If you need help keeping your New Year’s resolution of eating healthier—and, let’s face it, most of us probably do—there’s a local restaurant chain that’s got your back. While Panera is typically a place people associate with fresh-out-of-the-oven bread and mouth-watering pastries, the franchise’s Southern California cafés have started offering some additional low-fat, high-protein items.
Panera customers on the Central Coast can now order the “Power” breakfast egg-white bowl with roasted turkey, steel-cut oatmeal with seasonal fruit topping, the “Power” chicken hummus bowl, the Mediterranean shrimp couscous salad, the all-natural turkey chili, and the low-fat B-Green “Power” smoothie.
Panera’s “Power” bowls, which started as hidden menu items, are excellent sources of protein and complex carbohydrates, and each contain fewer than 400 calories.
“The menu items are modeled after the Mediterranean-style diet and have lots of really good flavors,” said Stephanie Wren, Panera’s regional marketing coordinator for the West Coast. “The goal was to have a variety of options that taste great and are nutritious so you don’t feel like you’re eating the same salad day after day.”
The Mediterranean shrimp couscous salad features a flavorful combination of shrimp, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and roasted tomatoes on top of a mix of baby spinach and romaine lettuce, and tossed with low-fat Meyer lemon balsamic vinaigrette and Panera’s signature couscous blend.
The “Power” chicken hummus bowl includes antibiotic-free chicken, cilantro-jalapeño hummus, baby spinach, cucumbers, diced tomatoes, and red onions, and is finished with freshly squeezed lemon and chopped cilantro. The “Power” breakfast bowl includes roasted antibiotic-free turkey, egg whites, warm baby spinach, roasted peppers, and pesto-basil.
The turkey chili also has antibiotic-free roasted turkey, garbanzo and kidney beans, slow-cooked tomatillos, corn, pasilla negro and ancho chili powders, cumin, edamame, diced onions, carrots, garlic, and green chilies. The chili will be offered as a You Pick Two® option, paired with the spinach “Power” salad.
Lastly, the low-fat B-Green “Power” smoothie blends fruit and vegetable purees, juice and concentrates, kale, banana, and ice.
“[The smoothie] is great for this heat wave we’ve been having,” Wren said.
“And, of course, there are always our bakery items when you’re in the mood to indulge,” she added.
There are currently three Paneras on the Central Coast, including one in Santa Maria on Betteravia Road, one on Madonna Road in San Luis Obispo, and a brand-new location on Branch Street in Arroyo Grande. All three locations are owned by First Picks Management, a development company headed by former NFL star and current ESPN football analyst Keyshawn Johnson. First Picks owns additional stores in Ventura, Thousand Oaks, and Simi Valley. The Arroyo Grande location is the first to have a drive-thru component.
Johnson recently visited the Arroyo Grande store for its grand opening in December.
When asked why he decided to invest in Panera, Johnson told the Sun, “Well, when I first started getting into this franchising business several years ago, Panera was—and still is—a quality business. It employs people, you make money, and it’s a great company to work with.
“We looked, initially, at probably 50 or 60 different companies to partner with when we were first starting, and I made the decision that we’re going to deal with Panera,” Johnson said. “I like the food, and it was something that just fit in the various communities we were focusing on.”
The Santa Maria Panera is located at 540 E. Betteravia Road.
New Times Staff Writer Rhys Heyden contributed to this article. Managing Editor Amy Asman wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via mail, e-mail, or fax.
This article appears in Jan 9-16, 2014.