There are a few reasons that I gave Panera (and this Panera) "Meh. I've experienced better." First, the service is not good. The staff is not really interested in what you need/want. They forget to ask if you want apples, chips, or a sprouted or white dinner roll with your meal. If you want a special order, they're not interested. Next, the line is so long and moves so slowly. I know that should prove that the restaurant is good, but it really seems to prove that the service is slow. People park in the fire lanes (not something the restaurant can help), and they're there for (I timed this) 30 mins. waiting for their food. It's actually a danger. The food is put together sloppily. Finally (and this won't win me friends, I already know this), although the menu is full of options with lots of variety (which is great), there are NO vegan options at all (except black bean soup, and I can't vouch that it is actually vegan.) I created a vegan option from their Mediterranean sandwich by asking for "no cheese," but a place like Panera, with so many options, could easily have a few good options. Almost all of the salads have meat, and all of them have cheese. Yes, you can ask them to leave it off, but speaking from experience, that's always a gamble. It would also be much appreciated if they'd add soy milk to the milk options for coffee. I did ask for it, and I got a "No, we don't have that," which could have been better customer service if someone had said, "I don't know if we have that. Let me check with a manager." Even people who aren't vegan have trouble with milk/dairy. I fully-appreciate that veganism is a bit niche, but lots of people are going in that direction, and even people who aren't vegan have issues with dairy. I weighed the fact that it's a dietary choice against the other things that I'm not fond of in the restaurant. I also weighed it against the other bevy of choices that are available. I think a rating of, "Meh, I've experienced better," is fair. Do get yourself a Panera card though. Those things are pretty valuable. Free stuff! My family goes here a lot, which is why I end up here a lot (eating the same thing, because there just aren't a lot of choices for me.) As a result, I get a lot of points here, and the card is definitely worth it. read more

Awful customer service. Cashiers were bashing customers and complaining about cutting bagels. I just asked for two.

Needs organic food. Best spot to relax in town. Such a shame the corporate morons still serve up jail food

Just OK, very pricey for what you get. Sandwiches do not have a lot of flavor and they are less than generous with the contents for the cost. Felt very rushed at the checkout and then was not told where to get my food? Employees were busy talking amongst themselves instead of offering good customer service. I have extent in a Panera in another state and was not impressed then either. Have not tried the baked goods or soups, but not going out of my way to eat here in the future. Really wanted to rate 2 1/2 stars! read more

Not sure what it is with some restaurants in the evenings, but they seem to could care less about cleanliness and professionalism. After a hard 12 hour day at work, I stopped by Panera Bread in Waldorf for a bite to eat. Unlike other evenings I have eaten here, I was actually assisted right away at the register. The manager on duty said hello to me, and that was all well and good. With 45 minutes left until closing, I halfway expected that the drink counter would be at full capacity. However, the sweet tea was bone dry. I went and asked the manager if they were done serving sweet tea for the night. There's nothing quite like a refreshing cup of iced tea after a long day at work. :-) He called out to someone to fill it up, and as I walked back to the drink counter, even one of their own employees was trying to get some, and seemed pretty bummed out. I know the feeling. (laugh). He then called out to the girl responsible for managing the dining room to take care of it. She was chatting with friends and/or other employees in a secluded corner of the dining room. Every table I looked for to sit at was filthy. The floors were quite dirty as well. Dishes were piled up at the trash centers sky high. It looked like a disaster; which I could believe on a weekend night, but seemed shameless for a Monday evening when you have only a few customers. It doesn't look good when employees are joking around and hanging out while the customers are left to fend for themselves when it comes to any sort of clean place in which to eat. Secondly, it's a bit annoying when you're trying to have a quiet meal, and employees are being loud and a bit disruptive. They weren't being completely obnoxious, but it was somewhat unnerving when it seemed like they could be doing other things rather than hanging out. The sandwich, itself, was great. I go here for lunch all the time, and a sandwich maker named Tommy makes THE BEST sandwiches. He's fast, efficient, and really courteous. He is the reason I give this place 2 stars instead of just 1. I think they could work harder on maintaining cleanliness in the evenings. They can be nice all they want to to customers, but by leaving the dining room a mess, it doesn't show a great appreciation for customers, in my opinion. read more

Love the spinach artichoke suffle, but they're always out. Told me I can't show up at 10am firt that. Won't go there for breakfast anymore. read more

I order rapid pick up from this place often. My order is always ready on time except sometimes they do not fill part of my order. Just be sure to check they gave you everything before you leave. They run out of certain items often as well. The food is always good when I order here and they make great lattes. When I do order at the restaurant, the staff is friendly and helpful. I would recommend this Panera to anyone who is in the area. read more

There food is very delicious especially the soups when I say It's something you'll never forget I mean it and the service is truly a delight

Oh Panera...The moment that you get busy the quality of the food drops down to poopoo. I just mobile ordered my food and it was all wrong. Wish I could leave 0 stars. Terrible read more

Without a doubt, the quality of this store has gone down considerably in recent years. If you want Panera, I would suggest you drive further down 301 and go to the one on Laplata. This store is always dirty and the service is poor. I stopped by today and the store was out of ham. The store was out of ham last week too. What sandwich shop runs out of ham, especially when its new feature sandwich is a ham panini? read more

This was my first time visiting this location and I was very disappointed. They are lacking in customer care recovery. I placed an online order while I was waiting for another food order at a nearby restaurant. I got there about 25 minutes after placing my order and my food wasn't in the pick up area. I go up to the register to purchase another cookie and inquire about my order. I told them it's been more than 20 minutes. The girl there proceeds to tell me they don't have it. I show her my receipt and checked to make sure the location is correct (which it is), and she asks for everything but my order number initially to look into the matter. She declined to take it when I offered the order number to help her out, and then finally asks for it as a last resort and was able to see the damn order. Then she says "oh they made this already. It's been almost 30 minutes, so I guess someone took it." While I understand you just walk up to pick up your food and it is possible that someone did take it, she nor the manager standing there watching everything unfold ever offered an apology, sorry for the inconvenience, or threw in a little something extra for the trouble. Then it took at least 15+ minutes does them to prepare a new half Caesar salad and half chicken avocado melt. They left out the extra dressing, which when I walked over to the counter to request it the boy behind the counter slid it over so rudely and it almost fell off the counter. I wanted to curse them out, but I took my things and left. NEVER TO RETURN AGAIN!! Management really needs to do better and teach the young people working there some customer service skills. read more

The service at this location is appalling. Particularly with one cashier named Jesse. I've had her a few times and each time she is extremely rude, doesn't seem to care about your order, and rushes through it. read more

I enjoy grabbing a bite at this Panera Bread location. The food is always top-notch. I'm a fan of the Kale Chicken Caesar Salad with a cold green tea as well as many of their other items. My only criticism for this location is that if you're ordering your food to go, it can sometimes be a cluster because so many people are crowded by the pickup counter. It's not always an issue, but at peak times it can be a challenge. I definitely recommend the location for a quick breakfast or lunch. read more

Have always liked Panera, but this last trip, I found a long black hair in my sandwich. I took it to the counter and the girl just grabbed the sandwich and threw it away and said to the young man fixing sandwiches to make another one. No apology, no offer, for a refund, it was as if I was not there. I should have asked for a manager, but instead I just took the new sandwich and threw it away. BTW all the people behind the counter, except one have long black hair and they do not wear hairnets anymore. I did comment on the Panera website a few days ago and have not a reply. I doubt I will be ruturning read more

Super friendly, well managed, never disappoints. Turkey, avocado blt is the best, tables are promptly cleared; I always leave here feeling happy. read more

I NEVER have an issue with this Panera Bread. Food and staff are always on point. The one in Waldorf is always clean too. I love it

I'm writing my review based on breakfast. They always run out of soufflés and don't bake more. In the past I have tried to call in to ask to save one if I knew it was nearing the end of breakfast and they said they could not save any. Today I went in and asked the manager about this and he said to call in ahead of time...ok -_- which is it? I asked if they account for demand and bake more and I got this long explanation of how they come up with the numbers and a "try again next time." I don't understand why this location always has this problem, and the manager could have at least tried to offer a coupon, rain check, "we'll save you one tomorrow or something" but nothing... Not a satisfied customer. read more

The food at Panera Bread is good and in the fall the pumpkin bagels are really good. My concern is food pickup. Customers are all over the food on the counter trying to determine if it's theirs. Wish they had a board where the numbers were listed when your food was ready but to have a customer reaching over food that isn't theirs is a lil disgusting. read more

I visit this Panera Bread frequently. However, yesterday after finding a dead spider in my salad it will be my last time. Also, I sent a message to the owner and he has yet to call me - just bad business. read more

Good food - I had smoked turkey on paninni. Cappacinno - was ok - I have had better. Cobblestone dessert - gooey sweet stuff!

love this Panera. I am always very happy with the service and food. They are all very nice and friendly. You order the food and your meal is up within a couple of minutes. It's always clean, tables are wiped down and no trash laying around. Panera is my "go-to" place when I don't feel like cooking. read more

Had my favorite salad today and was very disappointed with my salad. The lettuce was brown and wilted. My last two visits resulted in my orders not exactly correct. Come on Panera I know you can do better than that or my repeat visits will stop. The young man working today as in the past doesn't seem to be as detailed oriented. Looking forward to good food and service in the future. This was at the Waldorf Cafe. read more

The restaurant is clean and the food production is quick. I also appreciated the friendly customer service. I like this location specifically because it's never a long wait or line. read more

Horrible horrible horrible!!!! I am a nurse at a local hospital and used Panera to cater a breakfast for our nurses. We scheduled a delivery time for 0630-0645 and they did not arrive until almost 0730! Some of our night shift staff had to leave and miss the party. When the delivery girl finally arrived her excuse was "oh I'm not the normal delivery girl" I called to complain to the manager who had an attitude and did not seem to care and gave me 10% off. WILL NEVER USE THEM FOR CATERING AGAIN and will inform the rest of my colleagues to do the same. read more

I prefer the LaPlata location. I appreciate their customer service better. The Waldorf location isn't bad, but I did have a not so great customer experience...it just put a bad taste in my mouth so I'll drive the extra 10 mins to LaPlata. read more

This was my first time coming to this particular Panera Bread. I was very impressed by the service. A young man that was working (I think his name was William) was very helpful! He saw that I was carrying a lot of food for my family on my way to the booth and helped me bring it too them, and after we were done eating, he got us to-go boxes and offered to clear our dishes. Great service! read more

I couldn't even get the associate to take my order because she was so concerned with another customer who was whining about "being there first". Just to be clear the customer and her crowd were at an entirely DIFFERENT register. They got there first. However, when the associate claimed that she could take someone else, nobody moved, so I DID. When the other customer had arrived to a register first, that was fine; but when I arrived to a register first, she wants to complain? Everyone in the restaurant was so rude that ultimately I just walked out. It was way too much effort to get soup and sandwich. I will never patron this location. read more

This morning around 6:45am I came in to get my regular bagel and coffee before work. I enjoyed my food but one of the employees yelled at the people working behind the counter in a highly unprofessional manner. The one yelling was a african american male, with gray hair and glasses. He seemed like a manager. Aren't managers to be leaders and examples? People deserve respect regardless of their positions. There weren't that many employees working but they obviously were toggling between many tasks. Not sure why the employee was being yelled at in such a manner but he seemed to receive it and handle the situation well. I would expect more from people in leadership positions especially sense they're a reflection of the company. Certain situations should be handled more of a respectful and discrete manner. Disgusted. read more

On December 6 2014 I walked in and Kaliah informed me that the registers were out of order except one. I got in line and then another woman walked in behind me Kaliah opened a register and proceeded to call the woman behind me to come to the register she opened. The woman behind me rejected her directions and stated that I was first then Kaliah waited on me and proceeded to not delete a coke off the order that I did not want. A manager was standing beside her and was helping another cashier with another problem and kaliah did not ask the manager for help deleting the coke I had to call him over to help her. I feel she was discriminatory against me because of my sight and I believe she thought I was mentally challenged but I am not. I spoke to corporate about this and they did absolutely nothing to address this issue. I spoke to Jessica at corporate and she said it would take 3 to 4 business days and I have heard nothing. I have not gone back since and will not. I feel that people with disabilities should be treated the same with respect and not discriminated against. read more