I arrived late Friday night at Panera Downers Grove, maybe 15 min. before closing time. I ordered a large soup and mac and cheese for my son. I said I would try to see if they would take my order. Yes, I was able to order and asked if I could serve the food there in the dining room. The lady who served me asked the manager and the manager approved. What I really appreciated was that even though it was late, she made me feel very comfortable and offered me a place that was already clean. Anyway, that restaurant is super clean and cool. Thank you, manager and Panera, for such extraordinary people! read more

Don't come to this place when it's 55° outside and they have air conditioning on as I sit, shivering, freezing. go into the restroom and there is an overwhelming smell of urine as I walk in the door Then I go into the stall to go to the bathroom and the floor is filthy and sticky.Then I go into the stall to go to the bathroom and the floor is filthy and sticky. The most disgusting Panera I've ever visited read more

I came in to get a coffee. Seems quick and simple, right? Nah. I walk in, and 2 of the self-service kiosks aren't working. One finally opens, and I quickly make my order. Where are the coffee cups? You have to talk to the person behind the baked goods counter to get a cup. Maybe they have theft, but nowhere does it mention where to get the cups. Next, I go to the 2 coffee machines. BOTH OUT OF ORDER. See my attached photo. They need to be cleaned?! Shouldn't this be done during non peak hours? Customers were running into each other. It was so disorganized. I would have given at least 2 stars, but the elderly lady trying to get coffee said she specifically came here to get her weekend coffee, and she couldn't now. C'mon Panera. read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

I'm a musician and in between gigs I stopped in for a bacon turkey bravo sandwich and Greek salad. The salad was fresh and crisp and dressed just right. The sandwich was also delicious. Workers were helpful in getting me some Tabasco packets. They were friendly and the ambiance was chill and relaxing. read more

Panera Bread - Bacon turkey bravo was great - Sandwiches Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

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Stopped in there at 8:40 last night & ordered 2 sandwiches in the drive thru. When I got home, I discovered they had made my Chipotle chicken avocado sandwich on 2 pieces of soggy white bread! This sandwich for $11.79 is SUPPOSED to come on their black pepper focaccia-- NOT 2 lame slices of soggy white bread. And they didn't even bother to tell me they were out of focaccia! Just slapped some fillings on plain white bread & sent me on my way. I will NOT be returning to this Panera. Spent 15 minutes trying to get someone on the phone at 2:30pm the next day and got no response once I finally did. Would give it no stars if I could. Spend your hard earned money elsewhere. read more

False advertising and water logged "hot chocolate." Tempted by the in-store 5' high flag, I was delighted that Panera's was now offering hot drinks in mugs when consumed in the store. I love that Starbucks does that, I figured that accounted for the steep pricing. When ordered, we asked for whipped cream. When our "ready" buzzer rang, it was a sorry sight to see thinned out hot chocolate served in a standard paper cup. The chocolate water was almost to the top. No whipped cream. OK, the cup photo's were a fake out. I guess I had the same feeling people have when going through dating apps - misleading photo, feeling cheated. Should I have even bothered? When I explained we ordered ours with whipped cream with a shrug, I was told they were out. No apology, no heads up in advance. Awkward silence. I went back to the register and asked to be reimbursed for mine. My husband decided to chalk it up to experience. I was polite. No raised voice. They had to get the manager. No one ever apologized. In silence, she did a credit back to our card. We were there with other people. He told me the hot chocolate was awful. They make it with water. Maybe because it was filled to the top that's why it was so diluted? He commented that there was little chocolate flavor. Probably artificial sweetener rather than cane sugar. This situation isn't a one-off. It's not like someone made a mistake on a sandwich order where they even forgot to put it in the bag. The item was strongly misrepresented. Panera has made a decision to use inferior product for their hot chocolate drink. The staff, and even the manager, were blank with their expression even before we got the order. No customer service training? The vibe was just weird, as if nobody liked their job. When the manager came up to the register, I surmised she was contributing to that vibe. Well, lesson learned. I've always had a pleasant if now excellent experience when ordering inside a Panera's I now know the hot chocolate is lousy. I'm counting on other stores having better customer care. read more

Terrible food terrible service. They burnt my sandwich. They were too busy protecting the racist lady commit a hate crime and harass the Palestinian pregnant couple. They did nothing to stop it either. Just boycott restaurant. Not only does the food suck, they reduced the portions, overcooked it, and now apparently stand around and do not nothing to help people who are oppressed. They consoled the racist lady. read more

This is, by a long margin, the best Panera bread in the world. I know that's crazy, because wouldn't every single Panera bread be exactly the same and consistent? No, no. Of the nine or thirty Panera breads I've been to, this is by far my favorite. And here is why. This location is always spotless from a cleanliness standpoint. I also like that service is prompt, and the people at the store are very friendly. Finally, I get the sense that the employees here go above and beyond. Madison, for instance, did not skip a beat when I ordered a decaf coffee 10 minutes before they closed. Yes, I was that customer. But she didn't even flinch as she apologized that it would take them three minutes to brew a new batch. I almost feel bad that the rest of the batch would almost certainly get thrown away because it was so close to closing time. This Panera bread also holds a special place in my heart, because this was the place our families had breakfast the morning I proposed to my wife. Finally, this place is super well-lit and designed. You will see in my photos that most other Panera breads don't look this good. Thank you Madison for being so patient with me today! read more

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For a quick hardy and or healthy meal this place hits the spot. The inside is clean, well organized, bright, and spacious. The staff is friendly and efficient. I had the chicken and rice soup which was very hardy. The soup was full of large chunks of chicken and veggies. It was satisfying and tasty. A great way to warm up on a cold day. I should also note that as filling and tasty as it is it's also healthy. Only 260 calories for a bowl. I had a refreshing green tea to go with it and enjoyed it. The contrast of the cold with the hot was really enjoyable and satisfying. For a quick and solid meal I recommend it. read more

Panera Bread - Green tea - Sandwiches Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

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Being part of the Sip club meant I didn't have to wait in line ,walk in ,sign in get my drink a gone!Now have to wait at the counter or ask for a cup when they are not backed up. Mornings are bad ,so is lunchtime! So what is the advantage of this. I understand about the CHARGED drinks but for coffee or soda! read more

Worst Panera location ever built to existence. The food came out very quick, under 5 minutes. I ordered the chicken noodle with bread. The bread was cold as ice and really stale. The soup was saltier than some salt. Disgusting. read more

It is May 2022 and I wanted to try the new Chicken sandwiches. Each of the 2 offerings are $11.99. Complete rip off. Each sandwich has 5 ingredients; neither are worth $7 let alone $12/ea. I ordered both sandwiches at a kiosk, dined inside, nothing about this fast food experience was worth paying $12 for a lack luster chicken sandwich. Get real. read more

VIRTUALLY NO MEAT on chicken sandwich. VIRTUALLY NO MEAT on steak sandwich. Virtually NOTHING on green goddess caprese sandwich including ZERO cheese, though it lists mozzarella as an ingredient. Paid $62 for a few slices of bread and a couple of cups of soup. WHERE'S THE BEEF?!! read more

Panera Bread - Caprese. Nothing in there. - Sandwiches Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

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The staff were very unprofessional and the food was not served fresh. It tasted like it sat out yesterday.

I have always loved Panera and look forward to getting the same comforting items no matter which Panera I am visiting. Lately, this Panera has not been delivering. The order is often wrong or missing something. The salads have been frozen and made incorrectly. I haven't been to another Panera store in awhile but have the same issue at this Panera a few times. I will try another location but this one is not what I was looking for. read more

Gee, Panera Bread is in trouble. Whether it is Naperville, Saint Charles, Wheaton or Downers Grove, service and food quality has tanked. Our last visit, and it will be our last visit to any Panera Bread, was this last weekend. Cozy atmosphere - zero, unoccupied booths crowded all the way to the tray counter and trash disposal, employees were friendly enough when approached, but otherwise all looked as though they wanted to be somewhere else and performed their duties lethargically. The food...ugh. Our flatbread pizza tasted exactly like Domino Pizza. A Domino Pizza would have been three times as large and cheaper to boot. The French onion soup was anything but. All I can say good about the meal was the coffee and a cinnamon roll that was tasty once gotten home and warmed up a bit in the microwave. Most of the meal went unfinished and we ended eating in that night anyway. Panera Bread really was a waste of our time and money. read more

Coffee is weak Better nutty flavor at Kirk Rd, Aurora Dirty bathroom Good food Some nice staff. read more

There have been multiple cases where the employees at this location have left human feces on the floor of the bathroom for hours or even multiple days at a time read more

incredibly rude and unprofessional worker at 7am this morning at the cash register, asked for a coffee since I have the unlimited and after waiting there for a few minutes for her to finally turn around and it clearly bothered her, she didn't say anything and slammed the cup down on the register. will not be going back and better training needs to be in place. not the first time this girl has been rude and unwelcoming! also the coffee machines right next to each other are so inconvenient, too many people at once. read more

Had the toasted frontera chicken sandwich. You can tell the chicken was old. Tasted like it came from the back of the refrigerator. Also grizzly. YUCK read more

Since they offer a value meal now, I'm going there more often. The salads are fresh, all the soups are delicious and bread is baked fresh daily in quite a few flavors. Also they will change the bread type on a sandwich at no charge. You have to carry your food from the counter as there is no table service, but I don't mind that. The space is large with lots of windows and some booths as well as tables. The employees are always nice and friendly too. read more

Panera has a coffee subscription... you pay a monthly fee for unlimited coffee through the month. My son and I are members. Tonight, we went through the drive thru and my son ordered his coffee and when I went to order mine, they said we can only take one subscription per carload... So, we both pay for the plans separately, but only one of us could use it... in the world of Covid, I'm not going inside. Usually , I order breakfast from there every morning...I will let my subscription expire and go back to Starbucks. A rotten way to treat a regular customer. read more

What happened to our favorite flatbreads and warm bowls? There is nothing on the menu now for our kids so we have to skip it. Did try the soup since I thought it would be nice but the soups were so salty we couldn't eat them and the bread was hard as a rock and stale. Really miss the flatbread and warm bowls. read more

Was disappointed. The men's room was filthy and appeared like someone was sick and not cleaned sufficiently if at all. The counter clerk wasn't very efficient either. I discarded my food and left with the coffee only. Won't return to this location. read more

It was a normal Panera experience, good food and a good dining experience. Dining room was clean as was the bathroom.

The staff is always smiling at this Panera location! I always have a quick turnaround from when my food is ordered to it being ready for me. This location has seating and many bakery choices! read more

Drive thru takes half an hour why is there a character limit aaaaaaeeeeoooooouuiiiiuu

Maybe 1 ounce of chicken on full strawberry salad. I should be grateful that I got some chicken- often forgotten. Overpriced and little or no chicken. They need to go out of business. I'm done - ridiculous & horrible. Tried calling - no answer or voicemail read more

Panera Bread - This is the portion of chicken on a full chicken strawberry salad- ordered 2 of them. This is maybe 1 ounce of chicken for $12 salad. - Sandwiches Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

I ordered a pick 2 and one of the items were a tuna sandwich. I paid for extra tuna. I go to school & straight work after so I stopped here on my break. They didn't put extra tuna, honestly it was BARELY any tuna at all. They had about 6-7 stacked onions on a HALF tuna sandwich. (Pictures below) I called over 5 times no answer. I took pictures and videos and said the next time I'm able to go here on my break I will let them know and ask them to replace the sandwich. I went there yesterday, the manager PATRICIA (wouldn't give her last name) was EXTREMELY unprofessional! She told me that it was "extra tuna" and that it probably got smushed together. I paid $23 for my whole order and I always order extra tuna & have NEVER received a sandwich like that. She asked what I wanted her to do I told her if she's telling me that's extra tuna I would just like a refund, she said she can't refund me if there's no sandwich so I said okay I would like it replaced. She told me I can give you extra tuna in a cup. I said that was unreasonable, I asked her if she was the only manager & if I could speak with someone else she said she was the only manager available. I asked her for her name and corporate number she said I could look it up. I was very upset, I seen Patricia talking to another woman named Maria who was ALSO A MANAGER. I asked her was she a manger because she wasn't dressed like a regular worker, she said "yes." I asked Patricia why did she lie, she then said Maria is a manager in training and she didn't lie. MARIA, gave me the Panera bread customer service # & instead of just getting my "half tuna sandwich" replaced, they gave me a WHOLE tuna sandwich MEAL with a drink. If it wasn't for Maria I would have been out of money and wouldn't have ended up with anything. Patricia was very dismissive and was extremely rude. She shouldn't be a manager. I'm attaching pictures of the FIRST sandwich I received VS the REPLACEMENT sandwich with extra tuna!! read more

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I have really tried to like this facility. The first time I stopped in was 2 weeks ago the service was ok but didn't justify the price point. I stopped in last Friday and the cashier was down right rude to my guest, even yelling over the wall divider, "I can take your order now" since she was too busy packing cookies for a catering tray when my friend was ready to order. On Saturday they sent me a traditional "first visit" (now that I have a membership card) survey and I dutifully filled it out, explaining the awkward situation with the cashier. Surprisingly Danielle, a supervisor, called to apologize and offer me a free me on me. I told Danielle that I did not need/want a free meal, but I would like her to call and speak to my friend. On January 2nd I received and email offering me "a free bagel each day for the month of January". I have no idea if Danielle had any hand in this, but I found it interesting that we are already 2 days in to January, but who's counting? So on a whim on my way home from work Wednesday night, I stopped in to pick up a free bagel. Before leaving work, I had gone on line and checked their closing time; open until 9pm. When I arrived at 8:06p I was greeted with, "We are closed. We are not taking any more orders this evening." Apparently they were having an in house party so they decided to close at 8p. Ok so maybe it's bad karma on that particular outlet, but this place is not working for me. I think I will try the other Downers Grove Panera Bread on Butterfield Road, or not... read more

Panera Bread - Neat place! - Sandwiches Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

Really horrible now with self serve drinks. They used to have the cups out in the open, then switched to the front register, then switched to having cups on the to go shelf with receipts, and finally having to ask for a cup anywhere you can ask. Not only that, they don't even clean the front of the store. There's been coffee stirrers on the ground for months. Go to another Panera. read more

Came here last week to grab a bite to eat while on lunch break, wanted to come here since it seemed like a decent place to go too. I rarely go to Panera Bread by the way. Service here was mediocre, the portions for food for what I paid for is small. I waited over 20 minutes and it wasn't even that busy m . Plenty of parking available. read more

That place is dirty, especially bathroom are disgusting!!! how it is possible place with food isn't clean??!!!

For the third time we ordered online curbside pickup, and for the third time it didn't work. When you click on the "I'M HERE" link in the email confirmation, it does nothing and no one comes out. After the second time I left a message in Facebook. Someone from Panera asked for the location, which I gave them. They then replied to thank me and said they shared my comment with that location and to test them if I had more questions. We tried again this evening and again, no one comes out. It's not a question Panera, is me reporting a problem with at your store with your online ordering system! How about fixing it? Update: Heard from Panera again via FB. They said they would use it to retrain and gave me some kind of reward to my account. We'll try them again in a couple weeks and see. Stay tuned! UPDATE: 1) We tried last evening and of course the "I'm here" link still failed but after some testing I found the "I'm here" link no longer works when you forward your order email to a smart phone. 2) Our order at 6:40 pm last evening was botched up. The full size Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad HAD NO CHICKEN ON IT! The 1/2 order of Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad had 5 pieces of paper thick chicken smaller than a nickel. Stay tuned! NEW UPDATE! See the attached pic of the conversation. read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

placed an order for asiago bagels scheduled to be pick up at 1pm, they cancelled the order at 12:58pm (when I arrived to pick up the order!) and they were out of asiago bagels. so don't trust this panera bc they don't understand how online orders work and they don't update what stock they have on their app. read more

Going through the drive thru and the order is still wrong, Placing the order on line and it is still wrong. Don't even get me started on when trying to call the store because the order wasn't right it rings non stop and than disconnects you! (WAY TO GO CUSTOMER SERVICE ) After the 6th call not exaggerating , the manager gets on with a I could care less attitude (like what do you want me to do about it) While the whole time arguing like I placed a wrong order. this store needs a management over haul at best. read more

not a big fan. had their Ceasar salad. chix appeared that from frozen cardboard type. no grill marks here folks lol portion of dressing comes in two small containers.. which in total is about 1/3 the amount you need to dress the leaves. This is a little bit of too bad. Have some more respect for the concept of a salad. read more

I placed a mobile order with them. When I got there they were still preparing the order which was no big deal. One of the associates review the order before she put the order on the shelf. When I got home we unpacked the order, we were missing a cup of chicken soup, a chocolate chip cookie, a chocolate chip bagel, and 4 French baggetts. One sandwich was ordered without tomatoes but the had tomatoes. They also just put one cookie and a pecan braid in the bag without a wrapper around it. When I tried to call the manager to tell them about all of the errors the phone just rings and no one answers and ultimately hangs up on you. read more

I had an order placed for delivery today and it was so awful. The order came and it was the sandwiches that were cold and the person that was delivering it, didn't have his mask on when making the delivery. I am not very happy. I expect a credit of some sort. read more

It comes as no surprise that the average American has less than $500 saved for a rainy day, especially if they frequent places like Panera, home of the $8 Mac and Cheese which amounts to the size of a small/ medium soup any where else! And it's not even full! 1000% markup is really difficult to justify..... Cashiers should be paid well based on the prices at this place but I hardly think the excessive costs trickle down to the staff. Not that I particularly care about the staff because they aren't nice or accommodating either. The only redeeming thing is that there is a drive thru. read more