Indiana University of Pennsylvania is excited to announce that Panera Bread will join the campus dining lineup in spring 2027, opening inside the Crimson Café food court. The addition reflects IUP Dining’s ongoing commitment to providing students, faculty, staff, and the Indiana community with the dining brands and options they value most.
The arrival of Panera will bring a fresh selection of the restaurant’s popular menu items, including signature soups, sandwiches, salads, bagels, coffees, and bakery offerings, creating even more variety and convenience for the campus community.
“We are thrilled to bring Panera to IUP,” said Val Baroni, associate vice president of Student Life. “IUP Dining continually works to identify the dining experiences our students want most while ensuring we provide quality, convenience, and value. Panera is one of the most requested brands by our students, and overall, in higher education dining, and we are excited to make it part of the IUP Dining experience.”
In conjunction with the new dining option, IUP is introducing enhancements to its meal plan offerings designed to provide greater flexibility, support food security, and help students make the most of the growing range of dining choices available on campus.
Beginning with the 2026 fall semester, students will have access to a new Unlimited Meal Plan that includes $400 in Flex dollars. Flex dollars can be used in any university dining facility.
The new Unlimited Meal Plan offers unrestricted access to North Dining Hall and three meal exchanges to be used in retail locations daily, along with substantial Flex for additional purchases throughout the semester.
Several existing meal plans will also feature expanded Flex dollar options:
- 19-meal Plan: Choose between $250 or $450 Flex dollars
- 14-meal Plan: Choose between $350 or $550 Flex dollars
- 10-meal Plan: Choose between $350 or $550 Flex dollars
These enhancements are part of IUP Dining’s ongoing efforts to increase food security by providing students with additional funds that can be used across campus dining locations throughout the semester. The expanded Flex options are designed to offer students greater control over how they manage their dining budgets, while helping ensure access to nutritious meals and snacks when they need them most.
The increased Flex values will also help support the expanded dining portfolio available on campus, including the addition of Panera and other popular dining concepts. At IUP, Flex Dollars are dining funds loaded onto your IUP ID card that work like a prepaid, declining-balance account for food purchases on campus. You can use them at all university dining locations to buy meals, snacks, and drinks.
“At IUP, we recognize that access to food is an important component of student success,” Baroni said. “By increasing Flex dollar options and introducing a new unlimited meal plan, we are creating more opportunities for students to enjoy a variety of dining experiences while helping address food security needs across our campus community.”
IUP Dining remains focused on continuously improving the campus dining experience through innovative offerings, student feedback, and partnerships with nationally recognized brands.
More information about Panera’s opening date and operating hours will be shared closer to the spring 2027 semester.
About IUP Dining
IUP Dining is committed to delivering quality, variety, convenience, and value through an extensive network of dining locations and services across Indiana University of Pennsylvania. By actively soliciting and listening to student feedback and introducing innovative dining concepts, IUP Dining strives to create an exceptional campus dining experience that supports student success and community engagement