Panera Bread Bakery Removes ‘Charged Lemonade’ From Self-Served Stations Amid Lawsuits

Panera Bread, a US-based bakery-café fast food chain store, has pulled its “Charged Lemonade” beverage from the self-serve counters. This comes after the company was brought to court by some customers over the deaths of their loved ones, alleging that the tragic incidents were caused by the consumption of the restaurant’s high-caffeine drink.

According to The New York Post, Panera Bread’s charged lemonade in 30-ounce cups contains more caffeine than most energy drinks, such as Monster and Red Bull. The volume is even higher than the caffeine content of the two combined.

Putting the Charged Lemonade Behind the Counter

Panera Bread has already placed its charger drinks behind the counter, and the restaurant’s staff shared this information. Based on the reports, the employee said some locations have already removed the charged beverages from the self-serve fountains in some places.

They said a Panera Bread store put a sign on the counter telling customers the caffeinated drinks were behind it. The staff further explained that this move means that the beverages are no longer self-serve and can instead be bought when ordered at the counter.

Moreover, the restaurant also posted a warning sign beside the drink to inform customers of its high caffeine content. The large Charged Lemonade has 390 milligrams of caffeine, already very close to the FDA’s allowed daily maximum intake of 400 milligrams.

Lawsuits Against Panera

Panera Bread’s charged drinks became an issue after a college student from the University of Pennsylvania died after allegedly drinking the beverage. It was claimed that the 21-year-old had a heart attack and passed after consuming the charged drink, and this led to her family filing a lawsuit against the company.

USA Today reported that two suits were filed in October and December 2023. Both cases claimed that Panera Bread’s caffeinated drinks caused a cardiac arrest that killed two individuals.

A third case was only filed this last week by 28-year-old Lauren Skerritt, alleging she was rushed to the emergency room after suffering from irregular heartbeat on the same day after drinking two and a half servings of the controversial “Charged Lemonade” in April 2023.

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