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Panera Bread Launches Carry-Out Initiative
ST. LOUIS -- For months, employees at area Applebee's have been wearing shirts touting the restaurant chain's "to go" option. At Ruby Tuesday eateries, signs for carryout meals share the tables with salt and pepper shakers. Now comes Panera Bread, which is launching Via Panera with a meal makeover contest where office workers can win a year of free lunches from the bakery-cafes nationwide, according to a company news release.Panera Bread is familiar to the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, as Warren, Ohio-based Covelli Enterprises owns 65 franchises in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and West Virginia.Office workers are invited to visit Panera Bread's Web site, where they can describe their current cubicle fare, explain why great office meals are so hard to come by and illustrate how their team's morale could benefit from freshly prepared foods from Panera Bread, the release stated.Entries must be submitted online by Oct. 15, and winners will be selected by Oct. 29. Contestants will be judged on creativity and humor, the release said. The winning entry will earn one lucky office free Via Panera lunch once a week for a year. The second place entry will receive a free Via Panera lunch once a month for a year, and the third place winner will get one free Via Panera lunch for his or her office. The winning entries also will be posted on Panera's Web site, the news release stated."Via Panera was designed to help the growing number of employees in this country who do not have the time to get out of the office for a fresh, high-quality lunch," said Ron Shaich, Panera Bread chairman and chief executive officer. Each Panera location has a Via Panera coordinator who exclusively manages Via Panera meals from order to pick-up, ensuring speed and accuracy, the news release states. Unique packaging provides an easily transportable, fully organized take-out package; condiments, utensils and napkins are arranged neatly in separate compartments. Food is individually wrapped and clearly labeled for easy identification, according to the news release.As reported in the company's Aug. 5 earnings release, Panera Bread earnings release, operates 669 bakery-cafes in 35 states under the names Panera Bread and Saint Louis Bread Co.Enter the Via Panera contest: www.panerabread.com/contest"