Recently, I enrolled in a monthly Panera coffee subscription because my Keurig coffee maker broke. I was surprised that Panera was even offering a coffee subscription considering that without a subscription model they could charge $2-3 per cup. Even more so, they were offering a free pass of the subscription until next year–I had to jump on it! I was hooked instantly. I walk past the Panera every morning, so it is super simple to just stop in the Panera and grab a coffee while on my way to class in the morning. It makes the perfect way to start the day for me, and it also works out for Panera because now I will be giving $10 a month to their franchise for something that costs them very little.

The ordeal got me thinking about how companies are constantly needing to adapt to the changing world around them. I imagine that since Keurigs came around many people were making single-serve coffees at home and opting to skip out on stopping for coffee on the way to work. By creating a subscription service Panera is able to entice people back into its stores with its cheap coffee and hopefully start making its brand a part of people’s morning routines. I know that because I am now coming into Panera almost every day, I will almost certainly eventually buy a sandwich. The entire situation is a win-win for both myself and Panera, and it was created because Panera needed to change to an everchanging market.

Considering that we are seeing more and more subscription platforms pop-up every single month, I would not be surprised if people were eventually able to subscribe to entire meal plans at restaurants, movie theaters, and even ride services like Uber in the near future. While I am not totally sure how the economics of subscription services works out, it seems like they will serve as a very useful tool in the fight to get consumers to use physical establishments once again.