Panera Bread moves ‘Charged Lemonade’ behind counter after lawsuits

A Panera Bread restaurant put its “Charged Lemonade” out of the reach of customers after the super-caffeinated drink was blamed for causing a fatal heart attack.

An employee of a Panera Bread franchise in Manhattan told The Post that the once-refillable drink was moved behind the counter last October after the family of a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student sued the chain — alleging their daughter went into cardiac arrest and died after consuming the beverage.

“After the first lawsuit, they put a sticker on the bubblers that hold the [lemonade] that warns it has caffeine and it could be dangerous for certain groups of people,” the unnamed employee told The Post.

“And it was moved behind the counter.”

Panera’s 30-ounce charged lemonade contains more caffeine than both Red Bull and Monster energy drinks combined.

The employee said “some stores already had the chargers behind the counter from when we first got them, but not all.”

Now the store placed a sign on the counter by the other bubblers telling customers that the charges are behind the counter, the Panera Bread employee told The Post.

A Reddit poster confirmed the employee’s claim that the drinks are no longer self-serve. The poster took a photo showing a warning sign beside the drink urging customers to be aware of the high caffeine content.

According to Panera’s menu, a large Charged Lemonade has 390 milligrams of caffeine, close to the FDA’s 400-milligram daily maximum intake.

The Post has sought comment from Panera Bread.

Last week, Lauren Skerritt, a 28-year-old Rhode Island woman and amateur athlete, filed a lawsuit against Panera Bread alleging that she was rushed to the emergency room after consuming the beverage.

Skerritt alleged in the complaint that she suffered an irregular heartbeat the day after consuming two and a half servings of Panera Bread’s “Charged Lemonade” that she bought from the chain’s outpost in Greenville, R.I. on April 8 of last year.

Since that time, Skerritt has experienced “recurrent episodes of rapid heartbeat that occur suddenly and without pattern,” according to the lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Delaware superior court.

Her attorney, Elizabeth Crawford, also represents the families of two people who died after allegedly drinking “Charged Lemonade.”

Panera has said the previous two lawsuits were “equally without merit.”

In the fall, the family of Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student, sued Panera, claiming the lemonade beverage was responsible for her fatal heart attack hours after she drank the caffeine-rich product.

Katz’s family alleged in the complaint that Panera included the beverage as part of its “Sip Club” in which customers are urged to “drink unlimited Panera Charged Lemonade every day.”

“We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family,” a Panera spokesperson told The Post.

The spokesperson said the company “strongly believe[s] in transparency around our ingredients.”

“We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter,” the company rep told The Post.

Last month, the family of Dennis Brown, a 46-year-old resident of Florida, filed suit against Panera Bread alleging that he died of cardiac arrest just hours after drinking a Charged Lemonade.

Panera released a statement about the lawsuit filed by Brown’s family, saying: “Panera expresses our deep sympathy for Mr. Brown’s family.”

“Based on our investigation we believe his unfortunate passing was not caused by one of the company’s products,” the company said.