I wanted to try some Panera Bread in San Antonio during my stay there. The closest location to my hotel was at Lincoln Heights on the northwest corner of Basse and Broadway. It's in the same plaza as H-E-B, which is actually where I was at when I placed my order on the app. It was Sunday evening, and I didn't realize that this Panera Bread closes at 8 PM on Sundays until it was *almost* too late.
I wanted to get a You Pick Two, where you can get two menu items, each at a discounted price. I was hoping to get the bowls, but unfortunately, they had sold out of all bowls that day! Understandable, since it was pretty late in the day. However, they still had enough ingredients to make two chicken sandwiches! Sometime last year, Panera Bread rolled out their Signature and Spicy Take sandwiches, which is supposed to be their entry into the Nashville Hot Chicken craze that has been sweeping the nation like crazy. Don't believe me? Just ask Dave :)
Anyways, I made my order in the app for a Signature Take Chicken Sandwich as well as a Spicy Take Chicken Sandwich. If I had time, I would have ordered in person for a change, but since I was running out of it, I chose to order online in the event that I'd get turned away. When you order through the app, you get to choose up to five additional customizations, and I usually go for additional veggies whenever I get the chance.
After placing my order, I scheduled the last possible pickup time on Sunday, 7:55 PM. I was able to get my shopping done at H-E-B just in time for pickup. Actually, I had an additional two minutes to spare because my order wasn't ready for pickup until 7:57 PM. Not a big deal, but I wouldn't want to be the one to make all the employees stay late, though I later learned from an employee, Steven, that they wouldn't kick you out if you were still inside at closing time. Since I had just purchased perishable food from the most common grocery store in the Lone Star State, I had to take my takeout bag back to my hotel to eat.
With a You Pick Two, you get a choice of a baguette, apple, or chips as your side. Since I didn't think I was eating healthy during my trip, I went with the apple, which I saved for the next day.
The chicken sandwiches from Panera Bread come in portable boxes that don't open up like a Big Mac box from McDonalds. Rather, there's a seam in the middle of the box that you pull the tab off of, and the box splits open in half to reveal a chicken sandwich. Convenient for eating on the go or even in the car!
When I took both boxes out of my takeout bag, there was no way for me to tell which was the Signature Take and which was the Spicy Take. I wish they had indicated this. One of the sandwiches was unfortunately too dry for me. The other sandwich was loads better with significantly more flavor, but it definitely wasn't as good as a traditional Nashville Hot Chicken sando!
I do appreciate how the kitchen crew paid close attention to my customization instructions, however, so kudos to them for that. Even the Panera Bread back home struggles to keep up with me lol.
While I didn't hate this Panera Bread's chicken sandos, I also didn't love them either. If I lived close by, I would certainly make this my go to Panera Bread, especially since I could go there after shopping at H-E-B. However, I would be more conscientious of the time I go because of how many menu items they were sold out of at the time of my visit. read more