Panera Bread ransomware attack caused week-long nationwide IT outage

A ransomware attack was behind the systemwide technology outage that disrupted Panera Bread for roughly a week in March 2024, BleepingComputer reported on April 5, 2024, citing people familiar with the incident and internal emails.

The outage began on March 22 and took down internal IT systems, phones, point of sale terminals, in-store kiosks, the company website and the mobile app across a chain of about 2,160 cafes in 48 U.S. states and Ontario. Locations stayed open but could accept cash only, loyalty members could not redeem points, subscription customers could not use their benefits, and staff lost access to shift schedules. The disruption was not fully resolved until March 26.

According to the report, the attack encrypted a large number of the company's virtual machines, cutting off access to data and applications, and some systems were rebuilt from backups. No ransomware group publicly claimed the attack. Panera did not respond to repeated requests for comment and published no explanation of the outage beyond social media messages asking customers for patience.

In mid June 2024 the company notified current and former employees that files containing names and Social Security numbers had been accessed during the incident and offered a year of credit monitoring. A former employee subsequently filed a proposed class action over the handling of the data and the nearly three month delay in notifying staff.