One of my favorite things about Starbucks has always been their secret menu. Not only is it full of amazing drinks, but it’s also pretty fun to feel like you know a secret concoction you can’t simply order off the menu.
It’s not just Starbucks lovers who enjoy a good menu hack, however. The Panera Bread chain learned their customers also enjoy experimenting with their food. So, in an effort to make their secret menu easier and, well, less of a “secret,” Panera rolled out a new ‘You Mix Two” menu that includes eight new food combinations.
To order one of the eight combos, you simply choose the selections from the You Pick Two menu either in-cafe or through the Panera app. Once you get your order, you then mix it up by combining the two items to create the You Mix Two version. While some sound pretty genius and amazing, others look, uh, a bit strange, so you’ll have to judge for yourself.
Take, for example, the Dipping Duet — classic grilled cheese ordered alongside Panera’s creamy tomato soup. That’s a winner, obviously, because everyone knows grilled cheese goes perfectly with tomato soup.
You could also order the Caprese Groove, which is tomato soup and a Caprese sandwich — also a safe choice.
Things get a bit weird after that, however. Take, for instance, the Mac-Tomato Medley, which has you dumping your mac and cheese into a bowl of tomato soup. It sounds tasty, but …?
The same goes for the Delicious Cheese Times, which puts mac and cheese inside broccoli cheddar soup. OK, that one does at least sound intriguing. And very cheesy.
Other interesting combinations include the Southwest Chili Shake-up, which mixes Southwest chili lime ranch salad and turkey chili, or the Tomato Tango, which puts ranch dressing from the Southwest chili lime ranch salad into tomato soup to create a dip, into which you can dunk kettle-cooked potato chips.
Of course, because the two foods don’t come already mixed together, you can just eat them side-by-side like usual.
You can find the full list of You Mix Two combinations on Panera’s website. Will you be trying any of these concoctions or sticking with the menu you already know?