I don't have a lot of positive things to say about this place on a good day. It's mediocre at best. They have a few good things. As for the atmosphere, it is cafeteria-like. And the service is poor--the staff members behave like zombies. Or worse. (Rude.) But the one thing I can't abide and has made me decide to quit Panera once and for all is the way they don't keep the app up to date--you order something, drive from home to pick it up, and when you get there, they don't have it. They are out. This has happened to me a dozen or more times over the years. And yes, that makes ME the fool for continuing to go there. But every once in a while, my order is successful. Which has kept me (FOOLISHLY) coming back. Well, I'm DONE. In our area, I'd direct you to La Quinta Baking Co. Or even Teddy's doughnuts. Skip Panera LQ. There are always better options. read more

I just had the best strawberry poppyseed salad that was so good. It tasted so fresh. All the ingredients tasted clean and fresh and rice. The strawberries were sweet. The chicken was perfectly cooked and moist. It was a feast for my eyes, a feast for my body. My body was so so happy that I was eating this salad I should have taking a picture... it looked just like the ad ...that good read more

Service was condescending treating me like I was a problem. Cashier wasn't trained, they didn't know what they were doing. I usually like Panera but won't be back to this one. They need to get the team back have a meeting and boost morale! read more

I joined Panera's Sip Club for the daily drinks subscription, which was great especially at the time when coffee and soft drink cups were all grab-and-go - I could order from the app, or from the kiosks, and get my drink right away without having to wait. Within the last couple weeks, they've changed it so now drink cups have to be picked up from the counter; which is fine (I wouldn't be surprised if people stole cups and got free drinks) but the kitchen crew is so busy that no one is manning the counter and it'll take forever for someone to notice, then validate the order, and then give you your cup. It'll take easily 5+ min between placing an order and getting the cup, especially if it's busy. This probably sounds trivial but it's a real pain now, compared to when the drink cups were all available at the beverage station. Can we please return to the glory days?? read more

I chose to order our dinner at Panera for two reasons: speed and the Mediterranean Bowl. After placing an order on the app, we drove from our home to pickup our order. On arrival, we were told by the manager that they no longer offered the Mediterranean Bowl (which had been readily available on the app). He offered to refund and make something else, but we had already been waiting in the "rapid pickup" lane for 10 minutes. We had been in a hurry and didn't want to wait, so he refunded us in cash, leaving us with one meal and barely a "sorry." Since I can't rely on the app nor the La Quinta Panera to simply provide the food I ordered, I won't be returning unless we can order in the store with a human being. So much for convenience... read more

I am given gift cards for birthdays and special occasions because I loved my Panera in Riverside. Without exception I have been disappointed at every visit with the quality of the food in the LaQuinta franchise. Last night I bought a Napa chicken salad sandwich on sourdough. There was enough arugula for 4 sandwiches and less than a tablespoon of chicken on either side of the sandwich. If this had been the only time I would let it pass. Unfortunately every other time I have gone in the last year I have been deeply disappointed and will not be get past it. I have asked my family to not give me gift cards for Panera anymore. I don't know if it is just this location or if the quality has really declined but you have lost a long time customer. read more

This place is SO slow, terrible service and hardly ever get the order right. It doesn't matter if you eat in or order to go always check if they have your full order as they seem to never get it right. There was a Panera just up the street that used to do a very good job. Then this one opened and they can't seem to perform. Hoping they open a new one. read more

My wife reported that their new business model is a failure! The old model may not have been perfect but the new model is a big disappointment. They made it less customer centric and more corporate centric . Too bad! Food, service and ambiance all less than before! read more

I have always loved Panera, soup, salads, sandwiches. Tried the bowl today and this was $15! Needless to say I thought maybe 1/2 of it was missing I would have been better of going to jack box and getting their teriyaki rice bowl I will say the pizza my daughter got was a nice size and very good read more

Panera Bread - Teriyaki bowl - Sandwiches Near Me - La Quinta, California

Like many people I have enjoyed Panera. They have some great bakery goods. That said their lunch menu has really gone downhill. The tuna sandwich uses what I could only call fish paste and my soup was served slopped over the side and onto the plate. Unappetizing. They have a value menu but they don't put it on either the kiosks or on their reader board. You have to ask for it. Why? The server was sweet, but I just found it to be disappointing and I probably won't return. read more

La Quinta's brand new Panera debuted this month with a drive-through option for those grab-and-go folks. The light and airy cafeteria-forward ambiance is a startling contrast to its predecessor's nooks-and-crannies coziness. Will appeal to some and not others. Menu has expanded along with the prices. No more $1 pastries offered with the $14 sandwich. Music selection and sound-system quality need to be improved. The surprisingly ill-thought-out entry (with its plastic flowers!) precludes any common-sense pedestrian flow. Majority of those entering the space park in the lot , then tramp through the raised flowerbeds to gain entry since there's no clear access route. Dined outside today and watched 90% of the patrons confusedly decipher the most direct path. Architectural fail. Food still delicious and we will remain patrons. read more

To start, the new drive thru is like a loud mess hall , horrible design , a lot noise .. The Mac & cheese was like soup . The Greek salad didn't taste the same . The other location had a nice ambiance, you could seat in a booth with nice comfortable seats. The seats at the new location are like being at a Mc Donald's or an fast food establishment . I'll just go to the Palm Desert location because this one definitely doesn't have a nice dining experience . They don't bring the food to your table anymore and having to clear your own table, I don't mind if they didn't charge as if it's a full service restaurant . I can go to CPK for the lunch menu and pay less with a server and don't have to bus my own table! The only positive is that the staff are nice read more

I did a rapid pick up order for one breakfast sandwich, it took 38 minutes (I have the receipts) mind you, not one single car in the drive thru, and honestly probably about 5 people inside sitting and eating. So they weren't even busy. I could see on their screens my order in red and them all ignoring it and showing each other videos on their phones. Now I'm a very patient person, however I was almost late for work... and I ordered 45 minutes beforehand. While I'm here I might as well add... they forgot 2/3 ingredients. I ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese... I received cold egg on cold bread. I'm honestly just embarrassed I spent money on this. read more

Ubaldo and Erica, Are managers, and Josh is a Service Employee at this location. I'm just the short time here we realized that they go above and beyond for their customers. The Tomatoe Soup and Their new The Chef's Chicken sandwich is so delicious. This establishment is very clean and comfortable as well. We will be back! read more

Where to start. The food was horrible. Luke warm, things on the salad that I wasn't expecting. Bread was stale. Worst Panera I've ever been to. read more

The Mexican corn soup was awesome. The kicking grilled cheese could have been toasted a bit more.

Food is great. Workers are helpful and friendly. I like the bacon ranch sandwich and all the salads

Ordered a cheese soufflé and a coffee and it was yummy. The service was great. We had a very friendly cashier who was helpful in fulfilling all of our requests. It was nice to get out of the heat and into the cool air conditioned restaurant. read more

Panera Bread - Four Cheese Souffle - Sandwiches Near Me - La Quinta, California

I got into an argument with a customer and 2 employees this morning, the manager on duty was Erica and she handled it with so much poise and professionalism. She de-escalated the situation and tried her best to hear everyone out . Shoutout to you Erica , a lot of business owners and managers alike can learn a thing or two from you !!! read more

All the reasons why I go to Panera is missing from the newer locations like this one. The chairs are uncomfortable. There is loud music. Super bright unwelcoming lights. The internet isn't working both times I've been there. Only 3 booths? Panera used to be where I prefer to grab breakfast, lunch for work meetings - not so much now. read more

Terrible portion size for the price . Never coming back again . Your money goes a long way elsewhere.

Every weekday morning IS WORST SERVICE. Take 20 to 25 minutes for just a cup of coffee

What is so hard about reading INSTRUCTIONS. DO NOT SLICE Yet they slice the bagels. EVERY DANG TIME FOR LAST 6 months (3-4 times a month)! Of course we get credit but the POINT is DO NOT SLICE. Read the instructions. ALSO. Almost EVERY TIME we get bagels not ordered (they MODIFY) our order. There are particular ones we do not eat or can not. Yet they modify and don't call. But they text that the order is ready. Customer Service is not at this store. I know we can not be the only customer that is irate. And our order pickup time was 8:15AM. SUCH A LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY. PANERA BREAD in La Quinta read more

Great new location but either add the number pads to notify you that your order is ready or just have your employees notify us that the food is ready because we waited a long time before we realized they just leave your order at the top bar. Have the employees yell out the name or say it over the speaker. When I ordered it was me and 2 other families making it around 10am with 8 people in the store max and all you could hear is the music. Just order your food and head straight to the pick up window and don't move until you get your food. Simple lesson learned Order Number 969300840 Food was just cold read more

Worst service ever. Ordered Mac n cheese in the drive thru. They had me go park and left me parked for over 15 min. I walk in and there's only 1 customer eating in there. My food was sitting in a bag waiting. Manager just said "sorry about that"! read more

Mediterranean sandwich with an apple (no additional charge) was a great choice. The dining area was clean and the employees were friendly.

I ordered a turkey bacon avo sandwich. The bread was hard as a rock. I asked if they had any softer bread she said, "no the sandwiches only come with that kind of bread. If you wanted any other kind of bread theyd need to charge me extra for softer bread." 12 dollars for the hardest sandwich ive ever had. Never doing panera again what a joke read more

Dined here for lunch around 1:30pm. Soup portions were small and tasted somewhat watered down. Muffin and Coffee were decent nothing spectacular. read more

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TODAY AT 8:13 I Ordered a rapid drive thru pick up, went to drive thru and was sitting there for more than 20 minutes while the manager kept looking at me and ignoring me. I even honked twice and he kept ignoring me. Why have a drive thru pick up option if you are gonna be ignoring your costumers??? I didn't get my food until a girl passed by and finally paid attention to me. The other guy was LITERALLY EATING BACON ON THE KITCHEN WITH HIS GLOVES ON WHILE PREPARING FOOD. how disgusting. Never coming back again. I know they must not get paid enough to have good costumer service and have a GOOD appearance( they look dirty) , just a restaurant full of high school dropouts. read more

See below, wholly cow, wish I had opened this up in restaurant. Run don't walk away from this selection, what a ripoff for $12.00. You do get a 1 oz bag of chips with this. Never ever again. I'm sending this to main office for review. read more

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So disappointing. Ordered the fontega chicken sandwich. So poorly made. Missing the melted cheese, onions and basil, and barely any sauce. I spent $46, looks nothing like their picture read more

Panera Bread - The fontega chicken sandwich - Sandwiches Near Me - La Quinta, California

Worst customer service, rude, dismissive, unprofessional. I asked what's in one the soups on the menu and tje girl wouldn't volunteer the info. We asked for chips and they claimed there were no more, when employees behind the counter were opening new bags and eating chips. I will never Recommend this place, too expensive and really bad service. read more

So I like their new location; it has a more spacious feeling for the younger crowd. However, the older generation prefers the older location with more walls, so that they can sit peacefully in the restaurant while reading a book the entire day. The only thing that I hate is their Drive-Thru; there are 2 lanes; one lane for online orders to pickup; another lane to order; however, these lanes will merge into one which leads to the pickup window. So if someone just orders at the drive-thru and then you arrive to pickup your order, you would have to wait like 5-10 minutes for that car in front of you to receive their order before you can pickup your own meal that you ordered ahead of time, which completely negates picking up through drive-thru. Hence, I always go inside the restaurant to pickup my online order; there are designed parking spaces next to the restaurant; however, the parking lanes are really small; I hate it when big/long trucks park in this area because it makes it super hard to backout since the lane is so tight. In terms of the food quality, I still enjoy it. Once in awhile (~1 out of every 20 orders), one of my customizations is not noticed. But luckily, you can complain on the app, then Panera instantly refunds you, which is super convenient and quick. I definitely come here all the time. read more

I was excited to try the drive thru at Panera. No one was in line. I thought it would be fast. Boy was I wrong. They have you park after you drive through to wait for your food. If I wanted to park I would have gone in. I am going back to ordering ahead and walk g in to pick up my food. At least I didn't have to wait!!! read more

When you wait in line for 20 minutes, order a sandwich and latte, then you wait again while told to pull to the side, and you get the order wrong, we are done. When you go inside the manager (bald guy) doesn't offer you anything for your time, that is not only poor service, but poor management too. WE WILL NEVER RETURN. This place hasn't been open that long, not to mention the sandwich was almost $13.00. Franchise owner, you have very poor help there reconsider the help in place. Just too much! read more

Order pick up is horrible. They always forget to give me part of my order or get my order wrong. I give up on this place.

When all you can add to your price is, "price varies" it scares me. Prices have gone up everywhere, and I've become very selective in where I will place my tight budget. I understand that our servers and workers should now be making $15 an hour, yet when it costs nearly $20+ for a senior couple for a fast food meal, where is the insentient to pass the grocery store and eat out? Sorry, I'll cook at homem read more

Panera food is really good...I love the bowls or salads. Their bread is fresh daily and definitely a highlight. I will say, it isn't always consistent, but if you let them know, they will fix it. The menu is varied and something for everyone. I personally love the Baja Bowl and in summer, the Strawberry poppyseed salad which is incredibly refreshing and light. read more

I knew they would mess everything up. Told the whole family noooo!! Didn't listen and door dash order was a mess. Not door dash problem but Panera issue. Door dash always works for us as very frequent orders to them. Ordered a cheese pizza for picky wife and had pepperoni. Son's pizza had tomatoes and that a real bad issue. Mine was ok but now everybody mad at me. Thanks Panera. Should be real Simple to read basic order. read more

I loved the old location, customers got personalized service with the cashier. Yes, you had to pick up your own food, bus your table not too bad. However, the restaurant was cozy and inviting. Not any more. You now order from a kiosk when you come in the door. Place is noisy Music blaring. So, you order from a kiosk. Get a buzzer. Go pick up your food, take it to your hard seat booth and clean your table when you're done. Seriously?? I can do that at Taco Bell or McDonald's next door for a whole lot less. At least McDonald's has a couple upholstered booths. Because of the kiosk order/pay situation, i ordered from there. Tried to put two different gift cards in to pay for my meal and they were both rejected.. Frustrated, I left and went next door to Taco Bell. At least I had a real person at the cash register. No level of customer service. None. They don't even have anyone overseeing the kiosk's to assist customers! How cheap to totally move everything to self serve! Bad move, Panera. I've been a loyal Panera customer for a years. I can take my money elsewhere. And, you're eliminating JOBS!! read more