Posted on 01/29/2018 7:28:25 AM PST by EdnaMode
The bakery-café chain panera Bread has issued a nationwide recall of its cream-cheese products, after samples showed evidence of the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium.
Listeria infections kill hundreds of people each year and are particularly dangerous for pregnant women and their unborn children (hence the recommendation that pregnant women should avoid soft cheeses).
Panera (PNRA, +0.00%) was keen to point out that the bacterium was only found in samples of one variety of its cream cheese, made on one particular day—samples from the production days before and after seemed to be fine.
However, better safe than sorry, so Panera is recalling all varieties of its 2 oz. and 8 oz. cream cheeses in the U.S. The recall does not affect cream cheese sold in its Canadian outlets.
“The safety of our guests and associates is paramount, therefore we are recalling all cream cheese products sold in the U.S. with an active shelf life. We have likewise ceased all manufacturing in the associated cream cheese facility,” CEO Blaine Hurst said in a Sunday statement.
If you bought the cream cheese, Panera said, you should throw it away and call the company on 1-855-6-PANERA, or visit its customer help website, for information about how to claim a full refund.
Suzy Creamcheese, honey, what’s got into ya?
Panera sold out to a venture capitalist, but they were going downhill even before that. It’s amazing how quickly they trashed the brand they worked so hard to develop.
On another subject, I think Panera is on the way out, either selling or just going under. Very popular store location in my city is closed and under construction (New business?) Two stores I visited in the past few weeks were completely offline with their ordering system. Very high turnover and service is horrible.
Something’s up.
I have a million pet peeves and one of them is, children narrating commercials. Panera’s use of a young woman speaking in a soft, condescending tone puts my teeth on edge.
UGH - just consumed m fav cheese pastry!
Isn’t lysteria the bug that knocked Blue Bell ice cream offline for several months a year or so ago?
I went in for Bible Study and there was a sign on the door. I got the Oatmeal Cookie instead.
I would never spend even one penny at this place.
I love Panera’s food but it’s crazy over-priced for the portions.
Now I’m a little concerned. I am 5 months pregnant and ate breakfast there on Saturday.
Panera has been the single-most greatest threat to my lo-carb/paleo diet.
Their sourdough bowl soups are capable of temptation on a biblical level.
Fully agree. What's it now, like, ten dollars for the "pick two".
It wasn't that long ago it was about $5.99 for that. And that's about what it's worth, in my mind and I like the place. I never go anymore though.
My local Panera bread seems to be staffed by college graduate girls who couldn’t hold down a job at Mickey Dee’s.
I agree, too. It has been at least a year since I’ve been to Panera, but the sandwich I got had one thin piece of roast beef and a thin slice of cheddar. And it was not cheap.
Don’t know how popular this place is as I have never seen one.
Yep. Overpriced and tasteless.
It has always been my experience that chain restaurants end up going downhill eventually. I think what happens is there is always pressure to keep improving the bottom line so they are always looking for ways to take out cost. It could be one less slice of cheese on your sandwich, making you ask for a straw, or having waitstaff run eight tabletops instead of six.
Eventually the service and product will not be what it was.
I remember when Applebees first came to my area in the late 1980s. It was the place to go. It was brightly lit, extremely clean and everything just shined. Food portions were huge and you had a gleaming wrap around bar in the middle of it all with polished wood and sparkling glasses hanging from the racks above. It was actually an upscale place. Yuppies used to go there after work.
Go into an Applebees now and you have a totally different experience. It's a shoddy operation that is running on fumes. Much more downscale. Yuppies wouldn't be caught dead there nowadays.
With independently owned restaurants, the owners might be satisfied with a fixed bottom line (as opposed to always trying to increase margin). They don't have a corporate HQ spreadsheeting them to death with metrics and tying manager compensation to YOY growth in operating margin.
Nothing to do with Panera, but I just wanted to share something I learned recently. I buy only about 4 cups of coffee out in the course of a year, but, recently, I stopped into a Burger King. I had to wait in a short line, during which time I heard a man ahead of me place an order that included 2 “senior coffees”.
I do not patronize fast food places more than 3-4 times a year, so I am frequently confused about their offerings. Grateful for the line that caused me to hear that man give his order, I did a quick scan of the overhead menu, but it showed no listing or price for a “senior” coffee. When it was my turn, I said to the cashier, “There’s a senior coffee?”
When she said, “Yes”, I proceeded to order a medium, but she told me that there is only one price. When she told me my charge — $0.53! — I waited for my 6-oz. cup. But it turned out to be about 11.5 ounces. (Yes, I measured the cup capacity when I got home, just out of curiosity.) Pleasant surprise.
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