What a let down!
In the interest of fairness I will begin this review by saying that my friend and I went to this Panera to have something warm to drink, we didn't intend to eat. It was a Saturday, at about 12:30 pm, so it was a bit busy, but there was still an adequate amount of seating to be had.
This visit was the very first time I ever went to a Panera Bread Restaurant. Maybe my expectations were too high because of all the wonderful things I have heard about the people, the food, the atmosphere and the Panera commitment to community.
The customer service person who took our orders wasn't overtly rude, but she didn't go out of her way to make us feel welcome or that she had any interest in giving us a "delightful" customer experience. My friend ordered a hot chocolate and I ordered a coffee. I asked the counter person/cashier what sizes of coffee they offered. She competently answered in ounces; 4 ounces, 6 ounces, etc. I looked at the cups stacked on the counter (same as they are everywhere) and asked if they had anything larger. She said they had one larger, which she reached down and brought up from beneath the counter. I said I will take that. I attempted to engage her in some friendly conversation, just to be polite and civil as she processed my order. I asked her to please be patient; as this was going to be my first time using Google Pay. She just kept looking at me like I was an idiot. I don't know, maybe I WAS being an idiot. She plopped the cup on the counter, I held my phone over the payment processing terminal and that was that. Her treatment of my friend was no better, not rude, but clearly not really wanting to do anything other than interact with the payment system. OK, maybe she was having a bad day. Her attitude sure put a damper on mine.
I walked through the restaurant twice. I was surprised at how small it was. The people working were busy, but none of them smiled. Not even at each other. It felt grim. Maybe they have a lousy manager, or they were short staffed. I don't know.
What I can say confidently though is that I have worked for decades in customer service/customer focused businesses, this Panera Bread failed miserably in every metric I look for. I KNOW customer service isn't easy, I KNOW some people are really miserable to try and serve. I KNOW what it's like to have someone rip you up and down simply because you are working in a service industry. That is why I try so hard to be the opposite of all those things.
I doubt I will be returning to Panera Bread to try any of their food. I get far friendlier service at my local Taco Bell and I can order the food to be just as "healthy" without all the hype. I feel bad writing such a negative review, but the experience wasn't pleasant for me at all. My friend? She just sort of shrugged it off and said that there were bigger things to worry about. She's probably right. If you really want to try Panera Bread; maybe try another location. I went to the corporate website "Manna Development Group" found the "contact us" section and left a comment similar to this review for them. Maybe they have a problem location that needs some focused attention and problem solving from upper management. Again, I don't know, the particulars, but I won't be returning. read more