Strawberry Salad Season
Cassie Doubek
Strawberry Salad Season
As we transition into spring and warmer weather, we look forward to beach days, bonfires, and festivals. And for Panera customers, the summer season usually means one thing -- the return of the strawberry poppyseed salad. The strawberry salad, debuted in the summer of 2001, continues to be a top-selling item year after year. By rotating the strawberry salad on a seasonal basis, Panera ensures that it offers its customers the best possible version of the salad with in-season fruits while also building up anticipation that increases demand for the salad and thus the rate of return for the corporation. 
With an emphasis on speed of service, Panera can be classified as a fast food restaurant. However, by constantly updating their menu to offer its customer unique, seasonal items, it differentiates itself from its typical fast food competitors. Every summer old favorites like the lemon drop cookie, frozen lemonade, and summer corn chowder return to replace fall items. While some customers may be disappointed when their favorite fall sandwich, salad, or pastry has been removed from the menu, most of these changes are not permanent and allow the customer to have something to look forward to in the coming months.
Despite slightly increased menu prices, Panera continues see annual increases in sales/revenue, with profits reaching $2.8 billion in 2015, as shown in the graph below. 
These increases can largely be attributed to its unique, seasonal items like the strawberry salad and Panera’s increased emphasis on healthy and clean food. The “Clean Food Movement” was announced publicly in 2016 by CEO, Ron Shaich, who defined the goal of this movement as “the removal of all artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, and colors.” This includes in all salad dressings and bakery items. The summer of 2017 marks the first year of the “clean” strawberry salad with its altered, poppyseed dressing. Check out the video link below for more information about this movement directly from the Panera food team.
By the end of 2016, Panera officially met this goal giving the company yet another advantage over its competitors. For many customers, the benefit of fresh and healthy food outweighs the higher cost of higher prices.
Works Cited
Bruno, Giovanni. "Panera's 100% clean food initiative isn't a gimmick, CEO Shaich says." TheStreet. TheStreet, 02 Feb. 2017. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.
"Its Salad Time." Its Salad Time. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
"Panera Bread Co. Cl A." MarketWatch. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2017.
"What Does “Eating Clean” Mean?" What Does “Eating Clean” Mean? N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2017.
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