"Our seatbelts are (literally and proverbially) buckled for fairly low-quality food, but an experience that's more about low-cost and high-pleasure. At Panera Bread, however, comparatively higher price tags (think $10-$15 for a salad) suggest closer attention to "the little things." You get what you pay for...or, reason might suggest you should. In reality, a wave of apparent Panera employees is flooding Reddit to voice their dissatisfaction with one ingredient from the chain's kitchen - the chicken."
"One Reddit thread from an alleged Panera worker sounds the alarm, writing, "FYI Panera chicken comes precooked in vacuumed bags when the store gets it." Indeed, for guests who didn't know, Panera's chicken comes in vacuum-sealed, frozen bags (your reporter happens to be a former Panera employee who remembers the chicken arriving at stores in such frozen, vacuum-sealed bags, sporting a rubbery pallor)."
Panera's chicken is delivered precooked in vacuum-sealed, frozen bags and contains added ingredients beyond plain chicken, including water, salt, sodium phosphates, tapioca starch, vinegar, yeast extract, sugar, and citrus extract. Menu listings label components as Smoked Pulled Chicken Breast and Fully Cooked Seasoned Chicken, which include starches and seasonings. Panera avoids many common preservatives but still uses processing and additives that affect texture and composition. Employees and customers have posted concerns online about appearance and processing. Higher menu prices create expectations of simpler, less-processed ingredients that conflict with these ingredient lists.
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