Panera Bread

Large Panera with good service and great reasonable prices (for 2023). Unfortunately the microwave broke and has not been replaced. I noticed this situation at another PB. Apparently PB has decided once they fail not to replace them. It was always nice to heat up your food and microwaves are dirt cheap so a really dumb decision by the bean counters at corporate.

Staffing issues from over the pandemic are more than resolved and this location usually has good stock of everything. Service is usually speedy, though can be slow during peak hours. Order accuracy is very good, with the biggest oops in a dozen orders being accidentally getting some food packaged to-go. When stock is out, the staff's been good about substituting it to keep the dish on the menu. I've even enjoyed taking advantage of this "sip club" offer. Only drawback to it is when you're trying to order drinks for two sip club members, but this hassle is all in my head as far as I can tell, since you can technically just grab a cup. I'm just the pedantic sort who will put in an order for $0 at the kiosk because it feels like the right thing to do.

The food is delicious and the service is great. There seems to always be something new to try on the menu too. Depending on the time of day, this location can be hard to find parking. But there is free hour parking available. Located in the heart of Bakery Square, there are some unique shops nearby which makes a trip here worth finding a parking spot.

I usually order Panera delivery from this location, which is honestly hit or miss for quality of presentation, heat of food, and accuracy of what is actually delivered. I took two members of my staff out for lunch today and it was all around excellent. The food was perfect, looked like the Panera ads on TV, and the staff was helpful. If only I could get out of the building more often for lunch!!

Typical Panera. Staff seemed a bit disorganized this AM compared to their normal level of efficiency. However, this location is usually well staffed by a competent team that gets food out quickly and well made. Coffee is usually very fresh and the seating areas are usually very clean. A+ location overall.