Panera Bread

I wouldn’t normally come to a place like this but was waiting for TJ Maxx next door to open.
And my cinnamon-​raisin bagel was pretty good, actually. Wasn’t thrilled about the plastic tub of cream cheese they tossed on the plate, but this place is a chain… what did I expect.
Very clean inside and plenty of places to lounge. Free Wi-​Fi, too. Would like to see them change up the teabag setting: Currently it’s a buffet situation, and we all know how grimy and gross the public’s mitts are.

Thanks to Olga, an assistant manager here, this is my new favorite local place for coffee and breakfast.
I wish they had gluten free and some sugar-​free products…

Customer service is ok. But this location is dirty. Dirty ground. Dirty fountain drink and coffee area. Dirty ground. I can only imagine how it is in the kitchen area. An employee walked over the trash on the ground about 5 times, and didn’t even bother picking it up.

I really liked getting their sweets for presents, however unlike the stores in the Midwest this one is first come first serve with pastries which is disappointing. Panera raves and makes it a point to display and promote their pastries that to make it first come first serve at this store is just not worth the time or hassle. Order ahead and then call and make sure they have it, do not go in expecting it will be there. Also the management can care less and if that’s the attitude then that’s mine. I really want the deli that was there prior back they took pride in their food and service!
Also don’t bother going if you have dietary restrictions because the soups, sandwiches, pastries, and even some salads do not allow for changes to adjust to the restrictions.

This place SUCKS. I tried to like it… I read the reviews before I went and see for myself Big mistake. I should have listened to the reviews!!! So I walk in and there are 2 people in line. All of a sudden when it’s my turn to order I get ignored for like 5 minutes… One girl stopped taking orders and the other wich I assume is the manager Doesn’t say a word to me until I say Good morning. I ordered my food since I was already there. I WILL NOT GO BACK TO THIS UNPROFESSIONAL PLACE!!!

The service is terrible here. I’ve been to this location a total of four times because I really wanted to like this location. The first time I went, things went great, they got our order right and brought it to our table in a timely manner. We’ve gone back to this location twice more and ordered take-​out once and all of those times they have messed up our orders so bad! And they’re always so passive when you bring up an error, which I guess explains why they can’t get it right, no one seems invested in doing a good job. I will cherish the ONE TIME things went right and will stay away from this location based on the three times they screwed up.
Also, the receipt says something about getting a free cookie if they mess up your order? THIS LOCATION OWES ME ABOUT THREE COOKIES, they didn’t even get that right!

Thoroughly unimpressed with this location
Full disclosure: I worked in a restaurant that is a competitor of panera, so I am well aware of policy procedure and expectation
I orders my lunch today through the app, and chose rapid pick up. I was slightly impressed by the choices for customization within the app.
I ordered the pick 2– Alfredo pasta add pesto and chicken, and a half Cobb with avocado. Dressing on the side. I got a brownie for desert and a medium drink. Total ~17 $
When I arrived on time to pick it up, I couldn’t see that there was a separate area for rapid pick up, so I waited in the regular line. When I mentioned I ordered through the app the very nice checker took me to the separate area and grabbed my bad with my name. She checked the contents (something that would not of happened had I not gotten in the wrong line to start) and discovered I was missing both my brownie and my drink. Ok fine
She retrieved my brownie and drink cup with a smile
When I get my brownie and put it in my bag, I notice both my pasta and my salad were on their side, spilling out, lovely.
I fixed that, grabbed cutlery and got into the car.
In the car I noticed that the French baguette that came with the pasta was loose in the bag, unpackaged, and getting grease on both the bag, the rest of my food, and my car upholstery.
Upholstery cleaner $ 16 thanks panera
Upon getting home and opening my messy food bag at the table I set out all the boxes and what not, cleaned the sides of spillage and went to eat. But when I opened my salad box, which had not been opened since I recieved it, a LIVE FLY flew out. And a huge fly at that. YUCK
ok so no salad…
I open my pasta which looked not so great.
Noodles are over cooked, nauseatingly soft, and covered in half me red cheese and a clump of pesto on the side. I mix it. But the bland taste and nauseating texture, I could only eat a few bites. Great. Now my lunch is inedible and all I have left is a brownie. I take a bite, it might as well of been a mud pie. It was a brick. Hard, dried out, gross.
Awesome.
Now all I have left is my soda machine fruit punch. Which was improperly diluted, and mostly water.
I called the place and asked to speak to a manager. It took a few minutes to get him on the phone, but I spoke to «Remo»
I told him about my experience, specifically with the fly, and was told «oh no that’s terrible, I’m sorry, I have no answer for that, ummmmmm well do you want to come back for a replacement?»
If the salad was the only problem maybe– but no I didn’t have time to return. He then told me to ask for him next time I come in and he will take care of me. No refund offered nothing. Even when a fly was alive and flying in my food and now around my house.
So I’m 17 $ poorer, no edible food to eat, a sore stomach from the pasta, and now in a bad mood.
I will be going back tomorrow to get breakfast (hopefully complimentary) and give them a shot to redeem themselves, but I deffinitely will not be eating lunch or dinner here any time soon.
Deffinitely below standard for panera and deffinitely for culver city.
Get your shit together panera. Or customers will start dropping like flies.
Pun Intended.

Very good service. It was clean and had lots of open space. The prices are reasonable and the food is delicious. I love the you pick two because it gives me a chance to try new things on the menu. The restroom was very clean. Also, this place is kid friendly. I love the fact that they have fresh bread daily and pastries. I gave it only four stars because I got the chicken noodle soup and it was mostly broth as you can see in my picture. Also, the mac and cheese only comes in this small size. I will definitely be coming back again.

Soooo I’m still confused about my experience at this Panera.
1) I ordered to eat in the restaurant and it took 20 minutes for them to make my food. I have never waited that long for a turkey sandwich.
2) We could not sit at a booth because they all had dirty plates on the tables with nobody in sight attempting to clear them off. In fact, the dirty plates were there the entire time I waited for my food and ate.
3) I went to the restroom to wash my hands and there was a drop of soap in the bottle they had sitting on the counter (picture attached). My question is how are the employees washing their hands after using the restroom if there is no soap?
and to top it all off…
4) They don’t have unlimited Iced Green Tea like other locations do.

Out of croissants? You’re called Panera BREAD. Bake the freaking bread, nerds… got my sandwhich, which had about a table spoon of chicken salad on each side. At least on one side they had the courtesy to thinly spread it and pretend like it was a respectable amount. On the pictured side, they just blobbed a dollop on half of my half. $ 10? Shameful. One star is for the very friendly counter girls.

I keep coming back here because I love the food at Panera, and this one is so close to work, but this location always seems disorganized, and is SLOW when I come here, which is usually the breakfast or lunch rush.
Today I ordered half sandwich and cup of soup to go. The time on the receipt is 1:22 PM. I received my order at 1:49 PM. The person who handed me my food apologized for the wait. While I sat there watching my name creep up the queue, I heard him trying to coach his teammate. The manager came back to expedite things, yet it took 24 minutes to get my food. At least my order was correct this time.
Turkey Cranberry Panini. This is on the menu as a Flatbread, but I don’t care for that bread. One of the things I like about Panera is that they will make changes like this on request at little or no extra charge. This is my favorite Sammy and I wish it were available all year.
Squash Soup was a little sweet, but I liked it and would order it again. Having the pepitas on the side to save their crunch would be nice.
Join their free rewards club. Treats range from coupons for a buck off a drink to the free coffee for a month. You also get a free sweet on your Birthday.
All in all the food is great. The wait times make this a place only worth going in off peak hours or if I’ve thought to place my order in advance. Now my lunch break is over.

My main qualm is that I waited 22 minutes for my food when it wasn’t even busy.
I came in today with an empty stomach– I was up since 10 AM and didn’t eat breakfast, so 5 hours later I’m at panera excited to eat. The fact that I didn’t enjoy my food very much when, really, I probably would have enjoyed most anything I ate out of hunger, says something. I used to work at Panera, not this location, so I know how good the food can be and I know what this company is capable of. My salad was wilted and my broth was lukewarm so you could tell it had been sitting out for a while. Just feeling kind of meh about my visit since I really missed Panera and this is my first time back in a long time.

I work in the area and this is one of my go to places for breakfast or lunch. I’ve tried many of the items on their menu. Whatever I end up having, it always tastes great and it’s made with fresh, quality ingredients. Prices are fair, imo.
One of my favorite items to get is their breakfast soufflé. Deeelicious!!! The pastry is buttery and slightly sweet with a soft texture inside while perfectly crispy/​crusty outside. The savory egg mixture is nice and fluffy then it’s topped off with a chewy layer of cheese. They have 4 kinds of soufflés, I like the spinach & artichoke the best.
The soups, salads and sandwiches are great for lunch. I usually order the «you pick two» option. I always get a sandwich then pair it with either a soup or salad depending on weather. I’ve also had lunch delivered a few times. They are always on time and I get my orders prepared perfectly (even the sandwiches that are customized). The catering department is a pleasure to work with. They are very courteous and patient when taking special orders… much more pleasant than the Westchester location on Sepulveda.

I stopped by to pick up lunch to go from this place. I think the location is a good one, but there are a few things this particular place is missing.
Food– The food here is good and tasty as usual. The sandwiches are a good size and I am always happy you can option the chips it comes with to an apple which is much healthier. I have tried their ice-​teas and those taste real well too.
Location– Located along Sepulveda in large plaza so always plenty of parking.
Interior– Very typical interior like all Panera Breads I have been too.
Staff– The staff is nice, they do help but seems like the place is missing a little cleaning up. They have a different order and pick up set up than others. I ordered my food and was never told to walk down a small hall to go pick up food. It would’ve been nice if someone had said anything even though they saw me waiting in the wrong location I was never approached and told.
If in the area and craving Panera I would come back to this place. Nothing fancy but good as always.

Awesome option for lunch. This location is deceivingly large. From the outside it looks pretty small, but the back extends to include lots of seating space. It’s located in a large complex aka lots of free parking!
I always go with the «pick 2» option. This time I chose the Fuji Apple Salad and the Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup. Salad comes with a generous serving of chicken, apple chips, pecans, onions, tomatoes, and gorgonzola with some type of thick vinaigrette. Dressing was way too sugary and tasted a bit artificial but the salad was fresh and delicious. The soup was a great complement to the salad, and loaded with orzo and chicken instead of being just mostly broth. Opted for the bread of course, since Panera’s bread is bomb.
Bottom line: Parking is easy and free, staff is friendly, and food comes out promptly and is delicious (as well as very affordable). Come here for lunch!

This is a big Panera, bigger than the others in the area, and there’s plenty of parking. The staff was friendly, service was quick. Not any different from what you’d expect at any other Panera.
Highly recommend the new broth bowls on the menu. Light, but filling and comforting at the same time. Yum!

I’m sad that the closest Panera to me is 10 miles away, but it’s a beautiful location nonetheless.
I visited here today with two friends at 4 pm on a Wednesday and there was zero wait. I ordered the lentil quinoa bow with egg which I’ve never had before and it was surprisingly good. I usually opt for the Pick 2 but I’ll get this again whenever it’s on the menu. Also try their Mac n cheese– so creamy!
Pros of this location: Free and ample parking, friendly staff, clean facilities. Food is good at any Panera you go to! I always get bread on the side because their French baguette is BOMB.
I recommend getting a Panera card. They’re free and come with lots of rewards if you use it enough! I’ve gotten tons of free pastries by using mine.

Stopped here for a late lunch yesterday. Familiar with the chain. I found my experience to be typical for any other Panera I’ve been to so I guess they’ve gotten the opening jitters that others mentioned sorted out.
I got a new menu item, the quinoa lentle broth with chicken. Photo below. Very good, as expected. It took about 10 minutes to come out to my table which wasn’t too bad.
My biggest criticism of Panera is that for the price they charge the portion size is a little small, not terribly small, but just not as filling as I’d like it to be.
I got the iced coffee which was chilled nicely and definitely strong enough with full flavor.
Service was pleasant and efficient.
Easy parking which is always a plus.

Finally had time to stop by the new Panera! The seating space is pretty huge with tables in the front and on the side. It was raining the day I went so it was pretty empty. There was no wait to order and we got our food in about 15 minutes. The food itself was good. I’m a sucker for the pick 2 combo! If you’re looking for a easy meal that will only set you back around $ 10 – 12 this is the place for you!
I can see how the staff might get overwhelmed if it’s rush time. For being so empty there were a bunch of tables that hadn’t been cleared yet. But considering they just opened they are probably still getting the hang of it. I’m just so happy I don’t have to drive to the Lincoln location anymore!

Panera has finally opened up here! It’s the same ‘ol Panera. It’s a big space, and very hectic during rush times like lunch. Parking is ample and for pickup orders there’s a nifty screen that has your name move up in the line!
The food is all the same, good, yummy Panera. The only thing was that it was very crowded and the staff was not very knowledgable.