In addition to placing delivery orders from Panera Bread's app and site, U.S. consumers can now also tap DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats, according to a press release.

"Panera has been a leader in the delivery market as one of the first fast casual concepts to offer its own delivery service. Today, through these partnerships, we are pioneering once again by being the first fast casual to launch the "bring your own courier" model nationwide," Dan Wegiel, Panera executive vice president of growth and strategy, said in the release. "The most important consideration for Panera is owning the guest experience — and making sure it's a great one.
These new partnerships are possible because we already have a fleet of delivery drivers and the infrastructure created to support increased demand."

Delivery via the Panera app and e-commerce platforms remains in place and will continue to be a strong point of access. Year to date, Panera platforms have driven more than 28 million delivery orders, resulting in delivery accounting for 7% of Panera's overall sales. In fact, the "bring your own courier model" is only possible because of the strong infrastructure Panera has established through its own delivery platform, according to the release.

"These partnerships capitalize on the delivery base we built over the last few years and use an economic model that works for us," Wegiel said in the release. “More consumers than ever will be able to access Panera with the service-level expectations to which they have grown accustomed — we love that."\

Panera is also  working to connect the brand's loyalty program — MyPanera — to delivery orders placed through the delivery partner sites. In the coming months, customers signed up for the MyPanera program will be able to earn visit credits toward MyPanera rewards when ordering through DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats, according to the release.