Like it or not, Panera Bread is iconic, ‘Lemonade That Kills You’ notwithstanding. Ranked number seven in USA Today’s ‘10 Best’ restaurants, it’s become a staple for Americans nationwide.
That being said, many Panera diehards do seem to all share one common gripe: Namely, that there’s not enough of it! Panera’s shrinking portion sizes have been met with both frustration and lost customers, with loyal diners struggling to brainstorm loopholes for better portions.
Enter Erin, AKA @erinm0810 on TikTok, with a life hack to end all life hacks. Let’s see if she can help us literally get this bread.
More bagels, no problems
In a video posted on Jan. 9, which has since accumulated over 125,000 views, Erin walks us through an alleged Panera sandwich hack by trying it out herself—in front of our very eyes. Sitting in her car with a new bag of Panera takeout, she breaks it down for her TikTok viewers.
“I saw a hack that if you order a bagel as your half sandwich bread from Panera, they’ll give you the whole bagel instead of just doing like a half bagel like they do with the regular bread,” Erin begins in her video. “So I did that today and we’re gonna see.”
Erin then opens her bag of takeout, with the camera still running, to reveal two halves of a full bagel prepared as a delicious-looking sandwich. Voila! The hack works.
“Yep, whole bagel,” Erin confirms. “I got the Asiago cheddar bagel.”
Erin then proceeds to break down how she customized the bagel, making it extra-nutritious to suit her needs.
“I did a grilled cheese with the Asiago bagel,” Erin explains. “I also added Turkey to it because I needed some protein.”
Erin admires her handiwork, appreciating the richness of the meal she’s ordered.
“That looks fire,” Erin says. “It’s a whole bagel. I also got chips with it. This was a ‘you pick two’ and this tomato soup. So that’s a good hack.”
Short, sweet, effective. A good hack indeed. In an email to The Mary Sue, Erin shared that such hacks are her bread and butter.
“I am definitely a savvy spender,” Erin wrote. “So I am always looking to try out hacks like this one!”
@erinm0810 haven’t had panera in a minute and this hit the spot #panerabread #panera #bagels #foodhacks #fastfoodreview ♬ original sound – erin
Viewers chime in with their thoughts
While some people didn’t seem moved by Erin’s hack, many appreciated the tip. Some viewers even commented with hacks of their own.
“You’ll get 2 whole bagel sandwiches if you order a whole sandwich on a bagel,” one commenter advised.
“Girl I do this all the time and save one for later!!” cheered another commenter. “I love it!”
A self-identified former Panera worker, however, seemed skeptical.
“I used to work there, this is normal not necessarily a hack,” commented the worker. “Breakfast is different than the lunch you pick 2.”
The Mary Sue has also reached out to Panera Bread via email to request additional comment.
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