Will Panera Bread’s decision to phase out its controversial Charged Lemonade derail my energy drink “on-premise 2.0” trend prediction from April 2019? With energy drink brands like Celsius paving their own path in the consumer’s mind, beyond the traditional categorical need states, there’s undoubtedly still a long runway of growth opportunities remaining within the foodservice channel. This will prove especially true within quick service restaurants…where energy drinks are starting to take lunchtime consumption share from carbonated soft drinks. But how does the functional beverage category unlock this massive market potential right now…when QSRs don’t want to be lumped into the Panera Bread Charged Lemonade negative news cycle? There are two helpful underlying forces: the self-serve beverage dispenser era is ending and functional energy “cans in hand” have become a key accessory when signaling a wellness-focused lifestyle.

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