Cash Register-less Panera Cares Opens January 23

Boston is about to become one of the few cities in the country with a Panera Cares, a version of the Panera Bread cafe chain that lets customers pay whatever they want. Before you exclaim "Hell yeah, free Spinach Power Salad!" know that the "cares" part refers to the cafe's charitable intentions. Those who can't afford to pay for food are free to enjoy it anyway with the option of volunteering in exchange for a meal voucher, and those who can afford to pay extra often do. According to a press release, Boston will become home to the fifth Panera Cares, located at 3 Center Plaza in Government Center, on Wednesday, January 23, starting at 6:30am.

· All coverage of Panera Cares on Eater [~EBOS~]
· Panera Cares cafe to open at Center Plaza in Boston [BRT]
[Photo: A Panera Cares, Flickr/cafemama]