I have not been to Panera in quite some time. I used to live very close to this particular location and it was a great place to bring my laptop, grab lunch, get a cup of coffee, and either relax or get some work done via WiFi. Once I moved it was inconvenient for me, and there is no location close to where I live now, so I just have not been here for a while. I always thought the food was a bit pricey, but tasty nonetheless. Everything seemed fresh, healthy, and altogether a great alternative to the run of the mill fast food most of us get accustomed to. Even so, Panera was never my top choice for lunch or dinner, and since I don't really live close to one anymore, it has been at least 3 years since I have eaten at any Panera. My wife and I received $20 in gift cards for Christmas, so we decided to give our old store a shot just a few nights ago. Our first attempt was unsuccessful, as we were turned away from the store because they were engaged in their annual "bread bash", which was explained to me as an employee event to help familiarize everyone with the current menu, etc. No big deal. I was hungry and disappointed, but I can't really fault Panera for closing early. We went back two nights later, hoping to be greeted by a staff of well informed, pleasant employees eager to serve delicious fare that they were not only familiar with, but proud to dish out. Unfortunately, this was not the case. This was not even CLOSE to being the case. The entire team, from manager on down to cashier, was jaded and tired at best, and in one particular case outright rude and condescending. Additionally, I attempted to bring this to Panera corporate's attention via their web portal, but as is often the case in today's world, I was given an automated cut and paste response that assured me my concerns would reach the proper people and the problem would be promptly resolved. I have no faith whatsoever that this will happen, so I decided to compose my first and likely only Yelp review in hopes that I can assist just one customer at the least. The primary problem occurred at the bakery counter, where we interacted with an employee named Suzanne, who according to her name tag is an "associate trainer", and if that is in fact the case I have grave concerns about the type of team she will mold in the months and years to come. The really sad thing is I believe she has been with the company for quite some time, judging by the amount of flair (pins and tags) she had accumulated and proudly emblazoned on her uniform and hat. There was no "Hello, welcome to Panera!". There was no "How can I help you this evening?". There was no "Have you been to Panera before, are you familiar with our menu?". Suzanne helped the two older customers in front of us, then asked us "and for you?". My wife ordered a cheese scone. Suzanne looked at her, disgusted, and rigidly replied "There is no such thing.", then rolled her eyes and huffed, disgusted and disparaged that we had even dared to bother her. Quite honestly, I was stunned. I really cannot stress how rude Suzanne was. I carry an attitude, right or wrong, dated or not, that it is my responsibility to stand up for my wife if need be. My blood was boiling, her lips were quivering as this really did upset her, and I stepped forward with the full intent of letting this employee know how utterly out of place her attitude was. My wife placed a soft hand on my shoulder, sensing my breaking point had been breached, pulled me back, and proceeded to walk down the counter, search for the sign that correctly identified the baked good in question, and politely asked for a "Cheese pastry please, sorry for confusion". There was no "That's okay, easy mistake.", there was no "No, no, my fault, sorry for being so blunt.", there was no apology whatsoever. The pastry was promptly wrapped up, handed over , and Suzanne turned around to resume her prior duties without another word. Honestly, this was the worst customer service I have received EVER. My thought was to bring it to the attention of the manager on duty, who I found at the end of the line, plating up the the orders and handing them out by name and pager in an orderly fashion. He seemed to be waiting for the shift to end, indifferent, neither accommodating nor outright rude. I figured my complaint would have little to no effect with him, so I decided to use the web portal, and I have already told you how that ended up. In hindsight that is exactly what I should have done, along with this review and the web portal - hoping that something, anything, would have and effect. The food was great, better than I remember actually. There has been a bit of an advertising blitz of late touting Panera as having clean, GMO, hormone, preservative free food. Make no mistake, you do pay a bit more for that luxury, as our $20 gift card barely covered our tab (we each had a half and half option, water to drink, and the blighted pastry). We won't be back anytime soon, if at all. read more