The Restaurant Chain That Changed Fast Food Menus For The Better

From the original fast food restaurant and the world's first fast food fries to the way things are today, fast food is an ever-evolving industry that never stops changing. Even fast food menus have gone through a fair share of changes throughout the years. It may be commonplace nowadays for fast food menus to include calorie counts for each item, but it wasn't that long ago that this was considered a newfangled idea. We can all thank Panera Bread for this menu update that took the fast food industry by storm in 2010. Not only did Panera Bread set a new, nationwide standard for fast food menus, leading to a health consciousness in the fast food industry that is felt to this day.

Perhaps what is most impressive about Panera Bread adding calorie counts to its menus was the fact that the chain did so voluntarily. Rather than making this move as a response to negative views regarding health in fast food, Panera Bread made this decision as a positive move instead. From that point onwards, customers could feel good about the choices they made while ordering food.

How Panera Bread changed everything

Panera Bread's move for full menu transparency was considered somewhat revolutionary. At the time, various counties and states were starting to push for fast food chains to be more transparent about calories. As such, fast food chains were pushing back against a rising health craze. However, Panera Bread leaned into this and put calorie information on all items in full view of the public eye.

"We believe it's up to companies to take the lead on transparency (and) not wait for legislation," former CEO Ron Shaich told USA Today at the time. Additionally, Panera Bread's then–Chief Concept Officer, Scott Davis, added that this move helped highlight what meals and items would be better for each customer's health (Times Herald Record). Overall, it was a move for nutritional education and beating legislation to the punch that influenced Panera Bread's decision as a company.

Panera initially introduced calorie counts at over 500 locations, later bumping it up to encompass all Panera Bread locations, including the company's spinoff stores, such as St. Louis Bread and Paradise Bakery and Cafe. Not long after, other fast food chains began to follow in Panera Bread's footsteps. Panera Bread's decisions gave rise to the fast food menu layout we recognize today, which automatically includes a calorie count for every item.

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