"Panera Bread" a discussion of M.Azim Ulfati 

 
"Evaluate Panera Bread’s strategy and its effectiveness with executing the strategy within the competitive fast-casual restaurant marketplace." 

Panera Bread Company is an expanding chain of bakery-café restaurants throughout the United States that targets urban workers and suburban dwellers. Panera is known for its fresh baked goods, made to order sandwiches with the company’s fresh bread, salad, custom roasted coffees, and other café beverages.   Panera has maintained a good business strategy and has tried to employ differentiation strategy to compete against rivals and gain profits and as well as to achieve success for their product and market through the best opportunities. Panera bread is working on improvement of its strategy to inform clients of food specials during the times the clients would not normally show up.   A coupon will be given to the customers along with the receipts. With these coupons, clients will tell others through the “ word-of mouth” technique. Panera can target families into the market to come for a quick, cheap dinner. The company does not have to change the menu since the menu has food for all ages including a children’s section.
Panera strategy is to constantly change the menu so foods are current with the seasons.  

Panera has differentiated its self from other rivals like, Five guys, Pizza hut and others. It has focused on highest quality food and using organic and natural ingredients for their products and every day fresh dough to their locations.

"Discuss the pitfalls to this strategy and the potential impact to the performance of Panera Bread."

I guess the pitfalls to Panera Bread's strategy would be increasing raw material and cost and also lack of the best customer service in the region and lack of wider selection on the menu compare to the rivals and that has the potential impact to the performance of Panera bread. Panera Bread needs to focus more and more on the cost of products, improving customer service.

"Select one of Panera Bread’s competitors and discuss a disadvantage that Panera has with the competitor and how this disadvantage may be overcome."

I would compare Panera Bread with Starbucks. Starbucks has a wider selection and market advantages while Panera Bread does not. Panera’s disadvantage is lack of brand name popularity or lack of presence in most areas of the state and other countries overseas.
Panera bread requires to expand its agencies to many important locations and as well as overseas to maintain an international name and to be able to compete in an international level. Further more it needs to enrich its menu with new ingredients and cater more healthy food than other competitors. And lastly lack of stores in diverse areas within the United States and overseas. It needs to study and find out more populated and good locations for marketing and set up more shops and increase its brand name at local and international levels.