One clever shopper could get “a light lunch for two or a fairly substantial lunch for one” for $6.99 using the Panera app. He showed people how they could accomplish the same thing using the app.
The Panera hack comes from Coupon Daddy (@couponingdaddy) and comes from a TikTok video posted on Tuesday. It has garnered more than 247,200 views so far.
He starts by asking, “Did you know you can get lunch for two at Panera for $6.99?” He then switches to a view of the Panera app to follow his step-by-step instructions.
The hack
First, you choose whether you want to “pick up” or “dine in” and whether you want your order to be “now” or “later.” Then, he says, you go to the section labeled “Value Duets.” “Now you can choose one of these Value Duets. They’re all $6.99 and you get either half a salad or half a sandwich and a side of soup,” he says.
From there, you add the item to your cart and then return to the menu. “Now you can choose any main dish you’re interested in,” he suggests. “I’ll pick a sandwich, and then we’ll go to ‘Set Up Sandwich’ and instead of clicking ‘Add,’ we’ll click ‘Customize.'”
Once you’re there, “press the little X in the top left to go to the sandwich itself. Then we’ll resize it to half.” After that, you can select a side dish you want and then go back to the cart to view both selected items.
That’s where the promo code comes in: Enter “FREEHALFENTREE,” which should produce the following result. “You’ll see the price of half the entree is deducted, so you only have to pay for the Value Duet, which is $6.99 plus tax,” he says.
If you want to cut costs even further, he recommends water as your drink of choice. Alternatively, you can also order a drink to go with it. I recommend joining the Sip Club if you want a free lemonade with your meal.
@couponingdaddy Let’s have lunch for two at Panera for $6.99. #thedealandthedetails #moneysavingtips #budget #coupon #couponing #moneysavingtipsandtricks #cheaplunch #sipclub #filedeas ♬ Original sound – Coupon Daddy
What is the Unlimited Sip Club?
According to Panera, Unlimited Sip Club subscribers “have access to over 20 beverages. You can redeem your benefits every two (2) hours during regular cafe hours (with unlimited free refills on the same beverage) at any participating Panera Bread bakery cafe in the U.S.”
According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, Panera ranks highly among U.S. fast-food and fast-casual chains. It ranks fifth among 23 brands in this category, with a score of 80, tied with Arby’s, Culver’s and Starbucks. Rival Subway, on the other hand, ranks at the lower end of the scale with just 74 points.
Panera customers confirm in the comments section that this hack works.
“You can also use the free half entree as many times as you like??” one person shouted. “I’ve used it about four times in the last two weeks.”
Another reported: “Depending on location, mine was 8.99 for value, but 8.99 for half a fontega and half a turkey and a small salad!!!!”
Others reported similar variations depending on where they lived.
Someone else commented: “Been doing this for weeks,” adding: “Such good advertising.”
But at least one person didn’t like the video, noting, “Dude, I kept this a secret because I don’t want it to disappear.”
The Daily Dot contacted Coupon Daddy via TikTok direct message and Panera via email.
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