Panera Giving Away Free Food to All Vaccinated Customers

Panera Bread is showing its support for the National Month of Action and the "We Can Do This" Campaign by giving away free bagels to vaccinated customers in early July. The promotion will run from Friday, July 2 to Sunday, July 4. Customers can get one free bagel each day during the time period at participating restaurants.

Panera is not the first restaurant to offer free items to vaccinated customers. Krispy Kreme made headlines for its promotion, where vaccinated individuals can get a free doughnut if they have their vaccination card. A Panera representative told USA Today its offer is based on the honor system. The free bagel is also only available in cafes and online orders through Panera's website and app. Orders through third-party sites are excluded.

"During the past year, we have focused on uniting and serving our entire Panera family; our guests, associates. and communities. Today, we are proud to continue our work through support of the 'We Can Do This' campaign," Panera CEO Niren Chaudhary said in a statement. "We have come through one of our nation's greatest crises by supporting one another, and now, together, we can all take a simple act that will help our communities overcome this pandemic."

President Joe Biden announced the National Month of Action initiative for July to encourage as many American adults as possible to get at least one shot of a coronavirus vaccine by July 4. The White House had hoped that at least 70% of all Americans would be at least partially vaccinated by Independence Day. However, the administration said last week it is unlikely to reach that goal. Jeffrey Zients, who leads the White House COVID-19 response team, said 70% of Americans 30 years old and older are vaccinated, but it will take "a few extra weeks" to have 70% of all Americans 18 and older vaccinated, reports NBC News. "The reality is, many younger Americans have felt like Covid-19 is not something that impacts them and have been less eager to get the shot," Zients said.

Meanwhile, restaurants and other companies are continuing to promote vaccines through freebies and packaging changes. McDonald's isn't giving away anything for free, but the fast-food chain will start serving coffee in hot McCafe cups and McDelivery seal stickers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "We Can Do This" logo in July. The cups will include details on the CDC's vaccines.gov, where customers can find out how to get a vaccination appointment and how they can protect themselves from COVID-19.

Instacart teamed up with the White House for its "Get Vaxxed for Snacks" contest. Vaccinated customers can enter the sweepstakes now through June 30. On July 1, 200 winners will be selected to receive a $500 Instacart gift card. "Instacart is proud to join the White House's effort to encourage more vaccinations in the U.S. so we can all gather safely around the table again and celebrate summertime with friends and family," Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta said earlier this month.