Panera Bread Opens Another “Pay-What-You-Want” Café In Chicago

Panera Bread Company has opened a café in Chicago that is actually owned by the charitable Panera Foundation. That’s an unusual business model in and of itself, but what makes it even more intriguing is that the new café operates on a pay-what-you-want formula. People at the café are encouraged to donate, rather than pay a fixed price for coffee and a meal. Donations cover the operating costs. Panera co-CEO Ron Schaik – he is also president of the foundation – “sees these cafes as a way for them to help the community and to raise awareness about middle-class food insecurity,” according to the NPR Morning Edition piece.