Instant Alert: We tested Panera Bread against one of its largest competitors — and the winner is obvious

MANAGE SUBSCRIPTIONS   |   UNSUBSCRIBE   |   VIEW ONLINE   We tested Panera Bread against one of its largest competitors — and the winner is obvious by Hollis Johnson on Feb 4, 2016, 2:03 PM Advertisement It's the perfect time of year for hearty soups and sandwiches. Cafe restaurants like Panera Bread and Au Bon Pain offer safe havens in cold weather for those looking for hearty comfort food, fast.  And while they may not be as good as homemade, these chains serve all the classics for those wind-whipped days: steaming soups, fresh salads, hot paninis, and more.  But a question arises: whose food is the better lunch choice? Panera Bread, with over 1,800 locations worldwide, and its rapidly-expanding competitor Au Bon Pain, which has 268 locations, serve very similar menus. We put Panera Bread and Au Bon Pain in an extensive head-to-head test to find out who serves the better lunch.   The two fast-casual cafe giants offer very similar menus, so we chose a handful of items we think are classic and hearty cafe fare. First up: sandwiches. Here are both chains' takes on the hot chicken and mozzarella panini. Au Bon Pain's Chicken Pomodoro sandwich — with chicken, mozzarella, asiago, tomato spread, and roasted tomatoes — was underwhelming. Despite being made fresh to order, it tastes like pre-packaged chicken parm. The ciabatta bread is spongy, and the spreads were lacking flavor. See the rest of the story at Business Insider   Share the latest business news with your network: Email sent to:   |   Manage your email preferences   |   Unsubscribe Terms of Service   |   Privacy Policy Business Insider. 150 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011