Panera's New Sip Club Limits Have Loyal Customers Calling Corporate

Panera Bread giveth, and Panera Bread taketh away — and a lot of people aren't happy about it. The popular café-bakery chain has updated the terms of its Sip Club membership, and the limits in the new deal are prompting previously loyal customers to call corporate to voice their displeasure.

Under the old regime, Panera's Unlimited Sip Club boasted tremendous value, allowing its members to enjoy unlimited refills on select coffees, teas, fountain drinks and more, for $14.99 per month, an arrangement that quickly paid for itself. The Unlimited Sip Club was further boosted as a key way for making dirty sodas and custom drinks. However, from August 19, the Sip Club will no longer be unlimited — according to Panera's official website, customers will only be entitled to a maximum of 30 drink redemptions per month.

Reaction to the news on social media was swift and overwhelmingly negative, with many announcing they would be cancelling their Sip Club membership. "Calling it 'Unlimited' while capping it at 30 drinks per month is misleading," a customer angrily wrote on Reddit, while another commented: "Someone think of the shareholders they are losing value on the unlimited drink club!!!! Private equity bunch of scrooge mcducks." One erstwhile Sip Club member even called Panera's guest care phone number, noting that it went straight to corporate, which records all complaints. The Redditor encouraged others to do the same, writing: "C'mon internet. Let's unleash our fury!"

Under the new terms of the Sip Club, customers can still get a fresh drink every two hours, but the total number of drinks claimed in a single month cannot be greater than 30. The price — either $14.99 per month, or $119.99 per year — will remain the same, as will the popular Panera drinks not included in the Sip Club membership.

This is not the first time Panera has roused the ire of its patrons by changing its drinks policy. In May, 2024, Panera confirmed that it would be phasing out its Charged Lemonades, a controversial line of beverages that contained upwards of 178 milligrams of caffeine in a regular size and 302 milligrams in a large, after multiple lawsuits were filed against them. Nevertheless, some Panera customers have petitioned for Charged Lemonade's return. This frustration still lingers for some, with one Redditor responding to the early rumors of Sip Club's new limitations by saying, "Haven't returned since they took away that charged lemonades."

Fortunately for those who are sticking with the chain, there are more positive things to expect from Panera this summer. According to Tasting Table's critic, Panera has (mostly) found redemption in its 2026 summer menu.