OVERLAND PARK, Kansas – Pan American Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Flynn Restaurant Group LP, announced five Panera Bread cafes in Kansas City will pilot beer and wine sales beginning Oct. 28 with the introduction of Panera Tonight: Beer, Wine & Dine. The launch of Panera Tonight coincides with the debut of three flatbread pizzas – Cheese, Margherita and Chipotle Chicken & Bacon – which also hit menus the same day.
“We are delighted to expand our evening offerings to customers through partnerships with Boulevard Brewing Co. and Ménage à Trois Wines,” said Rebecca Diefendorf, a Marketing Manager for Pan American Group. “Panera offers delicious food all day long. Now you can start your morning with coffee and bagel and end the day with wine and a flatbread pizza. It doesn’t get better than that.”
Panera will partner with beloved beverage makers for the pilot. Kansas City-based Boulevard Brewing Co. and Napa Valley’s Ménage à Trois Wines will be on the menu with beer, wine and sparkling seltzer options from 4 p.m. to close. Offerings will include Pale Ale, Unfiltered Wheat Beer, and Quirk Spiked & Sparkling Strawberry Lemon & Basil seltzer from Boulevard Brewing Co. and Ménage à Trois’ Red Blend, Gold Chardonnay and Limelight Pinot Grigio. In addition, beer and wine will behalf priced until Nov. 17.
“Like mine, families on-the-go are always looking for dinner options that are delicious, healthy and please the entire family,” said Natalie Gershon, vice president of marketing for Boulevard. “We are honored to team up with Panera for this pilot and offer fans Boulevard beer and seltzer in our backyard.”
Panera Tonight is available at the following two cafes (starting Oct. 28 at 4 p.m.) with three additional cafes to join the pilot in the coming weeks:
- Overland Park W 159th St.: 7871 W 159th St, Overland Park, KS 66085
- Overland Park College King Plaza: 11401 College Blvd, Overland Park, KS 66210
“We are thrilled to be the wine partner with Panera for this pilot,” said Wendy Nyberg, Ménage à Trois Wines’ vice president of marketing. “Kansas City is a sophisticated market that will be a bellwether for the rest of the country.”
Beverage prices range from $4 to $6, with flatbread pizzas starting at $7.59.
About Flynn Restaurant Group LLC
Founded by Chairman and CEO Greg Flynn in 1999, Flynn Restaurant Group LP is the largest franchise operator, and one of the top 20 largest foodservice companies of any kind, in the United States. Flynn Restaurant Group owns and operates more than 440 Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants, 367 Arby’s restaurants, 280 Taco Bell and related Yum! Brand restaurants, and 135 Panera Bread bakery-cafes across 33 states, generating $2.3 billion in sales and employing more than 40,000 people. More information is available at www.flynnrg.com.
About Boulevard Brewing Company
Boulevard Brewing Company is the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest. Their beers are available in 42 states and 11 countries. Learn more at boulevard.com, or find them on social at facebook.com/Boulevard, twitter.com/Boulevard_Beer andinstagram.com/Boulevard_Beer.
About Trinchero Family Estates Wine & Spirits
The world’s second-largest family-owned winery and fourth-largest overall, Trinchero Family Estates (TFE) comprises more than 50 award-winning wine and spirits brands distributed in nearly 50 countries around the globe. Founded in 1948—when Italian immigrant Mario Trinchero brought his young family from New York City to Napa Valley and purchased an abandoned Prohibition-era winery called Sutter Home in St. Helena—Trinchero Family Estates has been an innovator for seven decades. Today, Trinchero Family Estates remains deeply rooted in Napa Valley, encompassing a broad portfolio of global offerings, including flagship brands Sutter Home Family Vineyards and Ménage à Trois; luxury brands Trinchero Napa Valley, Napa Cellars and Neyers Vineyards; partner brands Joel Gott Wines, Charles & Charles and Bieler Père et Fils; import brands San Polo, Angove Family Winemakers, Avissi Prosecco, Echo Bay, Finca Allende and Terras Gauda; and Spirits and Specialty Beverage brands Hanson of Sonoma Organic Vodka, Tres Agaves Organic Tequila, Tres Agaves Organic Cocktail Mixers, Amador Whiskey, Trincheri Vermouth and Sugar Island Rum. Learn more at www.tfewines.com