Few menu items have caused as much of a stir in recent history as Panera’s Charged Lemonades.
When the drink first debuted, customers were shocked by the drink’s high caffeine content. As previously reported by the Daily Dot, in its initial formulation, a large Charged Lemonade had 388 milligrams of caffeine, just under the FDA’s daily recommended limit of 400 milligrams. Not only that, but the drink had an incredible 107 grams of sugar—and shoppers were allowed to get unlimited refills with Sip Club memberships.
Although the caffeine content of the drink was advertised, there were allegations that the claims they made in such advertising was deceptive. Additionally, even if people could see the actual amount of caffeine in each drink, few were aware of just how much caffeine 388 milligrams is. As a result, there were numerous viral incidents in which people drank too many Charged Lemonades and had dramatic side effects.
There were also deaths. Per Time, Panera is facing two wrongful death lawsuits following deaths that claimants say were linked to the drink.
Panera has instituted some changes following these criticisms. First, the Charged Lemonades (now under the umbrella term of “Charged Sips”) have less caffeine than they did previously; the updated ingredient list says the drink has 235mg of caffeine instead of nearly 400. The chain has also moved the drinks behind the counter—leading to dramatic reactions from customers.
In a clip with over 1.1 million views, internet content creator Tana Mongeau (@tanamongeaulol) points to a sign advertising that the Charged Sips have been moved behind the counter.
“This sh*t killed people, and all they did was put it behind the counter and changed the flavors,” she says.
“If that is not me just putting a Band-AID on a bullet hole,” she continues. Later, she shows that she’s purchased one of the drinks, adding, “Imma sip it.”
In the comments section, users joked about this development.
“they put it behind the counter like a two step verification before u drink it,” said a commenter.
“They said oops, silly us,” added another.
@tanamongeaulol LIKE WHAT
♬ original sound – Tana Mongeau
Others simply offered their thoughts on the advertising surrounding the drink.
“i work at panera bread. we have always shown the amount of caffeine in front of the drinks. how are we supposed to know if u have a heart condition?” asked a user.
“it’s not that the amount of caffeine was or wasn’t shown i feel like most ppl don’t know actually how much caffeine that is like what it can do,” countered another.
“as a former Panera employee, I thought it was funny too. but like tbh, there were always notices saying to basically drink at your own risk lol,” observed a further TikToker.
We’ve reached out to Mongeau and Panera via email.
