I’ve had the wind knocked out of me. I’m heartbroken and coping with the feeling of betrayal by an institution I’ve always been loyal to and thought (wrongly so) would never dare hurt me: Panera Bread Co.
One fateful day last month, Panera took their delicious baked potato soup off the menu — my go-to order since I was six. There was no warning, no chance for a final farewell, they just pulled the rug out from under me and took away my favorite comfort meal.
Before this tragedy, all that consoled me during cold, gray winter months was the promise of being snuggled up in a blanket, watching Christmas movies and enjoying a steaming bowl of Panera baked potato soup. With winter little over a month away, I’m left without the only meal that can help me through the dark days ahead.
This isn’t an isolated incident. My relationship with the restaurant chain has been growing increasingly toxic ever since they discontinued their specialty cream cheese. Then they came for my Mediterranean salad, but now, they’ve gone one step too far — they’ve taken away my baked potato soup.
This is my breaking point.
Friends and family have attempted to console me with the assurance that their mac and cheese is “just as good” or the broccoli cheddar “has always been the best soup anyways.” Both of these so-called comforts are travesties. The mac and cheese is good for three bites before a ferocious stomachache rears its ugly head and I’m morally opposed to the broccoli cheddar because vegetables and cheese are not to be combined.
Save your apologies and let me grieve the loss of my soup — as we all know, time is the only thing that can heal a broken heart.
As for Panera, they’ve shown me more than enough times that they have no regard for our relationship and I refuse to frantically search the menu for something to eat, and say “you can go next” to the grade schoolers behind me again.
Panera, listen to your customers and stop taking away our favorite menu items or else the only people sitting in your restaurant will be tutors and the elderly.
