When Does Panera Stop Serving Breakfast?

In a world with no shortage of cafe chains, Panera Bread is high on many hungry customers' lists of favorites. In 2019, the chain sold nearly $6 billion dollars worth of baked goods and solidified itself as the largest bakery chain in the U.S. (via Restaurant Business). Since its origins in 1987, it's been serving up that familiar, cozy cafe fare (from juicy turkey sandwiches to hearty broccoli cheddar soups, per the Panera Bread website), and people keep coming back for more.

Aside from its lunch options, one of Panera's most coveted meal times is its breakfast. With many diverse food offerings, its morning menu consists predominately of delicious pastries and bagels. But Panera breakfast also means appearances by protein-filled breakfast sandwiches, soufflés, and an assortment of coffees too.

Customers can appreciate these breakfast options because of what Panera does differently, like its Unlimited Sip Club coffee subscription (which, according to Panera, pays for itself after four drinks), and even the fact that Panera uses real eggs in its breakfast sandwiches, per Today, which isn't common practice in the fast-food industry.

Since opening its doors, Panera Bread has not shied away from change. In its early days, Panera Bread was called St. Louis Bread Company, but the chain made a switch to attract more customers. Evolving even further into the future, the chain has just opened up its first digital-only to-go store in Chicago, per Restaurant Business Online.

With the innovation of Panera's locations comes further innovation of its menus. With too many additions to count, let's focus on what we're here for: breakfast. Panera has revolutionized its morning menus a great deal since first opening. As Today pointed out, a few years ago, the chain started using fresh eggs in its breakfast sandwiches instead of the heavily preserved ones used at other chains. This initiative is part of Panera's mission to serve cleaner foods on its menus with the chain even citing a no-no list of potentially harmful ingredients they never use (via Panera).

Aside from changing what's inside its food, Panera is also trying to modify its approach to breakfast altogether. CNBC reported that although the cafe chain used to make most of its profits after 11 a.m., it is aiming to change that with a bigger emphasis on selling fast, quality breakfast foods. This change came with the addition of breakfast wraps to the menu, additional options to its coffee bar, and smarter ordering features on its app. With all this hype surrounding a newly revamped Panera breakfast experience, when can you have a taste for yourself?

Unlike other cozy restaurant chains like Cracker Barrel, Panera Bread's breakfast does not last all day. So, when does Panera actually switch to its lunch menu? According to the Panera Bread menu, breakfast is served at most stores until 10:30 a.m. during the week and 11 a.m. during weekends. Most Panera cafes open between 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. for early risers, but to find the exact hours for a cafe near you, check out each store's hours using the Panera Bread website. 

So, what happens if you missed the window for a morning meal? Well, after 11 a.m. most breakfast items go away until the next morning, but a few do remain all day. Pastries and coffees are available long past breakfast hours, so you can indulge your sweet tooth or get a caffeine lift whenever you wish.