

[thesadmafioso]

Well I will admit that this is a brilliant public relations move, this will certainly bolster their public image with their target market exponentially. It doesn't seem like they are losing too much anyway, given the fact that their suggest retail prices likely contain quite the healthy margin of profit as they stand normally. Quite a good investment in advertising when you factor in all of the free press and publicity they will probably continue to receive from this.

All in all, this just seems to be a novel bit of advertisement covered in a thin veneer of humanitarian framing to give it viability in the media market.

[Libertador]

It just seems to be a novel bit of advertisement covered in a thin veneer of humanitarian framing to give it viability in the media market. As long as the needy are being fed, I don't mind one bit. :cool:

[thesadmafioso]

As long as the needy are being fed, I don't mind one bit. :cool:

They really are not though, by any sort of substantive measure. Charity, especially on this limited scale, is absolutely ineffectual in curing the social and economic ailments of capitalism. When taken into the context of the less than empathetic motivations of profit which are more likely than not driving this project, it becomes difficult to find much of anything in this worthy of praise.

In the immediate scale of this, I agree with you, it is desirable that every channel be applied to the effort fighting hunger. But we have to take insincere and impotent nature of these tactics into account when analyzing their actual use to society.

[Susurrus]

@cmoney Something I've noticed about Paneras is much more limited tipping. The abolition of tipping is something commonly supported by communist movements, from what I've seen. Is this made up by pay, or is it just ignored?

[The Douche]

@cmoney Something I've noticed about Paneras is much more limited tipping. The abolition of tipping is something commonly supported by communist movements, from what I've seen. Is this made up by pay, or is it just ignored?

Man, Panera was really fucked in this regard. Most coffee places have tip jars, and its customary to tip a dollar or so for your drink. I worked as a barista when I was at panera, and the rule was that we were allowed to accept tips, but that we could not display a tip jar. Which is totally backwards, because if you don't see a tip jar, who tips? I certainly don't think to tip if I don't see a tip jar and I didn't receive table service.

Eventually most regular customers would ask us about tips and we'd tell them the story, and most of them would then start tipping, which is cool. But no, wages did not reflect the lack of tips. I made minimum wage (just like my fellow baristas at the starbucks a few doors down did, where they had a tip jar), and we didn't have any benefits if you were part time.

[Gorra Negra]

I also worked at Panera a while back. It was one of the worst shit-holes in the history of man-kind. I rather be parachuted into Waziristan to deal with that shit ever again! What cmoney says is true. They treat their employees(big surprise..!) like chumps. I always stole their shity food too.

[bcbm]

i wish one of these would open across from my work

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

I knew some college graduates who couldn't find any better employment than baking for Panera bread on the graveyard shift.


i wish one of these would open across from my work

I'll take one right across from my apartment. I'd eat all meals there. For free.