Panera got new coffee machines.
Instead of having “grabbable” coffee machines, as I called them, they’re now built into the wall, suspended over the table. The old ones could have been lifted off the table and stolen relatively easily, hence the name “grabbable.” Now, you’d have to steal the entire wall if you wanted to steal their coffee machines.
It’s an interesting innovation—we’ll see if it works out for them.
Personally, I enjoyed the old machines. There used to be a chalk board next to each of the machines that read the time the batch of coffee was brewed, in addition to how much coffee was left in the machine.
I miss that.
Now, I feel like I’m playing the lottery every time I pour myself a cup of coffee, like a shmuck. Will there be enough coffee left? Is the coffee in here fresh?
The only thing the new machine indicates is the number of calories per serving. It’s coffee—it has virtually no calories! This is unnecessary information, Panera!
Is this hot?! Is there enough left to fill my cup?!
There is no way people were running in, stealing your coffee machines, and leaving when the old machines were still on duty.
You’re sacrificing 2 crucial elements of the coffee experience in exchange for “coffee insurance” that you probably don’t even need.
Damn it, Panera! What’re you thinking?
Until next time,
Michael J. Erickson, CEO & Co-Founder
