Restaurant giant Panera Bread made a big business bet eight years ago to offer free Wi-Fi to its customers as a way to boost sales, long before Starbucks.
The fresh breads eatery aimed to court customers in between meals. The experiment worked, raising sales early on about 15%.
But now, it’s become a challenge to meet the Wi-Fi demand, says Panera’s vice president of technology, Blaine Hurst. “With mobile carriers cracking down on data plans, more and more people say, ‘I’ll go to Panera for free Wi-Fi.’ How do we make sure we have capacity?”
With free Wi-Fi available at national chains such as Starbucks and McDonald’s, and becoming more accessible without charge at hotels or airports, Panera is grappling with how to keep its Wi-Fi customers happy amid heated rivalry.