It’s not every day that a fast-food chain, even a high-end one, teams up with a media giant to attract more eyeballs to one of its club rewards memberships.
Yet that’s exactly the case with Panera Bread, which is offering a free subscription to The Washington Post for its new “monthly dues-paying “Unlimited Sip Club” members. They’ll even toss in two free drinks to hopefully close the deal with potential members.
Related: Panera Bread Calls Out Fast-Food Industry's Fake Eggs
The offer includes “unlimited” digital access to the Post’s daily content for a period of six months. The partnership gives Panera a flashy new tool to attract subscribers while The Post gets a six-month audition to attract new readers to its news and opinion platform.
Sip Club members have until November 30 to sign up for the deal, so long as they’re not already Washington Post subscribers.
Panera subscribers have multiple ways to sign up for the deal, with the company website, mobile app, and in-store kiosks.
More Food + Dining:
- Taco Bell menu tries new take on an American classic
- McDonald's menu goes big, and brings back fan favorites (with a catch)
- The 10 best food stocks to buy now
The “Sip Club” membership costs either $11.99 per month or $119.99 annually, which comes with a subscription discount of about 17% per year. To date, the deal not only gives club members access to six months of The Post, but they also earn endless refills for most Panera coffees, teas, and fountain beverages, so-called “Sip Club Saturday Deals, and no-fee deliveries to a club member’s doorstep.
The Post is billing the deal as the “first-ever” media partnership between Panera and a new media outlet. Washington Post chief subscriptions officer Michael Ribero expects the deal to provide “members with in-depth storytelling to a large, new consumer base in a way that’s contextually relevant and adds value.”
Panera was founded in 1987 and is part of Panera Brands, one of the largest fast-casual restaurant platforms in the U.S., comprised of Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee, and Einstein Bros. Bagels. The company was purchased for $7.5 billion and taken private by parent firm JAB in 2017.
The Washington Post Co. is now owned by Jeff Bezos, the executive chairman of Amazon.com.
Get exclusive access to portfolio managers and their proven investing strategies with Real Money Pro. Get started now.
