Dreaming of an Italian summer? Play your favorite ABBA music and let Panera take you to the flavors you won’t miss out on.
If you’re doomsday scrolling on social media about your dream European summer, you’re not alone. According to Panera’s recent survey about 2025 summer vacation trends, over half of the Americans (58%) feel major FOMO when they see pictures of Italian vacations on their feed. Around 76% agreed that having an Italian summer is a true bucket list, and the best part? It’s the food!
Panera might not take you to Italy this summer, but they can bring the flavors of Italy straight to a location near you. Head over to your nearest Panera today as they’re serving up three new Italian-inspired menu items with a twist. Note that they’re only available for a limited time as they’re part of Panera’s summer menu launch that will transform you into a European escapade.
The latest summer menu items include the following:
- Italian Steak & Mozz – It features a tender, marinated sliced steak with fresh mozzarella sandwiched in a Black Pepper Focaccia. There’s also some vine-ripened tomato, arugula, garlic aioli, and fresh basil, all smothered in an Italian dressing.
- Italian Market Salad – Mixed greens filled with arugula and tossed in Italian dressing. The salad is topped with soppressata, shredded asiago cheese, chopped basil, salt & pepper, chickpeas, and croutons for a final touch.
- Strawberry Basil Lemonade Fresca – A refreshing lemonade summer drink made from agave nectar and a strawberry puree fruit blend. The drink is infused with even more fresh strawberries and basil. If you’re a Panera Unlimited Sip Club member, then you can enjoy this drink all summer long. New subscribers starting today until June 30 will get three free months of endless sips.
What is Unlimited Sip Club?
Speaking of the Strawberry Basil Lemonade Fresca, Panera just unveiled the Summer of Free Sips in collaboration with Pepsi and STARRY. With this, the brand launched the Unlimited Sip Club together with rugby star Ilona Maher earlier this month. Basically, this gold standard summer membership offers those who subscribe the following perks:
- A new drink every two hours
- Your choice of over 20 drink options, like Pepsi-Cola fountain favorites
- Orders via the Panera app or in-cafe
- A flexibility to fit your summer plans
There’s also a bonus where all new subscribers who get to sign up until June 30, 2025, will score three full months of endless fountain drinks. You’ll also have the option for hot or iced coffee, teas, and more. This deal is what you need for summer, especially on days when you want a refreshing cold drink to sip on.
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More Panera News For 2025
These Italian-themed releases aren’t just the big releases for Panera this year. You’d be surprised that in a span of months, Panera has been moving to compete for the best releases.
Last month, the chain brought back some Northeast locations’ specials featuring lobsters. It’s none other than the Lobster Roll and Lobster Mac & Cheese. The Lobster Roll features a lobster claw and knuckle meat in lemon tarragon-mayo-based dressing. Meanwhile, the Lobster Mac & Cheese features a Vermont White Cheddar Mac & Cheese. It is topped with buttered claw and lobster knuckle meat plus Panko breadcrumbs.
A month ago, Panera also offered their Croissant Clutch, which is on the unique side of their releases. It’s a limited-edition bag inspired by their Croissant Toast Sandwiches and can be purchased at their online store. Sadly, the bag isn’t available anymore since it’s only a limited-edition release.
Speaking of Croissant Clutch, here’s another Panera news that every fan should know. They brought in a new bread innovation last April. That’s right, they launched the Croissant Toast Bread, which is a croissant dough used as a bread sandwich that holds the fillings together. It features a classic, all-croissant dough made layered and flaky. It even comes in two varieties you can choose from:
- Croque Monsieur Croissant Toast – A sandwich that is filled with black forest ham, melty provolone, asiago cheese, and caramelized onions. There’s also a gruyere spread added to finish it off.
- Fromage Croissant Toast – This croissant sandwich is filled with provolone and asiago cheeses, caramelized onions, arugula, and garlic aioli, all sandwiched in a croissant.
New Summer Additions at Scooter’s Coffee
If heat isn’t your thing, then you’ll surely need an iced-blended drink to refresh. It’s a good thing that Scooter’s Coffee is adding a little bit of everything to their summer menu. Expect a cookies and cream with a little bit of bubbly, and a new menu item addition this summer. Next time you’re looking for a spot, head over to Scooter’s Coffee and try one of the following:
- CHIPS AHOY! Caramel Blender – Features a creamy blend of CHIPS AHOY! cookies combined with their signature caramel sauce and rich ice cream base. It is topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and even more CHIPS AHOY! pieces.
- NUTTER BETTER Blender – It features the flavors from NUTTER BUTTER cookies blended with their creamy ice cream base. There’s also white mocha blended into sweet and salty flavors. This treat is then topped with a whipped cream and more NUTTER BUTTER pieces.
- NUTTER BUTTER Cake Bite – A vanilla cake mixed with cookies pieces from NUTTER BUTTER and and filled with peanut butter creme frosting.
- Blended Red Bull Infusions – You can stick with their classic Blue Raspberry or Dearest Pear flavors. You can also try their newest flavor combinations of Strawberry Horizon, Peach Wave, or Apocalypse in a blended form. You can also get their limited-time Peach Pie Red Bull Infusion, which can now be blended. All other flavors are here to stay for the long term.
- Sparkling Floats – This drink is made of crisp fizz of sparkling water that’s infused with a flavor. It is topped with a creamy vanilla float and finished off with whipped cream. The brand recommends flavors of Blue Raspberry, Orange, or Prickly Pear.
- Sparkling Sodas – Features a sparkling water infused with one or two fruit flavors that is served over ice.
- Bacon Cheddar Sliders – To balance everything out, order a slider on the side to pair with your sweet drinks. Available for a limited time, this slider features a high-quality all-beef burger topped with cheddar cheese, bacon crumbles, and white cheddar cheese sauce, all sandwiched in a pretzel bun.
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From The Club
I’m one of those who dream of an Italian summer, but I’ll need a few more years to save up for my dream travel. One way I could taste the flavors of a summer in Italy is through Panera’s Italian-inspired menu items. Specifically, I would love to have the Italian Steak & Mozz and Strawberry Basil Lemonade Fresca by my side so I could have my dream summer. 😋