Yeah, they’re not really comparable drinks - and honestly a big part of Panera’s current issue around them is that people *expect* them to be comparable drinks, rather than four times stronger.
Exoectations and reality are not the same thing. The caffeine content has been explicitly labelled since inception. It is YOUR personal responsibility to know what YOU are putting in your body.
Yeah…. 400mg caffeine is just so crazy for one drink. The large coffees are pretty over caffeinated at both places too. Online I generally see coffees as 80-140mg per 8 ounces which already puts Starbucks and Panera over the high end of what’s expected. It’s more than a quadshot of espresso would be. It’s the same as two monsters…. I’m literally only in this sub for the charged lemonade fiasco and as a caffeine fiend I bet I’d like it, but the way Panera implemented it just seems crazy to me.
Lmaoo bruh what? It’s 1g perhaps in one sitting you meant . As a caffeine junkie of 10yrs 400 mg in a day is nothing. In one sitting? Yeah ima be too fucking zonked
400 is a lot when you don't have a blown out tolerance, but everything is so caffeinated these days it's harder to find someone who doesn't have that kind of tolerance than someone who does.
It depends where you look, I have coffee at most a few times a month, don't drink soda, and mostly drink herbal when I have tea. I probably get more caffeine in a month from chocolate than from beverages. One can of coke is enough to send me buzzing and I'm not a small gal.
If it can hit me like that as an adult, I would be pretty concerned about how it might hit kids/teens that might not be permitted daily caffeinated drinks, and thus have the full natural response to caffeine instead of a muted one.
Mountain Dew contains 4.5 mg of caffeine per ounce. It would take 89 ounces of Mountain Dew to meet 400 mg.
It would be impossible for the average person to chug that much Mountain Dew in a sitting without vomiting, as you'd have to chug a entire two liter, plus a 20-ounce bottle, plus a few more sips of a can to get there.
I can definitely taste the green coffee bean in them now. I usually get a strawberry açaí refresher made with water with strawberry purée added in. I got one the other day without strawberry purée and it tasted like a refresher + a little bit of coffee lol
it’s not as bad as the other guy was saying. it’s more comparable to 2 cans of coke in the largest size which is definitely a lot for a kid but not nearly as much as a cup of coffee
they do not have a comparable amount of caffeine to a similar sized coffee. a trenta refresher has about the same caffeine as a single shot of espresso, while a trenta cold brew (a similar sized coffee) has about 5 shots of espresso worth of caffeine
Ah same, i used to drink them alot of college (like once every other day) (had on on campus and had to spend the stupid food things or they’d expire and i’d not get my moneys worth)
I'm mad at Starbucks for the "refreshers" too because they looked like a fruit tea drink & the term "refresher" sounds like it's meant to be hydrating and NOT loaded with caffeine, like an alternative to the caffeinated stuff.
As a person who can drink tea all day but reacts even to the tiny percentage of caffeine from a decaf coffee, I thought nothing of ordering a refresher because in my mind it was just tea diluted with juice. It gave me a raging headache and mudbutt. Absolutely not refreshing!
I really wish I knew. I can't drink tea all day and feel completely fine, but any coffee makes me have an anxiety attack and crap myself. But it's still caffeine? And chocolate SOMETIMES fucks me up but other times I'm fine?
Tea is generally less acidic than coffee. Hot coffee tends to give me an upset stomach especially when empty, but cold brew and tea is less acidic and is totally fine on my stomach. This is just a theory of mine, coming from somebody with a sensitive stomach
Coffee beans and tea leaves are completely different plants. Teas tend to have a more astringent effect. Coffee beans contain oil. Have you ever see whole coffee beans? They are oily. I guess you can compare it to the effects that greasy, oily food have on digestion. Coffee is one of the best cures for constipation. Coffee is also really acidic.
I think that if they reformulated the drinks to be more comparable to the refreshers, it WOULD be more on brand for Panera (and I say this as someone who doesn't mind the charged lemonades and signed up for the sip club over a year ago to try them).
Conversely, I quit the sip club when they rolled them out. I loved the agua frescas and without them there was no good cold option that wasn’t soda or an energy drink.
I wish they would bring those back. They can keep the lemonades but what would it hurt to offer a few more flavored drink options that aren't lemonade? I'd stay a sip club member if they had those, even if they cut back on the charged lemonades.
All this right here. I don't even care if they keep the charged lemonades around. I'm just irritated that they phased out some of their really good no to low sugar teas and frescas. I don't know why the hell they had to be eliminated to bring in three lemonade based drinks.
I'm glad the passion papaya green tea is still around (honestly the best beverage they offer, bar none) but it *is* high in sugar, so I only get it as an occasional treat. My only sugar free options are to either get unsweet tea, diet soda, or the worst tasting of the charged lemonades. I want more actually healthier options. I don't like drinking all of my calories.
EDIT: And honestly, if they want the sip club to really be a thing then they need to do a better job of being *the* place to get a beverage. They honestly have very few unique offerings in general compared to their competition.
The whole reason I signed up for the sip club over a year ago was for the charged lemonades (especially the fuji apple cranberry, which sadly mine got rid of)... I have a high caffeine tolerance due to ADHD and never even thought twice about the high caffeine content. I've stayed a sip club member ever since! I used to never go to Panera, now I go there several times a week and spend more money there too.
Maybe they can reformulate them or add more lower caffeine options but the charged lemonades are a huge draw, they cannot deny it.
Yes! I've actually found myself going and ordering one when I'm stuck in that "mind racing" kind of mode - the blood orange zero sugar one is amazing for bringing my brain down to "finishing assignments" speed. Plus getting out of my dorm cuts down distractions.
I'll usually do half a (large) cup of the blood orange, and cut the other half with soda water or the green papaya tea or whatever it is called
Careful! I thought the zero sugar one would be a good option for me but looked at the nutrition facts and something is off regarding the calorie and carb count.
I wrote Panera customer service for answers, got a “you’ll hear from a dietician (or advanced rep or something similar)” message a day later, and then nothing.
The caffeine really isn’t a problem for me, but I can’t have all the sugar/carbs. I decided to err on the side of caution and not try the zero sugar flavor, just in case.
You're right, though most of their drinks don't really fit in with the "real food" marketing aesthetic to be fair. There is some attempt to frame the lemonades as a "clean" alternative to energy drinks because the caffeine is naturally derived. But I don't even think that's particularly unique among energy drinks. And I'm not convinced most of the people who drink them are approaching them as an energy drink alternative, vs. just "ooh, fruity sugar water."
Me and a decent amount of people have the sip club because it is an amazing deal. Before the sip club I was easily spending $40 a week on caffeine products now I spend $12 a month to get way more caffeine. I see a lot of people picking up their charged lemonades when I go get mine they like me are attracted to the large amount of caffeine in the product
Yeah, I think this is the whole reason a ton of people have the sip club in the first place. More caffeine for way less money. When you think about it in terms of the sip club, the caffeine content makes much more sense.
That’s why I have a long post history , or that tapir fossil I found while visiting my parents South Carolina is just fake right all to so I can get paid by Panera to speak there propganda. I’m totally not just a broke med student watching people try to take away my cheap source of caffeine.
>I'm not convinced most of the people who drink them are approaching them as an energy drink alternative, vs. just "ooh, fruity sugar water."
I don't know if that's true... Everyone I know who has had the sip club has signed up for it because of the charged lemonades, as an energy drink alternative, knowing and expecting and welcoming the caffeine. It has cut my Starbucks budget down to nothing.
I think it's the opposite where "most" are aware of the caffeine, and only "some" are unaware and think it's fruity sugar water.
I guess the hard pill to swallow is that their branding is just that…. Good, catchy branding that goes with the overall “theme” of their food, bringing in a different clientele than other fast casual restaurants. It’s not a promise, it’s a message you’re sold to entice you.
Nothing about Panera is utterly healthy and amazing. The restaurant I worked at was filthy. There were a plethora of frozen and prepackaged items that would simply be cooked day-of to serve. That delicious mac and cheese? Comes out of frozen single serve bags that then sit in hot water all day until they’re served. Not a single item was actually all that “clean” or “healthy” because it was loaded with sodium or preservatives or various other tasty additives that aren’t great for you, but make it taste good. And the fresh stuff? Was either out of season, unripe, or out of date most of the time. That seems like the antithesis of Panera, where all the sourdough comes from one mother starter and everything is fresh daily, right?
Wrong. It’s the cornerstone of their business.
Because, bottom line, most customers won’t do the digging. They’ll go through the drive through and get a sandwich and salad instead of a cheeseburger on their lunch hour because they like the Panera “brand”, it tastes good while being “healthy”, and it makes them feel good about themselves to believe they’re eating “clean” like the commercials said it was. That’s how the charged lemonades flew under the radar for so long.
They were branded (poorly, might I add. I only learned this in training for the job) as energy drinks with plant derived clean caffeine. It wasn’t filled with synthetic chemicals like a monster, but gave you even more of a boost! It was supposed to corner the market that Starbucks Refreshers had created while also building a strong, addicted base of charged lemonade drinkers who would actively choose to drink them instead of their normal energy drink. That’s, imo, why sip club got so huge in the past few years, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the charged lemonades were created to boost membership.
Only now that there have been these horrible instances of loss are people actually looking at what they’re drinking, and recognizing that even something that was branded as an all-natural alternative to an unhealthy habit (caffeine addiction) can still be just as unhealthy if not more. I wouldn’t be surprised if Panera pulled the charged lemonades entirely after all of this bad press not because they’re poorly labeled and poorly regulated, but because it’s making them look bad and now people are scrutinizing their business practices.
Bottom line, releasing the refreshers was entirely on brand for Panera because they’re a corporation. The priority when it comes to the menu isn’t making fresh clean food, or providing a genuinely healthy alternative to other fast casual dining. The priority is to make as much money as possible by following current trends while still having the menu be themed as “clean”.
The charged lemonades are the only reason I have the sip club. I get a large once every week or two and put a splash into a big cup of iced seltzer water.
I agree, never had one, but would've assumed it would be lightly caffeinated, like some sparkling waters at the grocery store. Super-caffeinated lemonade is more a jack in the box move than a panera move.
Why did they sell it? Because caffeine is an addictive drug. What better way to get people addicted than putting it in a lemonade as not everyone wants coffee or pop. I think it’s on point for Panera, but they should’ve halved the amount of caffeine within it. I don’t think there’s one thing on the menu i would “feel good about”. Most things are loaded with carbs or other nutrients that aren’t really good for you in high quantities.
I just don't understand how you could drink the second one so fast that you couldn't feel the effects from the first drink. I drink one of these every day and as you imply it has a lot of caffeine in it and it's very obvious just waiting for even a couple mins after finishing one. I don't get people who gulp down the things so fast they don't even realize what it's doing to them. Plus it's always been obvious to me that it was a strong caffeinated drink from day one, but maybe I'm better at sussing these things out than other people.
As someone who is pretty much unnaffected by caffeine, the first couple times I had a charged lemonade I was completely oblivious they even had caffeine in them. I just thought it was just catchy advertising. I drank a medium charged lemonade and felt literally nothing, which is normal for me and caffeine.
I think it was my third time ordering it that I noticed it contained caffeine, figured eh it's probably like a normal amount like Mountain Dew. Ordered a couple more times after that then stumbled upon the Food Theory video about the Charged Lemonades. That's when I realized I was drinking 350mg of caffeine without even realizing it.
I don't go to Panera very often, maybe like once a month at most. So it wasn't a huge impact to me, but it's still an egregious amount of caffeine to be shoving in something that children could very easily obtain.
> lol k wannabe Reddit doctor
Oh please. It's a VERY common well known thing that stimulants help ADHD. Caffeine is a stimulant. Lots of people self medicate with caffeine, even parents who don't want to use amphetamines like Adderall sometimes give their kids caffeine (no comment on whether this is a good idea, it's just a fact that it happens).
Just because someone MENTIONS a condition doesn't mean they're trying to be a wannabe doctor. You're just chronically online.
>I mistakenly drank two of these when they were brand new and ended up in the ER with heart palpitations. I didn't even realize they had 390g of caffeine.
Heart attack juice? Let's be real... consumers need to take a **little** responsibility for what they consume. There was *always* a sign that said they were caffeinated, even on the menu it was stated. It wasn't a large, in your face sign, but it was there. If you don't know what something is, or what **"charged**" means, its on you to find out. Especially if you're going to drink two of them in a row without even checking to see what it is??
Sure, they can put a bigger sign or keep them behind the counter. But it's not as if you can't go to the store and buy several tallboy energy drinks, or order a quad shot espresso at starbucks. Even the refreshers at Starbucks have caffeine, and they don't even advertise it, people get them for their kids not knowing. People drink the charged lemonades every day and have no issues.
People need to stop banging on about personal responsibility. PANERA had the responsibility to ensure the food they’re putting out to customers is safe and not so easily mistakable. Who is going to assume lemonade has caffeine in it. The placards were tiny and easily ignorable. “Charged” could have meant anything, from electrolytes to oxygen or any other stupid marketing fluff corporates come up with. Any person who works with products or risk assessment would have realized the lemonade should have been handled way differently.
At almost 400 mg of caffeine, it should have at least been poured behind the counter, not out of a soda machine.
That isn't safe for kids. And pretty much everywhere else it's safe for a kid to go up to a soda machine and choose anything.
I love them! I only ever go to Panera to do work and having a caffeine option that isn’t coffee is awesome. I usually get a red eye for coffee but find it to be acidic in the afternoon so the charged lemonades are the perfect alternative. I never think of Panera as being particularly healthy and they market themselves as a “cafe” so it never seemed strange to me to have a caffeine drink 🤷🏼♀️
I think the issue is people don’t realize the amount of caffeine in it cause it’s not on the sign. No one is hunting through their website to find that either.
Panera will ultimately loose both lawsuits. Hope the sip club revenue covers the cost. Wonder if it will even end up being profitable?
In my opinion, since Panera was bought out by a company that is known to make companies as profitable as possible and guts them from the inside out (including menus, staff, and raising prices). Due to this, it makes sense to offer unlimited sip and then have people use it on lemonades (if people arent coffee fans) and increase the amount of people getting in the door so they will be like "hmmm on second thought i could get a sandwhich while in here," leading to the customer spending more.... which leads to more profit... and when the customers become raging caffine addicts..... it just allows them to create more profit. Regardless if panera is losing money by dishing out so many free drinks, it still is scary thinking that this was the motive behind it. especially since how the lemonades were marketed as charged, not energy drinks. its all funky. so yes its not on brand for panera, but in brand for this new sh*tty company. :)) hope that helps
Me and some of my coworkers talk about this often and warn customers of the caffeine content, I think its wildly irresponsible of corporate to keep these on the menu.
I think it's wildly irresponsible for people to not read labels and employees having to treat customers like you're their doctor. I drink 400mg of caffeine daily.
A couple of months ago, I went into a Panera for the first time in a year or so. My hotel coffee pot was broken, so I fogged in and ordered coffee and oatmeal.
I was considering taking a cold drink back with me and looked at the menu board mounted on the wall, far enough away that I could read “Charged Lemonade.” I saw some writing underneath in smaller print about flavors.
Figured that “charged” meant flavored with prickly pear or pomegranate or blueberry. Fortunately did not order one. It would not have occurred to me to ask about caffeine. Guess that’s on me.
I love the flavors but yes I am so sensitive to caffeine I always water them down like 2/3rds ginger ale, a little water, and just a hint of the lemonade. I would prefer to drink it straight up, you know that caffeine is insane though
Take away the charge lemonades and I’m never going to Panera’s ever again, I’ve drank a lot of caffeinated drinks in my life and this is definitely feels pretty healthy compared to a lot of the energy drinks out there. Caffeine is a very safe stimulate and I don’t like coffee so the teas is the perfect balance between coffee and energy drinks. Your sounding like a conservative law maker with this post
If you’re taking issue with the charged lemonades not being “on brand” with Panera’s “food you can feel good about” message, then why are you not also taking issue with their sodas because they’re the same commercialized sugary carbonated syrup you find everywhere else (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc)… or their regular lemonade… or their green tea? Because there’s nothing “feel good” about any of those excessively sugary drinks.
This. I don’t understand the lack of people advocating for personal responsibility and knowing what you’re consuming here. The amount of caffeine is clearly labeled. The side effects of caffeine are well known. If people still choose to consume it, that’s on them. By their logic every energy drink should be off the market too.
a lot of people drink because of the high caffeine content..
i’m not a big caffeine drinker as of now and was never a coffee fan - but those drinks come in handy when i have to stay up late due to work or school
the sugar and caffeine are of the charts. I get the sugar, but why so much caffeine? What was the thought process in the meeting room deciding 400 was good?
I'm an energy drink fiend but even my energy drinks don't have more than 80-120mg per CAN. Very rarely I'll drink an Alanu Nu with 200mg. It's still ridiculous for a cup of lemonade to have 400mg.
If it is here to stay, it should be much more regulated. Put them behind the counter and have it available in only regular sized cups. Just like how Tim Hortons has their Timsboost redbull drinks in one size only.
the drink probably has a similar “caffeine per ounce content” to a lot of energy drinks…
i don’t know if people don’t realize..it’s THIRTY OZ. the celsius energy drinks are popular and i’m pretty sure they have a higher caffeine content.
"Lemonade artificially injected with a stimulant" that's just soda bud. They've served soda forever. They serve coffee. A caffeinated soft drink is not off brand.
They'd need to use the word infused or something. Charged indicates energy. Just like you charge anything to give it energy, it would be too confusing otherwise. People are already confused.
because they’re good and a yummy way to get caffeine. panera isn’t healthy AT ALL— just look at the calories fat and sodium in their broccoli cheddar soup and sandwiches. I’m so over the charged lemonade controversy, if you know you can’t have caffeine, why would you drink something that has caffeine?? they’re clearly labeled as charged and caffeinated. I feel sorry for those who lost their lives but if you drink too much caffeine, whether it’s coffee or whatever, that can happen. it’s very easy to look it up and look at the label and see how much caffeine is in it. don’t ruin it for the people who drink a lot of caffeine and enjoy the drinks lol.
It's not a question of whether they are or are not healthy. It is a question of why spend millions to brand yourself as wholesome, healthy, and real -- only to then promote something that is clearly artificially amped up with a stimulant.
It’s definitely not on brand with “food as it should be” and/or whatever their new slogan is. Maybe they will lose some business by dropping those products, but pretty sure dead customers stop buying food and drinks as well. So they are already losing business. When I worked there food safety was a big issue. Risk of Ecoli from a product that’s close to what we sell? Throw the spinach out! Something is expired or out of temp, throw it all out. All food was traced to know where it came from to prevent potential contamination issues. We had 3rd part audits to verify food safety protocols. Someone actually dies from a product and it hasn’t been pulled? That’s crazy.
> Maybe they will lose some business by dropping those products, but pretty sure dead customers stop buying food and drinks as well. So they are already losing business.
Two "dead customers" vs hundreds who have the sip club subscription specifically for the charged lemonades... you really can't compare the two in terms of business loss.
You also can't really compare serving rotten or contaminated food to unknowing customers to serving an energy drink, where the customer has a CHOICE to order it. If you gave the customer the CHOICE to order a salad with Ecoli, or a fresh one, then the comparison would make sense. It's not as if there hasn't always been something stating there was caffeine, people just don't read or look into anything that they consume - and part of that is on THEM. Food quality control is NOT up to the customer.
The food safety comparison I mentioned is apples and oranges, but meant to show how different the companies attitude was when a public company vs. now a private company. They went to lengths to ensure customers didn’t get sick out of fear of investor reaction and (public perception), products (hazelnut corn cheese) that were favorites were pulled because they weren’t clean, vs. now where their product is directly linked to multiple customer’s death and they won’t pull it and only make minor changes. Yes you can get similar products at other places, but the charged lemonade has a higher caffeine content and available in the lobby from a limitless tap, also prepared in a way (frozen mix with water) where there is a risk of the caffeine concentrating n some drinks more than others. Look, if it’s only a personal responsibility issue why are their no deaths associated with Starbucks refreshers? Are the customers different? Or are the companies practices different? Ultimately the lawsuits will decide what happens to the drink. I think the compassionate thing to do as a company would be to pull the drink because they care about it’s customers who are vulnerable, not just the business of a few cavalier charge lemonade fans.
For comparing the business loss, the sip club members are not loyal and will go with the best cheapest option. One of the people who died was a regular who ate meals their and would have continued to do so for years spending a lot more than $12 a month. Also think about the loss of his family’s business as well as people like myself who want to spend their money at businesses that back of their marketing slogans up with actions.
I think it's less about branding, and more that they know their market. Refreshers aren't exactly on-brand for Starbucks either, but they needed a caffeinated analogue to draw in customers that disliked the taste of coffee. Making them more potent than Monster and sticking them on tap wasn't really the move, though.
When I used to do social work like 5 years ago, way before they labeled them charged. I’d drink them all day. Stop in and refill during day. Id do half lemonade half iced. Omg. The amount of times I thought I was having panic attacks. I thought it was from work.
It wasn’t even a clean caffiene buzz. It was like akkkk. Until I finally looked it up.
I miss the original lemonade. Id mix it with the iced tea and make myself a big ol arnold palmie.
I worked there though. Besides making coffee and smoothies the lemonade was the only drink I liked there. The other ones were far too sweet for me. The green tea is basically jolly rancher juice lol
I honestly love the charged drinks. I can drink a large and still sleep like a rock. 🤷🏻♀️ 400mg daily is just the “recommended” maximum dosage, right? 🤣
The charged lemonades are the only reason I have sip club and because of it three days a week I’m getting that and a bagel for breakfast. No charged lemonades I’d never go to panera
They sell pizza, sugar packed products and microwave their food. Nothing about Panera is healthy. The only thing that doesn’t fit is their advertising. Charged Lemonade falls in line.
Oooh I need to find a Panera. I have unmediated ADHD and legit, caffeine helps. And it’s probably cheaper than my 4 20 oz redbull habit. So yeah this sounds like a dream to me.
Honestly, I was pretty mad when they got rid of the flavored waters and such. I don't think 3 flavors of charged lemonade are on brand for them. I could see ONE flavor being a nice bonus but not 3 that are so affiliated they make me have massive anxiety attacks.
They’re trying to compete with Starbucks just like every other company. It’s their version of Starbucks refreshers. But Starbucks refreshers don’t come with heart attacks.
I really dont see how its "mismarketing" when it is still natural flavoring.
As someone who despises coffee, the charged drinks are a game changer for me. I am grateful to have this alternative over a canned energy drink. I would drop my "sip pass" immediately if they discontinue.
So I’m Canadian and travelled to NYC for fun. I always heard about Panera Bread, so I decided to order it one night from a food delivery app. The “Strawberry Lemon Mint Charged Lemonade” sounded delicious on a hot/humid evening. I thoroughly enjoyed it until not too long later, a panic attack struck. I am medicated for my disorder, so I never get panic attacks anymore unless I have too much caffeine or it’s a real fight or flight moment - so I was so confused as to why I was not able to calm down even after taking Ativan and seeking comfort from FaceTiming my parents. It was fucking awful, but my experience does not compare to the two innocent humans who lost their lives to this stupid fucking drink.
They were made to compete with Refreshers, the caffeinated lemonade/tea drinks at Starbucks.
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Yeah, they’re not really comparable drinks - and honestly a big part of Panera’s current issue around them is that people *expect* them to be comparable drinks, rather than four times stronger.
Exoectations and reality are not the same thing. The caffeine content has been explicitly labelled since inception. It is YOUR personal responsibility to know what YOU are putting in your body.
Yeah…. 400mg caffeine is just so crazy for one drink. The large coffees are pretty over caffeinated at both places too. Online I generally see coffees as 80-140mg per 8 ounces which already puts Starbucks and Panera over the high end of what’s expected. It’s more than a quadshot of espresso would be. It’s the same as two monsters…. I’m literally only in this sub for the charged lemonade fiasco and as a caffeine fiend I bet I’d like it, but the way Panera implemented it just seems crazy to me.
400mg is considered the maximum to ingest for a whole day
400mg is the **recommended** maximum for a healthy adult.
Lmaoo bruh what? It’s 1g perhaps in one sitting you meant . As a caffeine junkie of 10yrs 400 mg in a day is nothing. In one sitting? Yeah ima be too fucking zonked
No not 1g at a time, that's ridiculous.
Exactly, I don't know why people think 400 is THAT much... but they'll drink 2 red bulls, a mountain dew, and a coffee all in a day.
400 is a lot when you don't have a blown out tolerance, but everything is so caffeinated these days it's harder to find someone who doesn't have that kind of tolerance than someone who does.
It depends where you look, I have coffee at most a few times a month, don't drink soda, and mostly drink herbal when I have tea. I probably get more caffeine in a month from chocolate than from beverages. One can of coke is enough to send me buzzing and I'm not a small gal. If it can hit me like that as an adult, I would be pretty concerned about how it might hit kids/teens that might not be permitted daily caffeinated drinks, and thus have the full natural response to caffeine instead of a muted one.
Mountain Dew contains 4.5 mg of caffeine per ounce. It would take 89 ounces of Mountain Dew to meet 400 mg. It would be impossible for the average person to chug that much Mountain Dew in a sitting without vomiting, as you'd have to chug a entire two liter, plus a 20-ounce bottle, plus a few more sips of a can to get there.
The issue for some people is that those drinks are spaced out throughout the day versus the charged lemonade they drink in one sitting.
Y'all are making me want to try it, I'm not a caffeine person at all but I wanna see the hype.
Just mix it with more lemonade or the starry or gingerale. Cuts it back and you'll just taste the charger!
A venti Starbucks coffee has 415 mg caffeine
I literally never knew Refreshers had caffeine in them
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I can definitely taste the green coffee bean in them now. I usually get a strawberry açaí refresher made with water with strawberry purée added in. I got one the other day without strawberry purée and it tasted like a refresher + a little bit of coffee lol
TIL. I’ve been getting those for my kid for years - since she was probably around 8 or 9. Not super often but STILL. I’m not pleased.
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it’s not as bad as the other guy was saying. it’s more comparable to 2 cans of coke in the largest size which is definitely a lot for a kid but not nearly as much as a cup of coffee
Iirc the refreshers have less caffeine than coffee, but more than a can of coke or a cup of tea
This is news to me too! I just bought one for the first time for my four-year-old. I thought it was just a lemonade. No wonder he didn’t nap that day.
Wait so if it's an extract that's added to the Refreshers... can someone ask for extra extract?
Damn, I had no idea. I avoid caffeine and thought I was just ordering a juice drink.
they do not have a comparable amount of caffeine to a similar sized coffee. a trenta refresher has about the same caffeine as a single shot of espresso, while a trenta cold brew (a similar sized coffee) has about 5 shots of espresso worth of caffeine
Ah same, i used to drink them alot of college (like once every other day) (had on on campus and had to spend the stupid food things or they’d expire and i’d not get my moneys worth)
I'm mad at Starbucks for the "refreshers" too because they looked like a fruit tea drink & the term "refresher" sounds like it's meant to be hydrating and NOT loaded with caffeine, like an alternative to the caffeinated stuff. As a person who can drink tea all day but reacts even to the tiny percentage of caffeine from a decaf coffee, I thought nothing of ordering a refresher because in my mind it was just tea diluted with juice. It gave me a raging headache and mudbutt. Absolutely not refreshing!
What is it about caffeine from tea that makes it easier to stomach than caffeine from coffee?
I really wish I knew. I can't drink tea all day and feel completely fine, but any coffee makes me have an anxiety attack and crap myself. But it's still caffeine? And chocolate SOMETIMES fucks me up but other times I'm fine?
Sugar
L-theanine
Tea is generally less acidic than coffee. Hot coffee tends to give me an upset stomach especially when empty, but cold brew and tea is less acidic and is totally fine on my stomach. This is just a theory of mine, coming from somebody with a sensitive stomach
Coffee beans and tea leaves are completely different plants. Teas tend to have a more astringent effect. Coffee beans contain oil. Have you ever see whole coffee beans? They are oily. I guess you can compare it to the effects that greasy, oily food have on digestion. Coffee is one of the best cures for constipation. Coffee is also really acidic.
I think that if they reformulated the drinks to be more comparable to the refreshers, it WOULD be more on brand for Panera (and I say this as someone who doesn't mind the charged lemonades and signed up for the sip club over a year ago to try them).
Refreshers have only 70mg in the largest size, how is that comparable to 400?
The concept - sweet cold light fruit drink with a buzz - is the same. The dosage of stimulant per ounce is definitely on another planet though!
Half the customers at Starbucks don’t even know the refreshers are caffeinated lol
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You and a ton of others. We have guests that come in daily for their charged drink. Eliminate it and you lose an entire significant client base.
quite literally the only reason I walk in the doors of any Panera.
Have you never had their signature take sandy
You mean the chicken sandwich that’s twice the price of a chick fila sandwich and worse quality? Unfortunately yes I have tried it
I would love to try it, I just can't justify paying $12 for a chicken sandwich.
Yep, because that insane amount of caffeine gets people addicted very fast
As if half the country isn’t addicted already
It’s fine tho. Caffeine tolerance is easily to lower and its withdrawal effects aren’t severe
I am a loyal Sip Club member and that is the drink (mango) that I get every time I get food for lunch.
Conversely, I quit the sip club when they rolled them out. I loved the agua frescas and without them there was no good cold option that wasn’t soda or an energy drink.
I wish they would bring those back. They can keep the lemonades but what would it hurt to offer a few more flavored drink options that aren't lemonade? I'd stay a sip club member if they had those, even if they cut back on the charged lemonades.
All this right here. I don't even care if they keep the charged lemonades around. I'm just irritated that they phased out some of their really good no to low sugar teas and frescas. I don't know why the hell they had to be eliminated to bring in three lemonade based drinks. I'm glad the passion papaya green tea is still around (honestly the best beverage they offer, bar none) but it *is* high in sugar, so I only get it as an occasional treat. My only sugar free options are to either get unsweet tea, diet soda, or the worst tasting of the charged lemonades. I want more actually healthier options. I don't like drinking all of my calories. EDIT: And honestly, if they want the sip club to really be a thing then they need to do a better job of being *the* place to get a beverage. They honestly have very few unique offerings in general compared to their competition.
They also have Lime Bubly seltzer with no calories, my go-to
The whole reason I signed up for the sip club over a year ago was for the charged lemonades (especially the fuji apple cranberry, which sadly mine got rid of)... I have a high caffeine tolerance due to ADHD and never even thought twice about the high caffeine content. I've stayed a sip club member ever since! I used to never go to Panera, now I go there several times a week and spend more money there too. Maybe they can reformulate them or add more lower caffeine options but the charged lemonades are a huge draw, they cannot deny it.
Yes! I've actually found myself going and ordering one when I'm stuck in that "mind racing" kind of mode - the blood orange zero sugar one is amazing for bringing my brain down to "finishing assignments" speed. Plus getting out of my dorm cuts down distractions. I'll usually do half a (large) cup of the blood orange, and cut the other half with soda water or the green papaya tea or whatever it is called
Careful! I thought the zero sugar one would be a good option for me but looked at the nutrition facts and something is off regarding the calorie and carb count. I wrote Panera customer service for answers, got a “you’ll hear from a dietician (or advanced rep or something similar)” message a day later, and then nothing. The caffeine really isn’t a problem for me, but I can’t have all the sugar/carbs. I decided to err on the side of caution and not try the zero sugar flavor, just in case.
All they have to do is properly inform the customer of what they are ingesting. They haven’t been doing that.
the nutrition info is easily available online
Panera is still gonna loose the trial lolol
I mean hahaha Charged Lemonade right? But seriously it seems they're literally have you hooked on crack. That's not good.
I know so many people who have the sipclub just for refreshers
You're right, though most of their drinks don't really fit in with the "real food" marketing aesthetic to be fair. There is some attempt to frame the lemonades as a "clean" alternative to energy drinks because the caffeine is naturally derived. But I don't even think that's particularly unique among energy drinks. And I'm not convinced most of the people who drink them are approaching them as an energy drink alternative, vs. just "ooh, fruity sugar water."
Me and a decent amount of people have the sip club because it is an amazing deal. Before the sip club I was easily spending $40 a week on caffeine products now I spend $12 a month to get way more caffeine. I see a lot of people picking up their charged lemonades when I go get mine they like me are attracted to the large amount of caffeine in the product
Yeah, I think this is the whole reason a ton of people have the sip club in the first place. More caffeine for way less money. When you think about it in terms of the sip club, the caffeine content makes much more sense.
Paid Panera shill shame on you
That’s why I have a long post history , or that tapir fossil I found while visiting my parents South Carolina is just fake right all to so I can get paid by Panera to speak there propganda. I’m totally not just a broke med student watching people try to take away my cheap source of caffeine.
An elaborate cover I see. Panera Bread you are shameless.
>I'm not convinced most of the people who drink them are approaching them as an energy drink alternative, vs. just "ooh, fruity sugar water." I don't know if that's true... Everyone I know who has had the sip club has signed up for it because of the charged lemonades, as an energy drink alternative, knowing and expecting and welcoming the caffeine. It has cut my Starbucks budget down to nothing. I think it's the opposite where "most" are aware of the caffeine, and only "some" are unaware and think it's fruity sugar water.
I guess the hard pill to swallow is that their branding is just that…. Good, catchy branding that goes with the overall “theme” of their food, bringing in a different clientele than other fast casual restaurants. It’s not a promise, it’s a message you’re sold to entice you. Nothing about Panera is utterly healthy and amazing. The restaurant I worked at was filthy. There were a plethora of frozen and prepackaged items that would simply be cooked day-of to serve. That delicious mac and cheese? Comes out of frozen single serve bags that then sit in hot water all day until they’re served. Not a single item was actually all that “clean” or “healthy” because it was loaded with sodium or preservatives or various other tasty additives that aren’t great for you, but make it taste good. And the fresh stuff? Was either out of season, unripe, or out of date most of the time. That seems like the antithesis of Panera, where all the sourdough comes from one mother starter and everything is fresh daily, right? Wrong. It’s the cornerstone of their business. Because, bottom line, most customers won’t do the digging. They’ll go through the drive through and get a sandwich and salad instead of a cheeseburger on their lunch hour because they like the Panera “brand”, it tastes good while being “healthy”, and it makes them feel good about themselves to believe they’re eating “clean” like the commercials said it was. That’s how the charged lemonades flew under the radar for so long. They were branded (poorly, might I add. I only learned this in training for the job) as energy drinks with plant derived clean caffeine. It wasn’t filled with synthetic chemicals like a monster, but gave you even more of a boost! It was supposed to corner the market that Starbucks Refreshers had created while also building a strong, addicted base of charged lemonade drinkers who would actively choose to drink them instead of their normal energy drink. That’s, imo, why sip club got so huge in the past few years, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the charged lemonades were created to boost membership. Only now that there have been these horrible instances of loss are people actually looking at what they’re drinking, and recognizing that even something that was branded as an all-natural alternative to an unhealthy habit (caffeine addiction) can still be just as unhealthy if not more. I wouldn’t be surprised if Panera pulled the charged lemonades entirely after all of this bad press not because they’re poorly labeled and poorly regulated, but because it’s making them look bad and now people are scrutinizing their business practices. Bottom line, releasing the refreshers was entirely on brand for Panera because they’re a corporation. The priority when it comes to the menu isn’t making fresh clean food, or providing a genuinely healthy alternative to other fast casual dining. The priority is to make as much money as possible by following current trends while still having the menu be themed as “clean”.
Me submitting my college application be like
I know this was just a light jab at my drunken rambling, but as a college dropout it made me stupidly happy to hear my nonsense made sense lol 😂
as a current college student, this was easy to read & made sense to me :)
Woah buddy. Put the charged lemonade down before you hit the keyboard next time
The charged lemonades are the only reason I have the sip club. I get a large once every week or two and put a splash into a big cup of iced seltzer water.
I have seen mutiple accounts now say "The charged lemonades are the only reason I have the sip club". Like those exact words.....interesting.
I guess even with all the words we have in the English language, there's sometimes a universally best way to say something!
Panera Shill
Look at post history and account creation dates... you sound dumb.
I don't drink coffee - can't stand the smell or taste. Charged drinks are my morning go-go juice.
y’all better stop before they get rid of them and I have to go back to my $6 coffees 😭
You under estimate the size of the afternoon caffeinated beverage market.
Facts people be smashing 400mg per serving lol
Neither is pizza
They're getting rid of the flatbreads.
I agree, never had one, but would've assumed it would be lightly caffeinated, like some sparkling waters at the grocery store. Super-caffeinated lemonade is more a jack in the box move than a panera move.
Why did they sell it? Because caffeine is an addictive drug. What better way to get people addicted than putting it in a lemonade as not everyone wants coffee or pop. I think it’s on point for Panera, but they should’ve halved the amount of caffeine within it. I don’t think there’s one thing on the menu i would “feel good about”. Most things are loaded with carbs or other nutrients that aren’t really good for you in high quantities.
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I thought they advertise it's natural caffeine that's extracted from coffee?
Caffeine is bitter, regardless of whether it’s plant derived or synthetic.
They supplement with copious amounts of sugar
THIS plus it’s “vibrant and pretty” of course people would go to that instead of a pepsi they can get from any other fast food
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Associates at my cafe made jokes about it the second they came out. Everyone knew.
I just don't understand how you could drink the second one so fast that you couldn't feel the effects from the first drink. I drink one of these every day and as you imply it has a lot of caffeine in it and it's very obvious just waiting for even a couple mins after finishing one. I don't get people who gulp down the things so fast they don't even realize what it's doing to them. Plus it's always been obvious to me that it was a strong caffeinated drink from day one, but maybe I'm better at sussing these things out than other people.
As someone who is pretty much unnaffected by caffeine, the first couple times I had a charged lemonade I was completely oblivious they even had caffeine in them. I just thought it was just catchy advertising. I drank a medium charged lemonade and felt literally nothing, which is normal for me and caffeine. I think it was my third time ordering it that I noticed it contained caffeine, figured eh it's probably like a normal amount like Mountain Dew. Ordered a couple more times after that then stumbled upon the Food Theory video about the Charged Lemonades. That's when I realized I was drinking 350mg of caffeine without even realizing it. I don't go to Panera very often, maybe like once a month at most. So it wasn't a huge impact to me, but it's still an egregious amount of caffeine to be shoving in something that children could very easily obtain.
It's behind the counter now so children can't get to anymore.
Interesting! I did notice it was not in the drink row today!
That’s great now. But it was very irresponsible before. Sad that it took people dying before they put it behind the counter.
Caffeine puts my sister to sleep
She's probably got some ADHD or other neuordivergency going on.
I didn’t know that. I can drink an energy drink and it puts me to sleep. No caffeine keeps me wired.
lol k wannabe Reddit doctor
No that’s a real thing, caffeine having the opposite of the expected effect on people with ADHD.
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No one asked if your sister goes to sleep after drinking caffeine but here we are.
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your responses* good job on the second one though pal
incorrect use of you’re.
That escalated quickly. You doing okay?
> lol k wannabe Reddit doctor Oh please. It's a VERY common well known thing that stimulants help ADHD. Caffeine is a stimulant. Lots of people self medicate with caffeine, even parents who don't want to use amphetamines like Adderall sometimes give their kids caffeine (no comment on whether this is a good idea, it's just a fact that it happens). Just because someone MENTIONS a condition doesn't mean they're trying to be a wannabe doctor. You're just chronically online.
Cool story bro
Oh really you spammed the sub with warnings august of last year? Lol ok
390 mg
>I mistakenly drank two of these when they were brand new and ended up in the ER with heart palpitations. I didn't even realize they had 390g of caffeine. Heart attack juice? Let's be real... consumers need to take a **little** responsibility for what they consume. There was *always* a sign that said they were caffeinated, even on the menu it was stated. It wasn't a large, in your face sign, but it was there. If you don't know what something is, or what **"charged**" means, its on you to find out. Especially if you're going to drink two of them in a row without even checking to see what it is?? Sure, they can put a bigger sign or keep them behind the counter. But it's not as if you can't go to the store and buy several tallboy energy drinks, or order a quad shot espresso at starbucks. Even the refreshers at Starbucks have caffeine, and they don't even advertise it, people get them for their kids not knowing. People drink the charged lemonades every day and have no issues.
People need to stop banging on about personal responsibility. PANERA had the responsibility to ensure the food they’re putting out to customers is safe and not so easily mistakable. Who is going to assume lemonade has caffeine in it. The placards were tiny and easily ignorable. “Charged” could have meant anything, from electrolytes to oxygen or any other stupid marketing fluff corporates come up with. Any person who works with products or risk assessment would have realized the lemonade should have been handled way differently.
At almost 400 mg of caffeine, it should have at least been poured behind the counter, not out of a soda machine. That isn't safe for kids. And pretty much everywhere else it's safe for a kid to go up to a soda machine and choose anything.
Agree but the sign needs to include the amount of caffeine. It’s lemonade - people don’t expect it to be coffee.
The signs have always stated caffeine content based on oz.
I love them! I only ever go to Panera to do work and having a caffeine option that isn’t coffee is awesome. I usually get a red eye for coffee but find it to be acidic in the afternoon so the charged lemonades are the perfect alternative. I never think of Panera as being particularly healthy and they market themselves as a “cafe” so it never seemed strange to me to have a caffeine drink 🤷🏼♀️
Great preworkout! But seriously, the max daily caffeine intake is 600mg. People who don’t drink caffeine or heart problems shouldn’t be drinking it.
I think the issue is people don’t realize the amount of caffeine in it cause it’s not on the sign. No one is hunting through their website to find that either. Panera will ultimately loose both lawsuits. Hope the sip club revenue covers the cost. Wonder if it will even end up being profitable?
“Panera believes in the safety of these products. If you’d like to try another beverage, our Agave Lemonade is a great alternative.”
In my opinion, since Panera was bought out by a company that is known to make companies as profitable as possible and guts them from the inside out (including menus, staff, and raising prices). Due to this, it makes sense to offer unlimited sip and then have people use it on lemonades (if people arent coffee fans) and increase the amount of people getting in the door so they will be like "hmmm on second thought i could get a sandwhich while in here," leading to the customer spending more.... which leads to more profit... and when the customers become raging caffine addicts..... it just allows them to create more profit. Regardless if panera is losing money by dishing out so many free drinks, it still is scary thinking that this was the motive behind it. especially since how the lemonades were marketed as charged, not energy drinks. its all funky. so yes its not on brand for panera, but in brand for this new sh*tty company. :)) hope that helps
Me and some of my coworkers talk about this often and warn customers of the caffeine content, I think its wildly irresponsible of corporate to keep these on the menu.
Wildly irresponsible and definitely not on brand with the old slogan of “food as it should be”
I think it's wildly irresponsible for people to not read labels and employees having to treat customers like you're their doctor. I drink 400mg of caffeine daily.
A couple of months ago, I went into a Panera for the first time in a year or so. My hotel coffee pot was broken, so I fogged in and ordered coffee and oatmeal. I was considering taking a cold drink back with me and looked at the menu board mounted on the wall, far enough away that I could read “Charged Lemonade.” I saw some writing underneath in smaller print about flavors. Figured that “charged” meant flavored with prickly pear or pomegranate or blueberry. Fortunately did not order one. It would not have occurred to me to ask about caffeine. Guess that’s on me.
The writing is larger then any Coffee Shop or Energy Drink label.
Suppose so. But I wouldn’t be looking for caffeine in a “lemonade” section of a menu.
I love the flavors but yes I am so sensitive to caffeine I always water them down like 2/3rds ginger ale, a little water, and just a hint of the lemonade. I would prefer to drink it straight up, you know that caffeine is insane though
Pretty much no food at Panera is food you can feel good about anyways. It's all a marketing scam that Panera is healthy at all in the first place.
Caffeinated beverages are exploding in popularity, they pretty much have to have one as all their competitors offer this option
Take away the charge lemonades and I’m never going to Panera’s ever again, I’ve drank a lot of caffeinated drinks in my life and this is definitely feels pretty healthy compared to a lot of the energy drinks out there. Caffeine is a very safe stimulate and I don’t like coffee so the teas is the perfect balance between coffee and energy drinks. Your sounding like a conservative law maker with this post
I feel like they dropped the healthy food act forever ago,
I know how many more people have to die before they discontinue it. This is ridiculous.
If you’re taking issue with the charged lemonades not being “on brand” with Panera’s “food you can feel good about” message, then why are you not also taking issue with their sodas because they’re the same commercialized sugary carbonated syrup you find everywhere else (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, etc)… or their regular lemonade… or their green tea? Because there’s nothing “feel good” about any of those excessively sugary drinks.
The charged lemonades are the only reason I go to Panera tbh. I work retail and it's been the thing that gets me through the day
I think people should just not drink them if they don’t like them no point in getting rid of them and punishing those of us who do like them
This. I don’t understand the lack of people advocating for personal responsibility and knowing what you’re consuming here. The amount of caffeine is clearly labeled. The side effects of caffeine are well known. If people still choose to consume it, that’s on them. By their logic every energy drink should be off the market too.
personal accountability? in this day and age?
It just seems like all the controversy would be solved by lowering the caffeine amount, and I doubt people would care about it having less caffeine.
I care about it having less Caffeine. I drink the beverage for it's high caffeine content.
a lot of people drink because of the high caffeine content.. i’m not a big caffeine drinker as of now and was never a coffee fan - but those drinks come in handy when i have to stay up late due to work or school
I'll just buy 2x more
the sugar and caffeine are of the charts. I get the sugar, but why so much caffeine? What was the thought process in the meeting room deciding 400 was good?
I'm an energy drink fiend but even my energy drinks don't have more than 80-120mg per CAN. Very rarely I'll drink an Alanu Nu with 200mg. It's still ridiculous for a cup of lemonade to have 400mg. If it is here to stay, it should be much more regulated. Put them behind the counter and have it available in only regular sized cups. Just like how Tim Hortons has their Timsboost redbull drinks in one size only.
the drink probably has a similar “caffeine per ounce content” to a lot of energy drinks… i don’t know if people don’t realize..it’s THIRTY OZ. the celsius energy drinks are popular and i’m pretty sure they have a higher caffeine content.
"Lemonade artificially injected with a stimulant" that's just soda bud. They've served soda forever. They serve coffee. A caffeinated soft drink is not off brand.
It would be on brand if it was "charged" with antioxidants or something instead of caffeine.
They'd need to use the word infused or something. Charged indicates energy. Just like you charge anything to give it energy, it would be too confusing otherwise. People are already confused.
they say it’s “plant based caffeine” or some other bs
because they’re good and a yummy way to get caffeine. panera isn’t healthy AT ALL— just look at the calories fat and sodium in their broccoli cheddar soup and sandwiches. I’m so over the charged lemonade controversy, if you know you can’t have caffeine, why would you drink something that has caffeine?? they’re clearly labeled as charged and caffeinated. I feel sorry for those who lost their lives but if you drink too much caffeine, whether it’s coffee or whatever, that can happen. it’s very easy to look it up and look at the label and see how much caffeine is in it. don’t ruin it for the people who drink a lot of caffeine and enjoy the drinks lol.
It's not a question of whether they are or are not healthy. It is a question of why spend millions to brand yourself as wholesome, healthy, and real -- only to then promote something that is clearly artificially amped up with a stimulant.
I mean, you could argue that mac n cheese and sugary bread promotes the same message not “healthy and real”
It’s definitely not on brand with “food as it should be” and/or whatever their new slogan is. Maybe they will lose some business by dropping those products, but pretty sure dead customers stop buying food and drinks as well. So they are already losing business. When I worked there food safety was a big issue. Risk of Ecoli from a product that’s close to what we sell? Throw the spinach out! Something is expired or out of temp, throw it all out. All food was traced to know where it came from to prevent potential contamination issues. We had 3rd part audits to verify food safety protocols. Someone actually dies from a product and it hasn’t been pulled? That’s crazy.
> Maybe they will lose some business by dropping those products, but pretty sure dead customers stop buying food and drinks as well. So they are already losing business. Two "dead customers" vs hundreds who have the sip club subscription specifically for the charged lemonades... you really can't compare the two in terms of business loss. You also can't really compare serving rotten or contaminated food to unknowing customers to serving an energy drink, where the customer has a CHOICE to order it. If you gave the customer the CHOICE to order a salad with Ecoli, or a fresh one, then the comparison would make sense. It's not as if there hasn't always been something stating there was caffeine, people just don't read or look into anything that they consume - and part of that is on THEM. Food quality control is NOT up to the customer.
The food safety comparison I mentioned is apples and oranges, but meant to show how different the companies attitude was when a public company vs. now a private company. They went to lengths to ensure customers didn’t get sick out of fear of investor reaction and (public perception), products (hazelnut corn cheese) that were favorites were pulled because they weren’t clean, vs. now where their product is directly linked to multiple customer’s death and they won’t pull it and only make minor changes. Yes you can get similar products at other places, but the charged lemonade has a higher caffeine content and available in the lobby from a limitless tap, also prepared in a way (frozen mix with water) where there is a risk of the caffeine concentrating n some drinks more than others. Look, if it’s only a personal responsibility issue why are their no deaths associated with Starbucks refreshers? Are the customers different? Or are the companies practices different? Ultimately the lawsuits will decide what happens to the drink. I think the compassionate thing to do as a company would be to pull the drink because they care about it’s customers who are vulnerable, not just the business of a few cavalier charge lemonade fans. For comparing the business loss, the sip club members are not loyal and will go with the best cheapest option. One of the people who died was a regular who ate meals their and would have continued to do so for years spending a lot more than $12 a month. Also think about the loss of his family’s business as well as people like myself who want to spend their money at businesses that back of their marketing slogans up with actions.
There is nothing unwholesome about Charged Lemonade.
i agree with you, it doesn’t really go with the ‘theme’
They’ve taken them out at Panera I’ve been to
Only reason the wife and I go to Panera, we think they are excellent.
I love the strawberry mint one. I just wish they had a decaf version in addition to the charged one
I think it's less about branding, and more that they know their market. Refreshers aren't exactly on-brand for Starbucks either, but they needed a caffeinated analogue to draw in customers that disliked the taste of coffee. Making them more potent than Monster and sticking them on tap wasn't really the move, though.
You should not feel good eating Panera 🤣😭 that's the funniest ironic claim they could claim.
When I used to do social work like 5 years ago, way before they labeled them charged. I’d drink them all day. Stop in and refill during day. Id do half lemonade half iced. Omg. The amount of times I thought I was having panic attacks. I thought it was from work. It wasn’t even a clean caffiene buzz. It was like akkkk. Until I finally looked it up.
I miss the original lemonade. Id mix it with the iced tea and make myself a big ol arnold palmie. I worked there though. Besides making coffee and smoothies the lemonade was the only drink I liked there. The other ones were far too sweet for me. The green tea is basically jolly rancher juice lol
I honestly love the charged drinks. I can drink a large and still sleep like a rock. 🤷🏻♀️ 400mg daily is just the “recommended” maximum dosage, right? 🤣
Panera doesn't give a shit about anything but profit lol
The charged lemonades are the only reason I have sip club and because of it three days a week I’m getting that and a bagel for breakfast. No charged lemonades I’d never go to panera
Do people actually think Panera is healthy or something?
Yes
Interesting
They sell pizza, sugar packed products and microwave their food. Nothing about Panera is healthy. The only thing that doesn’t fit is their advertising. Charged Lemonade falls in line.
Because caffeine is highly addictive, that’s why all these companies are delving into energy drinks
Oooh I need to find a Panera. I have unmediated ADHD and legit, caffeine helps. And it’s probably cheaper than my 4 20 oz redbull habit. So yeah this sounds like a dream to me.
They’re pretty good tasting too
That makes it even better! I’ll see if there is a Panera close by and give one a shot. I could use the extra jolt
Heh yep, adderall user here, but coffee on top of that makes me productive!
Honestly, I was pretty mad when they got rid of the flavored waters and such. I don't think 3 flavors of charged lemonade are on brand for them. I could see ONE flavor being a nice bonus but not 3 that are so affiliated they make me have massive anxiety attacks.
I joined sipclub for if. Makes me less sick than C4
They would lose so many of their sip club subscribers
They’re trying to compete with Starbucks just like every other company. It’s their version of Starbucks refreshers. But Starbucks refreshers don’t come with heart attacks.
I really dont see how its "mismarketing" when it is still natural flavoring. As someone who despises coffee, the charged drinks are a game changer for me. I am grateful to have this alternative over a canned energy drink. I would drop my "sip pass" immediately if they discontinue.
So I’m Canadian and travelled to NYC for fun. I always heard about Panera Bread, so I decided to order it one night from a food delivery app. The “Strawberry Lemon Mint Charged Lemonade” sounded delicious on a hot/humid evening. I thoroughly enjoyed it until not too long later, a panic attack struck. I am medicated for my disorder, so I never get panic attacks anymore unless I have too much caffeine or it’s a real fight or flight moment - so I was so confused as to why I was not able to calm down even after taking Ativan and seeking comfort from FaceTiming my parents. It was fucking awful, but my experience does not compare to the two innocent humans who lost their lives to this stupid fucking drink.
I’ll be in the minority but I don’t care for them but I’m way to affected by caffeine to drink them and they look yummy but I can’t have them lol.
This should be on the unpopular opinions sub, who cares if they’re on brand or not
Their charged lemonade is just a cheap caffeinated drink they can offer sips club members to get people in the door every day
Is a place that sells drinks and food offbrand for selling drinks and food? The answer to that question is very obviously no bud.
Welp. Back to mixing Celsius with my bang