Panera, gas prices, Pura Vida
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June 18, 2026
Panera Bread rolled out a big menu upgrade. It’s the latest phase of the ongoing Panera RISE transformation plan, outlined by CEO Paul Carbone last year. Among the changes: Bowls are back. They were cut in 2024, but now Panera is bringing back three warm bowls, value positioned at a starting price of $9.99, along with three elevated salads, new portable breakfast frittatas and a bunch of new beverages, including iced and frozen coffee drinks. Carbone sees green shoots in Panera’s sales turnaround, though he said true change will take time.
Higher gas prices from the Iran war have begun to take their toll on fast food traffic. Three separate traffic reports just released show that traffic in the segment declined in May. Revenue Management Solutions shows a 1.6% drop in QSR, accelerating from -0.8% in April. Placer.ai data shows an even bigger decline of -4.4% during the month, noting that increasing budgets are weighing on consumer behavior. Bloomberg Intelligence shows that QSR traffic fell by 1.8% and expects QSR same-store sales to also slow in the second half of the year because of traffic declines and inflationary pressures.
Pura Vida Miami is building infrastructure for expansion. The Miami-based all-day-café chain announced the hire of Chad Brauze as chief culinary officer. Brauze is the former head of culinary from Sweetgreen. Andrew McCaughan, a former development exec with Shake Shack has joined Pura Vida as chief development officer. And Bruno Cardinali, the former global CMO of Oakberry, is now Pura Vida’s CMO. The moves follow an investment last year from private equity firm TSG Consumer, designed to support the brand’s national expansion.
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About the Authors
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister
Managing Editor
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister is a managing editor for Informa’s Foodservices Vertical, specifically Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, and Foodservice Director. Leigh Anne works on all of the brands’ special reports, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Top 500 report and Restaurant Hospitality’s Best Cocktails and Best Sandwiches contests. She also manages the group’s digital engagement team, and was the managing editor for Supermarket News until December 2024.
Leigh Anne lives in New York City, but also claims Phoenix, Dallas and Cleveland as hometowns. Leigh Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she also studied European history.
Email Leigh Anne at [email protected]
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister’s experience:
Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-present)
Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)
Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)
Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)
Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)
Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)
Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-present)
Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)
Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)
Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)
Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)
Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)
Lisa Jennings
Executive Editor, Restaurant Business
Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts. Her experience includes other industry publications as well as the daily newspaper The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., where she was Food Editor. Her work has been cited in the Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, FoodBeast, The Huffington Post, Time.com and more.
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