---
title: "Why the World Is Up in Arms About Panera Bread’s Mac n’ Cheese"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/a7976597-b7b8-4fb3-bf1d-57304133588a
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/why-the-world-is-up-in-arms-about-panera-breads-mac-n-cheese-2711316
category: "Bakery & breakfast"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Bakery & breakfast"
published: 2019-10-15T18:13:02.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:31:41.198Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/f2905d3054aedb4198926fdf15aadcb44636.jpg
---

# Why the World Is Up in Arms About Panera Bread’s Mac n’ Cheese

**TL;DR:** Panera Bread faced backlash after a TikTok user exposed how the company cooks its mac and cheese, revealing it is shipped frozen to avoid preservatives. A Panera spokesperson stated that the mac n' cheese is made off-site using sourced ingredients that meet the company's clean menu standards.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-10-15. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/why-the-world-is-up-in-arms-about-panera-breads-mac-n-cheese-2711316).*

## Story

**Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 24 hours, then you know** **Panera Bread** **has dipped its toes in a little bit of a scandal (but luckily not the food). A TikTok user and now ex-Panera employee has exposed the soup and salad chain in a video that reveals how Panera** ***really*** **cooks its infamous creamy mac n’ cheese––and let’s just say people aren’t thrilled about it. But according to** **CNN****, should we be that surprised that the cheesy pasta dish comes frozen?**

**A Panera spokesperson told CNN that “the meals are shipped frozen so they can leave out certain preservatives that don’t meet the company’s clean standards.” Panera’s mac n’ cheese is supposedly made off-site by the quick service restaurant’s chefs using only sourced ingredients that meet its clean menu standards, the article stated.**

**While** **TikTok user and former Panera employee Brianna Ramirez** **did lose her job for posting a video of her heating up a frozen plastic bag of Panera’s mac n’ cheese and pouring it into a bowl, she didn’t seem to be too upset in a recent Tweet.**

**“There was no wrongful termination,” said Ramirez in** **a tweet****. “Having such long nails and my phone out is a risk to food safety and health regulations. Everything was completely justified. I made a mistake and I’ve learned from it. I will always love Panera and their food.”**

**But others aren’t too thrilled with how Panera preps its mac n’ cheese dishes.**

**“Perhaps one of the most important pieces of information Panera fails to tell customers ordering its mac n’ cheese is they are adding to the mountains of single-use plastic discarded into our land and water,” said** **Twitter user @TDSskip****. “#Sad.”**

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- sustainability (topic)
- Panera Bread (company)
- TikTok (company)
- social media backlash (topic)
- food preparation (topic)
- mac and cheese (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/why-the-world-is-up-in-arms-about-panera-breads-mac-n-cheese-2711316). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/a7976597-b7b8-4fb3-bf1d-57304133588a).