Why did Panera change their chicken noodle soup…

On By Barbara StroudIn FOOD, THOUGHTS

UPDATE: 2015 I tried their chicken noodle soup, it’s been years. It was very good! 

I lied. Not on purpose, but I did. I said I wasn’t going to post anymore about Panera Bread changing their chicken noodle soup recipe. BUT. I need to. I have gotten a tremendous amount of traffic on this site because of one thing. My fantastic writing skills PANERA CHANGED THEIR CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP RECIPE and (in my opinion) it’s not the best. I’m here to encourage those of you who haven’t, to let Panera know how you feel. You have reached my blog not because you enjoyed the new soup but because you were shocked at the new “improvement”. So go ahead, contact Panera (info from their website)…

👉You can email Panera Customer Support or give us a call at 855-3-PANERA (855-372-6372). Phone support is available every day from 7 A.M. – 7 P.M. CDT.

It’s a good company, so they would want to know why we aren’t buying the chicken noodle soup any longer.

Until tomorrow!

Image via www.panerabread.com

38 thoughts on “Why did Panera change their chicken noodle soup…”

  2. Gena Robertson

    The old soup was the main reason I went into Panera; I ordered it every time. I miss it so. I used the link you posted and asked them why they would ruin a good thing.

    Like

    Reply
  3. Scott Catlin

    Ugh yea , I just had the new version of the soup! As soon as i took one bite I was like WTH is this!!!! It used to be delicious now its ok at best!

    Like

    Reply
  4. Ann

    Totally agree. Took my 4 year old grandchild for his favorite chicken noddle soup and he would not eat it. As we were leaving he said he did not want to go to Panera Bread anymore.

    Like

    Reply
  5. Amanda G.

    I also contacted Panera about the soup today. Theirs was the only chicken noodle I enjoyed and now I don’t have a reason to go there. Hopefully they’ll be getting a lot of comments on it and bring the better recipe back.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Hey Amanda, so glad to hear that you contacted Panera. Good for them to understand what their customers are feeling… As hard as i try there isn’t another soup at Panera that i care to try. I like (not love) the tomato but it has so many calories, uggh… Thank you for commenting!

      Like

      Reply
  6. Gemma

    I went to Panera yesterday and ordered my usual–half panini and chicken noodle soup. The soup tasted worse than canned soup. The rest of Panera’s soups are good, but they’re so fatty that I don’t get them. The chicken noodle soup was low-fat and delicious. Why did they take it away??? The noodles in the new soup are DISGUSTING. The broth in the new soup is so runny and gross that it ruined my bread bowl and made it turn to mush.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Eek! A mushy bread bowl… Not too appetizing… I wondered how that was going to work out… Thin soup in a bread bowl, seems like you need a soup with substance! I agree with you – cardboard noodles are a poor replacement for what tasted like homemade… My opinion, but most everyone elses as well…. I hope you are able to drop them a line to let them know, thanks Gemma for commenting!

      Like

      Reply
  7. Mary

    I went to Panera today with friends. Was SO looking forward to the Chicken Noodle soup and my special treat I get there – the hot chocolate. Both were AWFUL. I was VERY disappointed. The soup tasted and looked like some very bad canned type of soup – thin, bad noodles, hardly any chicken and that was bad, a bunch of carrots/celery. The hot chocolate was thin, watery, tasteless, the choc. syrup stayed in clumps on the surface and there was a huge amount that sunk to the bottom of the cup which I found with my spoon. Thanks for the Panera link. I did the survey from my receipt, but will use the link as well. VERY disappointing!

    Like

    Reply

    1. EEK! Sounds like they need to step it up and not pass off bad tasting food as tasty food… The hot chocolate sounds like a nightmare… A definite bummer when you’re looking forward to your favorites! Thanks for the comment Mary, and thanks for letting Panera know how you feel about the changes!

      Like

      Reply

  8. I had the chicken noodle soup last night and I agree with everyone else – it was just awful. The broth was watery and oily and the noodles changed. I didn’t even finish eating it and I did email them before I found this blog saying that we go there weekly (which we do) for soup and I’m not sure we will continue to do that. Now if they change their black bean soup, I’m turning in my Panera card and saying bye-bye to Panera.

    Like

    Reply
  9. Mary

    Boy! I got a reply from my local Panera less than 12 hours after I contacted them. It was the mmanager. Initially she tried to tell me that they were hearing from customers that they really like the new chicken noodle soup as it “is a lot healthier”. I said anything is healthier if you are unable to eat it. I told her she needed to check out the comments on the computer as they do not match up with what she told me. Then she backed up a little bit and said, “Well, you know we do not have control over what corporate decides to do.” She said she was mailing me some vouchers for free food. That is nice, but I will not be using them on chicken noodle soup or hot chocolate again!

    Like

    Reply

  10. That’s great you got in contact with them AND they responded so quickly! Water is even healthier… Hee hee… And with a sodium content like the new one has it is FAR from healthy! Thanks for commentin Mary!

    Like

    Reply
  11. Chris

    The new soup is terrible. I almost drove back to the store and returned it, as I did not finish it. I emailed the company a polite complaint and they basically told me that this new soup is healthier and tastes good. I don’t eat at Panera anymore. Not out of protest, but because I’m not spending money on expensive Progresso.

    Like

    Reply
  12. Gail

    I just googled “did panera change their chicken noodle soup” and found your site. Thanks for providing the info as their old recipe was the only soup I wanted to eat anytime I’m sick and I’m soooo disappointed with this recipe. I hope they do something to change so thank you for taking the lead.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Wasn’t that the best soup when you’re feeling bad? A can from the grocery store (or even a bouillon cube, ha ha) is better than the “new improved” soup! Thanks for your comment Gail!

      Like

      Reply
  13. Joyce

    I just sent a note to Panera about their chicken noodle soup. I have been going with my daughter and grandkids for years. The last time I went, the chicken noodle soup was horrible. That’s the only reason I went. I won’t be returning unless they go back to the old recipe. Why can’t they offer two versions, one the good recipe and another for people who want to sacrifice taste for fewer calories. Think about it Panera.

    Like

    Reply

    1. I know! Seems like common sense doesn’t it? I would venture to guess that it comes down to money, and the new improved, healthy (and very high sodium) soup is cheaper to make. Bah! Thanks for your comment Joyce, I’m glad you let them know you weren’t happy!

      Like

      Reply
  14. Linda

    I hate the soup too. I had it when it first came out, wrote Panera and got the same reply as everyone else. Last week I thought I would try it again, imagining that maybe it wasn’t as bad as I remembered. Unfortunately, it was terrible. I begin to wonder if Panera is under new management and has lost its touch?

    Like

    Reply

    1. I tried it twice as well… To me, it was bad both times. Heavy sigh…. I wonder if they have a focus group that tests the food before it’s added to the menu (and ESPECIALLY BEFORE IT REPLACES A FAVORITE ON THE MENU!)…. thanks for your comment Linda!

      Like

      Reply
  17. Hey

    I love panera’s chicken noodle soup! It definitely does not taste like canned soup. It doesn’t have a lot of noodles, but it has a lot of chicken pieces. I would say most of you are way over exaggerating. And a lot of panera’s food is delicious, if you eat at Mcdonalds, burger king, or most fast food places how can you say panera’s food isn’t very good – because it is way better than any of those places!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Hey! Am thrilled to hear that you love Panera’s soup! We all have different tastes, what’s good to one is horrible to another. Agree w/ your comment about fast food… I’m not a fast food eater… Thanks for your comment!

      Like

      Reply

      1. I couldn’t agree with you more Bob… It was a nice hearty soup with fabulous noodles… I’ve only been back a time or two since its been changed to the “new” version… Ugh! Thanks for taking the time to comment!

        Like

Make my day and leave a (public) comment!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.