Working on the side of Waltham that I do, this Panera and the plaza in general is the closest thing to picking up a quick lunch. However, the service is ANYTHING but quick. I have gotten smart and usually call my order in before heading out. Even so, I have been given wait times of an hour! My order is not usually complicated and straight from the salad menu. Parking is also terrible at lunch time, though this is not their fault. I write this review because of how slow the service can be in the morning. Most of us who are out at 7am are clearly on their way to the office. I ordered my breakfast with their new online option, which gave me a pick up time of about 10 minutes. I arrived at the location about 15 minutes later and was happy to see my order was bagged for pickup. Luckily for me, I checked the bag. At this point my fruit cup was missing. I had to stand in line in order to find a staff person to see what had happened. Considering this was morning rush time, and the place wasn't full, one would think that this took only a minute. The problem is/was that there never appear to be enough staff behind the counter or making food, which can cause the huge back up. I can say that the staff, at least in the morning, are very friendly. The woman who took care of my issue this morning was friendly and attentive, though it did take a good 10-15 minutes for them to rectify the missing part of my order.... which then caused me to race off to the office to make it on time. All in all, it's Panera food, but with the wait time of a sit down fancy place. I will mention that they have only been open for a few months, so hopefully the kinks will work out. If you are in Waltham and need your fix.... go to the Lexington Street location! read more

Sad to say this is a terrible Panera location, as it is so close to my house. Food is fine, service is terrible. Slow, indifferent, borderline rude. To be fair, we've encountered several very nice employees in our visits there, but the overall service level is no better than a bottom tier fast food place. read more

Absolutely horrible. They frequently forget stuff from my order and this is an ongoing thing. People,as well as businesses improve with time and experience; but not this place. This evening, they completely forgot one whole sandwich from my online order! Panera is by no means cheap and when they forget a $10 sandwich from an order, it means they don't really care about any sort of customer service or quality control. Shame on this unethical business. read more

I'm a fan of Panera, but this location is in desperate need of new staffing. I went there twice today and both experiences were frustrating. This morning I go to pick up a smoothie and a pastry via the app with rapid pickup. After I arrive and see my name come off the board yet no order come out. The place was dead and barely any staff around. I ask a staff member where the order is and it was behind their counter and hadn't had a chance to bring it out. Again the place was dead.... This evening I decide to pick up dinner. Again, I order ahead and go for rapid pick up. The place is again dead (7 patrons in the seating area and 3 waiting for takeout). I wait 20 mins for my order and finally encounter the manager who asked if I needed help. I tell him my name and I'm told that they were holding the order in back because they ran out of desserts. He offered replacements but there was nothing that I wanted from what was left over. The manager apologized for the lack of items and he offered to credit me for my entire order (unexpected and appreciated). I returned home to find that the order is incorrect. I ordered 2 you pick 2s and had one full order and the other order was a half of a sandwich and a rock solid piece of bread. Before even bothering to drive back there, I decide to call. I let the phone ring 12 times before I gave up and hung up. Again remember that the place was dead and it was 3 mins after I left. I didn't bother to go back because honestly, what was the point. I have had multiple visits to this location with similar results and the only reason I have returned is that I live three blocks away. After tonight I'm tired of giving them another chance. While the staff are all pleasant, there needs to be refresher training from management down. Simple tasks like checking completed orders and asking customers if they need assistance are no brainers. read more

Putting the customer first. I've been coming to this location since it opened. Yes, it's not the best with regard to wait-time or food quality--they are new, after all. But today they get 5 stars from me. Normally they don't brew decaf late in the day, but the woman at the counter and the manager made some just for me. They just reinforced loyalty that is worth much more than the coffee they brewed. Kudos and much respect! read more

I've eaten here a few times and like to have a coffee. They consistently have their carafes empty, even on one Sunday morning when I stopped for breakfast. Keeping the coffee coming is just not a priority. Also - for lunch I usually get a panini but recently ordered one of their italian sandwiches. I didn't realize just how small and expensive the sandwiches are there. I ordered a large only later to find out they only have one size. It comes on a small 6 inch roll and the cost it over $9. That is the most expensive tiny sandwich I've every had. I can get a 12' sub at Subway for just $5. If I pay over $9, I expect a decent sandwich and not to be still hungry afterwards. I'll be looking for another place for lunch. read more

This is a follow up to Caroline S.'s review. I agree that this location is small and strangely laid out. However, that is not my problem. My issue is getting my food in a timely fashion with a minimum quality. I don't think that these excuses can hold up anymore, as the cafe has been open over a month. I will say that I went during dinner on a Saturday, but consistency is the brand power of Panera. It shouldn't matter when I go, with the exception of longer wait time during lunch hour on a weekday. The wait time was 20-30 minutes when the restaurant was empty. The manager began to give out orders for customers who arrived after I had placed my order. This location already needs a shake-up from upper management. Either figure out a way to make it work, or I could see this place closing real soon. read more

Worst customer service, I go every morning and they always mess up the order, never have coffee or they run out of orange juice. I even once paid with a $100 bill and was given the in orate change, was missing $20 dollars. read more

Every time I go here there's some issue. This morning they were out of large coffee cups and the toaster was broken. Last week they "hadn't made the yogurt parfaits yet" - it was after 9am and there were employees just standing around, so maybe someone could get on that? When it's busy there's one person on the register, when it's dead there's four. No one seems to be in charge. Pretty much the only thing they have going for them is a convenient location. read more

Great service, very accommodating and friendly. The patio area was clean and spacious. Great location

i'm very disappointed with this place! my food is always served late, super slow when we are not even 6 people crew in to the restaurant! + the manager is so rude ! read more

Standard panera bread fare, although the service can be a little better. Staff turnaround must be high because I never see the same face twice read more

Friendly service, but I've been to better. I'm usually a fan of Panera, just not this particular one.

Alas, as an update to my earlier review, and months after they opened this location, nothing has changed. Waited for broccoli cheese soup for 10 minutes with only 1 person in front of me to only be told they had no broccoli cheese soup. So just as EVERY SINGLE TIME I have gone in there, they are out of what I want! At least the manager just gave me my money back and apologized, but I don't' think I will bother going to this location again. read more

This is a nice place and the staff runs around crazy trying to keep up, but they need more staff.

Service is extremely slow. Staff oblivious of patrons waiting time. I waited 1/2 hour for a sandwich. I won't go back

Worst service. Food quality is soo bad. Customers don't get notified properly when their food is ready. First problem is they dont even get customer name correctly. Cost is very high while the food is not worthy. read more

Terrible. I understand it's lunch but it took 35 minutes for my one person meal. If your eating for king at work I highly regiment going elsewhere. read more

Waited 35 minutes for a salad. It seemed like they just kept working on whatever the newest order was while forgetting about all of the orders in queue. If I didn't go up to check my order I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been made. read more

I like Panera, but this location can't seem to get it right. I ordered online, and when we went to pick it up, they were out of the broccoli cheddar soup. That was a bit frustrating, so I chose a substitution. Then, came home to find the Greek Salad I ordered had no feta cheese on top, and giant slices of tomato like from the sandwiches instead of the chopped tomatos. Ended up with a mediocre meal, and probably will not visit them again. read more

This location seems small, dark and cramped. Service is subpar to other locations. Go to the north Waltham location instead. Corporate really needs to give this location some tlc and training. read more

I was so excited when Panera moved so close to my house! But the service here is not great. Last Friday a friend and I went and ordered smoothies. I got mine almost right away but she had to wait for hers for 20 min. Why? And as we stood in line waiting the people behind the counter totally ignored us. They just don't seem to have it together over there. It's new, maybe they will get their systems down better in the future. read more

Like others, I feel weird reviewing a chain. And like others, I usually like Panera as a quick go-to for a decent/good salad, for cheap. But this one is just so bad. I have been 4 times. First time it took 20 minutes to get a salad ready, second time there was only one person at the register with 7 people and just gave up and left after 10 minutes waiting to order. Third time it took 25 minutes for a salad and I watched them screw up this one guys order literally 4 times, and a few others' as well. Then today took 10 minutes for 2 salads (wow!) but both were missing the egg (a sort of important part of a Cobb salad) and the other had bleu cheese despite saying don't put it on. That and the people working the register are generally rude. I think this place needs some better management. For now it's competing with a chipotle a few doors down so from now on, con question where I will go. read more

Decided to get Panera for the first time in awhile. It'll be the last one I ever get Panera from anywhere. The chain has taken a turn for the worse. I grabbed a Pick 2 Southwest Chile Lime salad and a Bacon Turkey Bravo. Ended up leaving work early a few hours later with all the symptoms of food poisoning. Tired, dehydrated, stomach cramps, nausea, and finally, vomiting and diarrhea ... Stay away. read more

The food is what you'd expect - pretty decent. Service is friendly. But ... It's an icebox in here. Why is it so cold? Kind of ridiculous. Also they run out of basic stuff a lot, like plastic cups or Diet Coke. But I come here a lot so it's mostly ok. read more

This has to be one of the most dysfunctional Panera locations around. There is never anyone processing customers thru the order line. I bypassed that by always ordering rapid pickup. It reduced the problems for the most part. Until today. I ordered a egg, ham and cheese breakfast sandwich. When I got back with it, found NO EGG and the ham looked like shredded, chewed up remnants. And it was barely warmed. Lesson learned. I can make better myself. And will in the future. read more

I love Panera, but this specific location in Waltham brings shame to the brand. The staff doesn't have it together, there's confusion on who's is doing what and how the food will be delivered. Cold sandwiches are made with frozen hard cuts of meat, making it an ice-tasting sandwich. Same goes for chicken on a salad. They don't even bother to bring it to room or fridge temperature. Complaining is pointless, they try to convince you there's nothing wrong with the order. The tables aren't clean after cleared by the customer, so you find yourself walking around trying to find a clean table to sit at. I've given it a few try's, but have given up. It's a shame, because I love Panera and most of the locations I've been to are great. read more

I'm generally a fan of Panera and was excited when this location opened but there are some serious service problems here. It consistently takes this location much, much longer to get orders out than the many others I've been to - orders wrong, missing, late, etc. I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt when they opened but now almost a year later it is still a problem, even early in the AM when there are few customers. I don't even bother trying to go around lunch time anymore as it is a disaster. They are frequent out of items (lids, straws, etc) and trying to flag someone down to get more is challenging. Poor management or workflow issues seem to be the cause as there are always different people on with the same problems. Some employees seem to be snippy/rude to one another in front of customers also making the experience less than ideal. read more

For some reason, this location doesn't do the 99 cent pastry deal. But they don't tell you that when you order one with your meal, so you don't notice until you look at your receipt and see that it was 2.39. It seems like they're just trying to be really cheap and sneaky about it. Also, the portion sizes at this location usually seem smaller than they're supposed to be, especially with the salad. read more

I actually like this Panera more than the other reviewers, though the one on Lexington street is larger and has better service. It can get crowded during lunch and it can be hard to find a table sometimes (especially in the winter when there's no outside seating). I've never had any issues with my order and the servers have always been friendly. Minus 1 star for the tight/crowded layout and the location sometimes running out of key items (straws, Pepsi machine not working, etc.). I think they have recently hired more staff, so it should be improving. read more

Lots of unwarranted 1 star reviews here. This Panera has always been nice to me as I have spent hours here working on schoolwork. The workers have been nothing out of the ordinary and I have always enjoyed the food. Just because you had one unfavorable experience doesn't mean you should condemn a place to 1 Star. read more

I've had continually subpar experiences with this Panera location, but I've kept going back in hopes that my luck would turn around. I figured that after being open for nearly a year, the store would eventually be able to streamline its processes/systems and adequately train its staff. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case - and after my experience this morning, I will not be returning again. I ordered a cappuccino and what ensued afterwards was completely unacceptable. When I walked over to the pickup area, I noticed that no one was at the coffee bar to make drinks. After waiting patiently for nearly 10 minutes, I asked someone behind the counter if a cappuccino was on the way. She said that she had to find someone to make it. There were at least 5 employees behind the counter making sandwiches at the time. I find it unbelievable that not one employee had been trained to make a cappuccino. If you offer something on your menu, every single employee should be capable of delivering that item to a customer in a timely fashion. About 7 minutes later, someone else joined me in line to wait for a latte and there was still no one at the coffee bar. There was absolutely no sense of urgency to find someone to make drinks or to deliver the drinks quickly, and that was most bothersome to me. In addition, there was no manager on the floor (at least not that I could see). I finally got my drink almost 20 minutes after placing my order. I wish I could say that I at least walked away from the experience with an enjoyable beverage, but no. The drink I received was made incorrectly and it was cold (not quite what you expect when you order a hot coffee). I went up to the cashier to ask for a refund, and she agreed to give it to me - but not without a rude, condescending remark. She said to me: "For future reference, when you order a cappuccino, you should know that it's steamed milk and coffee." I'm well aware of what a cappuccino is (I order one every morning). Her attitude and demeanor was the straw that broke the camel's back. Having worked in a retail customer service position for many years, I know what it's like to be on the other side of the cash register. I understand how awful it feels to have a rude customer come into the store and make demands. However, I was not rude. I didn't yell at anyone, I didn't cause a scene, and I was respectful throughout the entire ordeal. On the other hand, the staff at Panera was not at all respectful of me or my time. They were callous and unwelcoming. I should not have had to ask for a refund - they should've offered me a refund AND an apology. But I suppose that would be asking too much. The overall lack of action and accountability among the staff made it clear that my business doesn't matter. read more

I can say I have been in many other places better than this one. The food is good as always but the customer attention has a lot to say about a place and this one isnt that good here. read more

I went into Panera this morning. I don't normally go to this Panera even though its in my home town and I'm five minutes away I stopped cause the service is just awful and the food is right 20% of the time. I used to love Panera till I moved here and went to this store. I'll go to any other ones and I never had such a terrible experience before. Well this morning, I was craving their coffee and I love their coffee, I figured that shouldnt be too difficult and get a muffin and a Turkey sausage eggwhite and spinach. Well I got my coffee and muffin right on time from the nice cashier. I waited for my food what seemed like years (10 minutes) while I watched the manager giggling with another employee and it seems like they were just standing there not making any food at all. and I was waiting for my sandwich. When I finally got it. I didn't even get what I ordered. I got a Turkey with bacon and wasnt eggwhite with spinach. It wasnt even rung in wrong to begin with which really baffled me. I went to the cashier and they apologized to me nicely and said they were going to get a manager, they came back and said "She'll be right with you". I stood back and waited for 25 minutes. the manager finally came up and she had an attitude with me right off. She said "Whats the problem here?" I said "My sandwich was made wrong" and told her how it shouldve been. She proceeded to tell me, "Egg whites?" she gave a rude snicker. I said, "Excuse me?" and looked around and I didnt see the cashier anywhere anymore. She walked away from me. She came back and gave me a bag, "Here ya go" I didn't accept the bag I asked "What's that?" she said "Bacon eggwhite and cheese" I said "Thats not what I wanted, I wanted a Turkey sausage eggwhite and spinach" and she said they were all out of Turkey sausage. I was so annoyed I stormed out. I'm never going their again. First they get my sandwich wrong then she was very inappropriate and tries to give me a sandwich I dont want. I hope she's not in the customer service for very long cause she was awful! I will deffinitely not be returning there anymore so I dont have to run into her. Oh yeah my coffee was cold since the beginning. read more

I love this location. The food is great :) The wait time was not long and the staff was very friendly. The place was clean and airy. Perfect spot to enjoy some great food, catch up with friends, or work in a peaceful environment. read more

This location is consistent with failing you in any and every way possible. They have one specific "line cook" (I believe her name is Jasmine) that does not comprehend anything your saying and instead of trying to figure it out she immediately goes to saying "they don't do that" or that that is not "what the order was" I have worked in the plaza of this Panera for 2+ years now and it has progressively gotten worse and worse which I did not think was possible. I now try to avoid going here at all costs, along with my co-workers due to the HORRIBLE customer service. Today my order was done through rapid pick up with specific instructions and of course my order was still done wrong. Once I told the "line cook" Jasmine she explained that was not what the order said although the receipt CLEARLY shows that in fact that is what I ordered. Please train your staff better!! read more

Love this panera! Services is great (especially Aviva). Thanks for making my coffee just how I like it!

They almost always never have enough bagels, specifically French toast bagels. I'm sure I'm not the only one disappointed because it's majority of the time I go. read more

Probably worst Panera of all time. Undoubtedly, they have made a mistake every time I've ordered there. And on top of messing up, they take forever to make your order full of mistakes. One, two, three strikes your out. Will drive over to Breugger's to get breakfast on the go. Even though it can be out of the way depending on where I'm going, it will still probably be quicker in totality, and at least its always right. read more

I only come here because it's close to my house, otherwise this is the absolute worst and most incompetent panera location I have been to. The cashier makes a point of asking me EVERY DAY if I have a "My Panera" card. No I don't care about your stupid rewards program, you don't have to keep telling me about it every day. I just want to get my bagel and get out. Also the waits are unberably long and it's frequently out of stock on a lot of items. read more