Panera Bread has never been my favorite or most hated restaurant. They just sort of exist as a place I only go to when someone else is feeling it. This most recent time I went however, I got food poisoning from them so that was cool.
Panera usually has friendly, or at least passable service every time I've gone here. This time was no different. They can move their drive thru fairly quickly as well. It's not the fastest, but it's quick when you think about what types of foods they're making back there. I used to come for the clam chowder which was a Friday exclusive, but looks like they no longer offer it.
I ordered the Signature Take Chicken Sandwich with a side of Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese which came with a baguette. I bought a Frozen Strawberry Lemonade with it, alongside a Sausage, Scrambled Egg & Cheese on Ciabatta. To start, the free baguette was solid. It's just bread so there isn't really anything special about it.
The chicken sandwich consisted of "Seasoned and seared chicken breast, parmesan crisps, emerald greens and garlic aioli on a brioche roll." My chicken breast was so thin that it was smaller than my pinky. The sauce, greens, aioli, and brioche roll were all very good elements. The parmesan crisps were good, but the texture was a little off. With a thicker patty it could definitely be a good choice. I feel as though this was the item that gave me food poisoning. The patty was so thin I couldn't tell if the chicken was cooked all the way through or not. My broccoli cheddar mac was pretty good flavor, but watery. I was really looking forward to the frozen strawberry lemonade, but I think someone gave me the wrong drink. It came out looking like the picture of the strawberry smoothie, as well as tasting like it too. I do like smoothies, but was a little disappointed in what was received. Now the best item I got there was hands down the breakfast sandwich. I've had a lot of fast food breakfast before but the Panera breakfast menu is so much better. It's only available before 11am which isn't a problem, and the flavor of it is phenomenal. The seasoning on the sausage is great, scrambled egg is light and fluffy, they use white cheddar which is full of flavor, the bread is good, and a dash of salt and pepper helps bring a little extra to flavor.
Overall, I probably would have given Panera 1 star if it weren't for the breakfast menu. Getting food poisoning, the thinnest chicken sandwich patty, the wrong drink, and watery mac would typically lead me to a 1 star review. Due to the breakfast menu however, I've decided to change it to a 2 star review. I'll probably be coming back for another one of those sandwiches more often. read more