A recent USA Today piece about the success of the Panera Cares Cafes, at which customers can pay as much or as little as they can afford for their meals, prompted me to do a quick blog post here, in the hopes of stimulating readers to brainstorm about how a similar approach might be worth exploring in their particular business realms.
Though the economy is showing signs of life, things are still not great for vast segments of the population and the amount of goodwill generated from a well-done, well-executed program like Panera’s could be tremendous.
Of course, any for-profit venture can’t survive by depending on the better angels of human nature, though Panera estimates that about 20 percent of patrons give more than the suggested donation, about 20 percent give less or nothing and about 60 percent leave the suggested amount.
But as part of a larger charitable or community-building undertaking, a model like Panera’s – one that preserves the dignity of the less-fortunate; burnishes the image of the brand doing the giving among all of the customers, not just those paying what they can afford; and also allows those who pay more than the suggested amount to nourish their souls along with their bodies – is definitely food for thought.