Panera has announced its fall menu, and the brand has teamed up with an old television favorite to do it. In celebrating the 25th anniversary of the TV show Gilmore Girls, the brand has embarked on an ad campaign with GG alums Jared Padalecki and Matt Czuchry to show off their fall favorites. The updated menu centers around the fall restaurant menus. The campaign likens Panera’s warm fall food favorites to binge-watching those nostalgic television rerun marathons that air every fall–comfort food to eat while watching comfort shows.
Panera’s Fall Menu Favorites
Panera’s fall menu combines new offerings with old favorites to bring customers all the flavors of the season. New offerings include the Harvest Medley Salad and the Crème Brûlée Latte. The salad tops mixed greens and fresh arugula tossed in balsamic vinaigrette with a whole grain blend, feta, mandarin oranges, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and crunchy beet strips. It is available with or without grilled chicken and comes with a side of a French baguette. The latte features freshly brewed espresso, foamed milk, and naturally-flavored crème brûlée syrup, topped with whipped cream and salted caramel sugar.
The bread chain’s menu changes also bring back seasonal favorites like their Autumn Squash Soup and Pumpkin Cookies. The soup base is made with butternut squash, pumpkin, and vegetable broth, seasoned with apple juice, honey, cinnamon, and curry. It is then finished with sweet cream and topped with roasted pumpkin seeds. The iced pumpkin-shaped shortbread cookies are a great way to top off a meal.
Also returning are two Panera favorites: Hearty Fireside Chili and Black Bean Soup. The chili is made with beef, kidney beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, and green chili peppers, simmered in a flavorful broth with cilantro and chili spices. Customer requests have prompted the return of the brand’s Black Bean Soup after a seven-year hiatus. The vegetarian soup combines black beans, onion, celery, red bell pepper, carrots, lima beans, potatoes, lemon juice, and garlic.
Fall For Your Favorites Meal
The Fall for Your Favorites Meal offerings, the Hearty Fireside Chili, Black Bean Soup, and Autumn Squash Soup, became available nationwide on September 24. The meal includes the soup and a side of French baguette. The ad campaign features Padalecki and Czuchry blurring the lines of discussing qualities of soups and boyfriends. The ads feel like the two beaus are fighting over Rory Gilmore by describing their characters’ similarities to their Panera soup choices. Here is a sample:
Panera Bread’s chief marketing officer, Mark Shambura, summed up the updated menu in a statement: “Fall is one of our favorite seasons at Panera, when we get to spotlight warm, comforting classics alongside fresh, seasonal flavors.” Other fall additions rolled out earlier in the month include the brand’s French Ciabatta Dippers, Ham Croissant Benny, and Brownie Bites. The Fall for Your Favorites Meal is available exclusively on the Panera Bread app, and the new fall items are available for a limited time.
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