Panera Bread to Pilot Boulevard Beer & Ménage à Trois Wine in 5 KC Locations

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.