It’s seductive to see people, one after another, walking the streets of a popular shopping area chomping down on an apple. Normally you might miss the eat-and-walk routine, but after seeing the 4th person, you decided it was time to put on the detective headgear. You knew you had traced the route when you peeked in the window of a local Panera Bread and saw a woman at a front table eating an apple. AHA.

Genius. Certainly no one needs another bag of chips or even a small salad. Now an apple, that has promise, portability, and it obviously attracts customers. It got me in the door. It got me to stay and order what I might consider a healthy lunch–1/2 sandwich, bowl of soup, and the prized apple.

I looked forward to taking my healthy dessert for a walk. It’s like a giant billboard that advertises “Eat at Joe’s,” in this case, it’s Panera. Yeh, the bread on the tuna fish was fine, but the apple, that’s the moral of the story.

It’s about way more than the bread. Smart, healthy strategy and judging by the number of chompers in a 3-block radius, it’s working. Advertising Age just called them one of the country’s hottest brands. I can attest to that: The place was crowded with diners, carry-out, and relaxing souls taking advantage of Wi-Fi. This fast-casual dining experience draws a broad swath of customers.

BTW, the apple was good. Quite good. I’m not even sure if all my compatriots and I got the same crunchy one, but that’s not the point.

Kudos, Panera, you have a new fan!