MyPanera members can now place orders using Alexa, Amazon’s assistant, via voice or touch options. With this new feature, they can ask Alexa to add items to their order, customize products and check out, without having to open the MyPanera app. The orders can be prepared for pick-up or delivery from Panera Bread cafés.

To start ordering via Alexa, MyPanera members will need to have an Echo Show device and a stored payment method, and for delivery orders, an address in their MyPanera account. To make this service possible, Panera worked with Amazon to enable Alexa to learn the Panera menu.

“While our guests love the Panera app, we know there are times when it’s just more convenient to be hands-free and order by voice, and we are thrilled to work with Amazon to design and offer another convenient way to order Panera,” said George Hanson, Chief Digital Officer for Panera Bread. “We’re continuing to push the boundaries of what we can do to make our MyPanera members’ lives easier, and we’re just at the beginning of what is possible in the world of conversational commerce.”

“Ordering with Alexa gives customers an easy and natural way to connect with their favorite restaurants at home,” said Mark Yoshitake, GM and Director of Alexa Skills. “Panera is the first to use our updated Alexa Food Skills API which incorporates state-of-the-art techniques in conversational AI to make the ordering process through Alexa more intuitive. Now, customers can reorder their favorite meal, ask to add avocado and bacon to their sandwich, or track their delivery without having to pick up their phone, or open an app.”

Panera Bread opened in 1987 as a community bakery, founded with a secret sourdough starter. As of February 28, 2023, there were 2,113 bakery cafes, company and franchise, in 48 states and in Ontario, Canada, operating under the Panera Bread® or Saint Louis Bread Co.® names.

Photo: Panera Bread