Panera Just Brought Back A Fan-Favorite Sandwich And Twitter Is Thrilled

What do you think of when someone mentions Panera? Chances are, aside from soup and chunks of crusty bread, you probably thought of sandwiches. Panera is known for them, from classic grilled cheeses to elaborate chicken salad sandwiches. But there's one fan-favorite that's making a triumphant and long-awaited return back to the menu and the hands of sandwich-loving Panera fanatics all across the country.

In case you don't remember what the Toasted Frontega Chicken Sandwich is, Panera describes it as having smoked and pulled chicken, chipotle sauce, mozzarella cheese, red onions, tomatoes, and basil between black pepper-infused focaccia. Much to the disappointment of Panera customers, the sandwich was discontinued earlier in the year, joining the long list of other discontinued Panera products like the Sierra Turkey Sandwich and the Red Velvet Crinkle Cookie (per Spoon University).

But according to Chew Boom, it seems that the sandwich is making its way back to the menu. In fact, the company wants to keep up the social media hype of this fan-favorite focaccia by giving out free — yes, free — sandwiches, with a few catches, of course.

While people on Twitter are no doubt excited about the return of the Toasted Frontega Chicken Sandwich, much of their excitement might be coming from the fact 500 of them have a chance to win a free sandwich. According to the rules tweeted by Panera, all customers need to do is be a MyPanera member and retweet or quote tweet the announcement post with "#FrontegaFan" and "#PaneraSweepstakes."  If you're one of the lucky 500, you'll be direct-messaged a code for a free Toasted Frontega Sandwich. 

Love for the sandwich on social media is certainly evident. According to Chew Boom, a representative of the company claimed that mentions of Frontega Chicken on social media jumped 300% following the removal of the sandwich from menus. So great was the outcry, it seemed, that the Panera team had to take to Twitter and admit that they were "frontegin' sorry" and that they "frontega'd up."

In the event that you don't happen to strike it lucky and win a free Toasted Frontega Chicken, you needn't worry. Starting today, the sandwich is back at all locations and is available through digital ordering such as kiosks and the Panera app. And while you're enjoying the long-awaited sandwich, maybe you can read about some of the more juicier secrets Panera has kept hidden.