Panera is a great spot to stop and get lunch. It is somewhat healthier than other fast stop locations, mainly because of better ingredients and portion control. This location is the best Panera I've been too. It's always clean inside and I feel welcomed when I walk in the door. The staff has always been friendly (I frequent Monday-Friday lunch hour). The salads are excellent. You get a sizeable portion and they are low in calories (compared to most restaurant salads). My favorite is the Thai chopped chicken salad. They add chopped peanuts and a peanut sauce which makes the salad great. The soups are also excellent and relatively low calorie (unless you get it in a bread bowl- which is obviously the yummier way to go). The sandwiches have left something to be desired. I've tried a few of them now.. the asiago steak and cheese, the chicken caeser, etc.. and none of them have been worth writing home about. They seem too small and do not have enough filling. For the money, I'd rather have a large filling salad. Now the pastry's and breakfast foods are a different story! They are huge and decadent. However, I try to avoid even making eye contact with the display case because my reason for going to Panera is trying to eat a healthy meal! Stop tempting me with your delicious treats Panera Bread!! If you haven't already, sign up to be in their loyalty club. The cashier will scan your card every time you make a purchase, and every so often you'll get a free item (usually a pastry or beverage) or a couple dollars off your purchase. It's free to sign up! read more

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This is by far the best place for casual meals! With tons of good meals and great everything. This is the perfect cafe! When you walk in the door. You see the nice design of the area! With nice. Soft colors and good paintings. This place is appealing! And the prices are so cheap! I could pretty much afford anything! And a LOT of it! And with tons of choices. It's a big choice! And the drinks are splendid! With tons of flavor. Each one is great and perfect! Plus. There is a nice pad where it flickers and rings when your meal is ready! Overall. This is the PERFECT cafe. So come on in for a treat! read more

FOUR AND 1/2 STARS. THIS PLACE GETS 4 AND 1/2 STARS. There is not a whole lot of variation in the menu. You could get a salad, sandwich, or soup. That is the only reason that it is 4 and 1/2 stars and not 5. Otherwise, the food is very good. You can tell it is fresh and clean food. This is a great place to eat. I recommend for people that want good, clean, food. read more

Horrible!! I showed up at 9 o'clock and waited almost 15 minutes to order before eventually walking out(only 2 customers in front of me) Horrible horrible customer service. i would not give this place my business again!!! Do your self a favor and go anywhere else! read more

Let me tell y'all about Panera. One of the five main things I love is food. Food makes me happy and tastes good. Free food is even better! Panera gave me free bagels for the month of August. Nothing can beat that. I love their Cinnamon crunch bagels. You don't even need cream cheese for it. If you haven't gotten their reward card yet, get it, so you too can start reaping the benefits! read more

Panera Bread - Enjoying my cinnamon crunch bagel - Sandwiches Near Me - Westbrook, Maine

i just have to come on here and say the nicest young man helped me find the perfect sandwhich the other day. i believe his name was kody. he has blonde hair and bright beautiful blue eyes with the most infectious smile! he is truly a prime example of what every panera bread worker should be! he deserves a raise!!! read more

Well, I usually love Panera. Hardly ever had issues, until just now. The order was jacked up (ordered full sandwiches and received half sandwiches), didn't get our baguettes, didn't get the chips, or the side of chipotle mayo that was ordered. Kinda sucks. I'd rather just have my money back... read more

My god, Panara is a mess. They try so hard to be so modern with these digital order stations but they have no instructions on how & where to pickup your order. The layout of order & pickup here is crazy, the staff is overwhelming, underpaid and the whole system is a mess. I will not be back. read more

If I could give less than one star I would. "Jill" had a blatant disregard for food safety.. Touched her glasses, then the food, moved her glasses on top of her visor and then back to preparing food. Repeatedly. Scary she's a GM. Her disregard for food safety matched her willingness to help customers. Won't be returning to this location. read more

Does the cashier share his heroin with customers? Might want to start keeping an eye on people so they don't od well taking orders.

OMG, I just saw the Walking Dead. Not the zombies on TV but the people making sandwiches and food behind the counter at Panera in Westbrook Maine. There were a dozen people waiting. They passed out pastries because they realized how long orders were taking. Three people, plus a bunch sitting at tables, do the math. Food was good but the wait made it bad. It also appeared to me that people that ordered food to eat in were getting theirs first before the people like me that ordered to go. Lots of places to eat in the area. Find someplace Zombie free. read more

Fast service during lunch time. I'm new to the whole panera world, so this was my adventure... Looking at the price menu: Question: What's the difference between signature & cafe? Answer: signature is more expensive. Well, no duh! I'm not stupid. I didn't understand why there was different prices for signature & cafe. I thought they are all soups. Well, signature is "TOP SHELF" while cafe is "regular". OOH! read more

Came in three hours prior to closing. Cashier/Store manager(?) rolled their eyes through the entire order and was extremely rude. It was like it was an inconvenience that I chose to get take out here. Probably the worst service I've ever had at a Panera. Would not recommend to anyone. read more

I really like Panera Bread. This particular one seemed to be new, it just had that feel. I had a specialty turkey sandwich and it hit the spot. It had a mustard dressing that I am glad I got on the side, as it would have been a little too much and taken away from the turkeyness (yep, my word). It was around 8:00pm when we were there so they were out of a lot of pastries, but that's a good thing for them. It's yummy, if I am back in the area they will see me again, lucky them. read more

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Stay away. If I can do a 0 star I would. I ordered in advance for my daughters birthday. A large order. The grilled cheeses were end pieces that were wrapped in paper and at the bottom of the bag. Everything was squished and stuck to the paper. My salad was wrong. I called to tell the manager and he did apologize and said that he could remake some of the product but we were 25 minutes away. He did not offer to send a gift certificate or anything that would make it right. I have seen many businesses that did their best during this time to make things right and there was absolutely no attempt further than making me leave my daughters party and drive 25 minutes to have them try again. Try another Panera. Management here sucks. read more

Ordered for delivery. My large soup was half full, my fruit cocktail and baguette were missing and the sandwich (chipotle, bacon melt) was the smallest sandwich I have ever seen. I should have just made a grilled cheese at home. Worst experience ever with Panera Bread. When a friend referred to it as hospital food, they were right on with that description. I would much much rather have hospital food, cheaper and tastier. $45 before delivery charges is outrageous! Very disappointed. read more

this is the best place i have ever eaten. i actually started to have a heart attack and the kindly manager and staff resurrected me from the dead. then they bought me a candy cookie and sang me happy birthday. it wasn't even my birthday. so awesome. strongly suggest. read more

Never again!!!!!! Soups - Served at room temp! Dining area - Dirty, trash on the tables and food on the floor! Dish area - Overflowing! Customer Service - You must be joking!!! Save your money go someplace else read more

Panera Bread, in general, is way too expensive for what you get. Recently, my daughter got a bread bowl of soup and I got a pick two and we both got drinks and it was $24.00. The bowls of soup are tiny and taste like hospital cafeteria soup and the 1/2 sandwiches are tiny with weird little chunks of meat. I've eaten there maybe three times and I always leave still hungry. The only reason people like this place is because it's trendy and a status symbol. The staff at this particular location are very inept and they are always severely understaffed. I went in once and waited about ten minutes for someone to finally come to the register to take my order. One of the employees was literally standing there on her phone, another was mulling around looking confused and another was out back doing some chore. At least three employees saw us standing there and not one person came over, I had to alert them that I was trying to order food. Once our order was taken, the food took a long time to prepare, even though the place was dead, and it came out very sloppily thrown together. My daughter, who is a teen, asks to go there sometimes because she is susceptible to trends. I've had to put my foot down about not patronizing this place. I just can't justify wasting that kind of money when I leave still hungry. I can make better sandwiches and soup at home. Panera needs to lower their prices or make their portions bigger. They've lost my business completely. read more

I placed an online order for catering and when we arrived to pick it up, they were definitely not expecting us. After 15 minutes of the staff arguing about whether any of the orders they DID have were ours, a manager came out and asked to see my order confirmation (which I had repeatedly offered to one of the staff). He said they didn't receive the order and they made it right away. It took about 20 minutes. During this time, we ordered coffee but had ask twice for a new cup because there were grounds in the coffee. But in the 35 minutes we were there, no one came out to change the coffee. read more

Food is what I would expect of a Panera. However if you order online at this location just set yourself some low expectations. I've been craving soup lately so we have been ordering more often than usual and the last three orders we have placed have been wrong. read more

I bought a smaal loaf of rye bread, brought it home, and found that it had a big hole down the middle. Brought it back the next morning, and the manager was very pleasnt, offered me a free cup of coffee, and replaced the bread with a loaf twice as large for no additional cost. That is customer service! read more

A group of us tried to call in a lunch order and were told that it would take an hour for the 4 sandwiches to be ready if we ordered over the phone. They stated it would be quicker to come in and order. We get there and there is no line at all. I can understand if the place was busy, that it might take 20 minutes to make 4 sandwiches, but for us to be told 1 hour when it is dead makes no sense. They stated they had no phone order person that day. Is that person different than the person that works at the register? i just found this to be quite rediculous...it shows laziness of the staff. I come to expect more of large chains such as this. We were simply trying to make it easier for the staff to have our orders ready, but 4 sandwiches seemed to be too overwhelming over the phone. I do like Panera's food, its the lack of customer service that concerns me. read more

The sandwiches are alright. I wish that there was more in the way of vegetarian options. I ordered a toasted bagel with cream cheese to go and I was given a little tub of cream cheese. Why should I have to spread it myself? I've never had this happen anywhere else. Weird. read more

Always a big fan of Panera, especially in this Westbrook location as its not as busy as the one by the mall. Also, my order Chipotle Chicken no tomatoes and sub Asiago bread for The French bread is always done as requested. Additionally the cashier Kathryn was super personable and joked with my husband about his copying my order which really added to the enjoyment of our visit. read more

Great place for meetings. The kale fruit smoothie is delicious and I love the black bean soup.

Panera's bread slices are simply too small to try to build a $10 sandwich on top of. Every time, it's just a pile of stuff on top of two tiny bits of bread. Seriously, that's not how sandwiches work, no matter how trendy or low-carb-ish that might be. Avocado is also supposed to be a bit soft, not hard as a rock! read more

I've been going to this Panera for years. To the point where my family, who's in the restaurant business, teases me all the time about how often I go. The atmosphere is great and it's a hotspot for University students who need a place to work on schoolwork. The ambience is very cool parisian, modern café-like. A vast variety of desserts (cookies, pastries) that get interchanged throughout the changing months. The food is just delicious. However, be prepared to seriously accentuate your nitpicks like no onions or whatever it may be. The employees tend to be forgetful or have bad hearing. Whatever the case, you may want to check your receipt or order before leaving. Their forgetfulness has plagued my meals far too often. Yet I still return... Another reason may be the fact that the employees come and go very quickly. I only recall one or two employees with whom I've become acquainted with through the years. So don't expect many friendly "Nice to see you again"s. read more

Probably the slowest Panera today went in nobody took my order or even acknowledged me stood at counter for a few before leaving and going else where not the first time read more

Went to Panera's tonight. Ordered 2 sandwiches and soup not cheap. I ordered them at 5:28. Got my order at just about 5:55! They were passing out pasteries to make everyone's wait better. Been to many Panera's especially in Mass. NEVER EVER have I waited even have that time. Will not RETURN !!!!!! read more

I have been to Panera countless times and have only had 2 bad experiences........tonight was one of them!!!!! The Woman assistant manager was very sub par. We ordered a baguette as a side and she told us they only had a few left, so we would get a soft dinner roll instead.......I have never had a dinner roll at Panera in any part of the country that I have been to Panera, AND it was flavorless. Not sure why we were customers singled out for a dinner roll and not one of the few baguettes that were left!! lol I told her I had been in earlier to get a gift card and bagels but forgot my Panera rewards card......she said "Oh well"......very condescending attitude. Not sure I want to go to that Panera location any time soon, and I am a huge Panera fan! Oh Well! read more

I love panera bread. The food there is not only delicious but healthy, and mostly natural and home-made. The atmosphere of the restaurant itself is homey and cute. The service is extremely fast and the employees and nice and friendly. Overall great place, I recommend checking it out! read more

do not tell me that I can not get my mac and cheese in a bread bowl EVEN THOUGH I DO EVERY TIME and then tell me you don't have any chocolate chip cookies like alright.. i knew i should have gone to chipotle instead read more

found a hair in my soup and consequently told a staff member. dude said ok and asked us to bring the tray back to the trash area "if we didn't mind". f u panera read more

This branch has some of the worst customer service I have ever seen. I love Panera for a fast and somewhat healthy meal on the go but I am just about over the horrible service I have been getting here. Today when I went in I was waited on by two employees who fought openly in front of me about not wanting to get my beverage. After all of that I was served watery iced tea because they were too lazy to bring out a fresh batch. To top it all off my food was tossed in the bag and everything spilled out of the boxes and all over the place. What a terrible experience! If I could have found a manager I would have said something in person. What a shame! read more

They forgot a meal on my order and when I went back to get it they proceeded to call me a liar when I told them it was missing from the order. I showed them the receipt that had all the other meals highlighted and crossed out implying they had be done, and showing the meal that was missing from my bag was not highlighted or crossed out. The best they could do was offer me a $5 gift card which by the way is less than what I paid for the meal I didn't get!! NEVER GOING BACK! AWFUL EMPLOYEES AND AWFUL MANAGEMENT!!!!! read more

My wife and I have tried Panera Bread several times. My experiences have been mixed but my experience today was noteworthy, thus my review. I entered the store at 9am and it was empty. I sought to order something interesting for breakfast. I tried the electronic ordering device that they have installed. Unfortunately, the breakfast sandwich with the roll (called Brioch) I wanted was not available. Since it wasn't clear just what alternative was available to me, I asked an order taker what she recommended. She suggested the wheat bread. Okay, so I ordered the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on wheat bread. I paid $8.50 for half a sandwich (coffee included) which was unremarkable in taste and appearance. Plus, it was 1/2 of a sandwich. In other words, one piece of wheat bread cut in half and made into a 1/2 sandwich. I could have had a full breakfast with 2 whole pieces of bread at iHop or Cracker Barrel for $8.50. The 1/2 half sandwich was handed to me on a plate 3 times to big for the sandwich so it looked rather sad and lonely sitting there at one end of the plate with a brown paper napkin taking up the other 2/3rds of the plate. No garnish like a slice of apple or orange. Just the sandwich and a brown napkin. All for $8.50. My conclusion? Don't bother going to Panera Bread. No reason to. read more

It's not the quality of food that upset me. It was simply the service. I asked for breakfast sandwich on a French toast bagel... Then when I thought it was simple enough I was asked if I wanted cream cheese... I thought that was an odd combo so I double checked that I was just getting a breakfast sandwich... So turns out the cashier thought I was ordering a breakfast sandwich and a separate bagel. Miss communication, whatever it's ok. The manager was behind her watching and then afterward asked the nearby cooks if breakfast was still being ordered. They said yes but last call. After what seemed like 10 minutes I finally paid and waited for my food. And then the cooks say hey breakfast is done. Then there was some whispering between the manager and the associates while I stood silently. The whole situation was super awkward and 100% avoidable. Store is poorly managed and needs some work with better communication read more