Devotees of Panera's Charged Lemonade are savoring their last drops of the controversial beverage
Despite lawsuits blaming the highly caffeinated drink for permanent health problems and two deaths, Charged Lemonade has amassed a dedicated fan base.
One devotee of Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade is hoarding her final cups of the beverage in her freezer. Another is looking up recipes so she can replicate it at home. And another joked that he and his friends are “in a dark place” following the news that Panera is phasing out the Charged Lemonade nationwide.
Despite at least three lawsuits blaming the highly caffeinated drink for a woman’s permanent health problems and two deaths, Charged Lemonade has amassed a dedicated fan base — and enthusiasts of the controversial beverage are savoring their last drops before it is discontinued.
A spokesperson for Panera declined to comment on precisely when all Paneras will stop selling the Charged Lemonade, and Panera has denied wrongdoing in legal documents in response to the lawsuits. Nonetheless, loyal buyers from coast to coast are preparing ahead of the drink’s final days.
Liz Parker, 37, of Clawson, Michigan, has about a third of a large Charged Lemonade every day — enough, she says, to give her some pep without irritating her Crohn’s disease. She bought four cups last week when she heard that Panera was discontinuing the drink.
“There’s two of them in the freezer, and then there’s two of them in the fridge,” Parker said while traveling for her job as a trade magazine editor. She said she hoped the lemonades would last until she returned. “I’ll see if it tastes the same.”
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