Wednesday, April 11, 2007

McDonald's vs. Panera

I was in a discussion of various options for eating along the Ohio Turnpike, which settled down to the question: Panera or McDonalds? Here is some data from the various nutrition info on the web:
  • The leanest Panera sandwich I found is Asiago Roastbeef at 670 calories. The highest is Italian Combo at 1100. Smokehouse turkey panini is 680; turkey artichoke is 840. Tuna salad is 720.
  • A Big Mac has 570 calories. A Quarter Pounder with cheese has 530. A McD cheeseburger (320) PLUS medium fries (450) is less than many of the Panera sandwiches!!!! Even on saturated fat, McDonalds still wins.

Evelyn points out: "This is a perfect example of the villification of McDonalds. Panera Bread has placed themselves in the 'healthy alternative' category through effective branding. From a marketing point of view, you have to admire the fact that Panera has managed to keep the upscale label and still be available on the turnpike. It is very easy to equate upscale with healthy."

However, we agree on this: Panera sandwiches taste better!


Update on Campbell's soup. Carol writes on my thought that the soup cans have stayed the same size: "But haven't you noticed? Campbell's REDUCED the size of the 'classic' soup cans, and added 'Family size' ones with 26 oz.!"

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