Post-Dispatch gets scoop on Panera’s nonprofit venture
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch broke the story that Panera Bread Co. is experimenting with a nonprofit model at a store in its area. Photo is © 1999-2010 Panera, LLC. All rights reserved
- Kavita Kumar
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch got a scoop on the conversion of a Panera Bread Co. site into a nonprofit restaurant — even though company executives weren’t talking. The conversion is an experiment in which customers are asked to pay what they can, with the net proceeds from the outlet going to community groups.
In her story, reporter Kavita Kumar says the company “declined to comment about the new venture, citing an exclusivity agreement the company had brokered with an unidentified national media outlet.”
The following day, USA Today published its story.
Today’s Tip: You can still write the story when the company shuts you out.
Both stories are good. Both have earnings data and quotes from outside voices. The biggest difference between the two is that Kavita offers customers’ voices from on-the-scene reporting, and USA Today has the company’s comments.
When you run into a wall, keep reporting to get the rest of the story, and don’t let a prearranged PR-agreement delay your story. As Kavita did, you can always point out that the company declined to comment.
