Panera Bread

If you like excuses and you like employees with attitude then THIS is the Panera location you should go to. These jerks just made me late for a meeting and I will NEVER go here again.
I live out of town and regularly come to Grand Rapids for business and many times I bring my clients bagels in the morning and because this location is right next to the hotel I stay out you would think that it would be a breeze and super convenient place to pick up my bagels from. What you should know if you are like me is that this location does not let you order bagels with their rapid order pick up feature on their app which is problem number one, their excuse on this is that they will run out of bagels for their in-​store customers. Are you kidding me? When I order a bagel pack I’m going to pay you a lot more money than any person will pay you when they order one bagel. So fine, I called this morning and ordered my bagels with plenty of time. I got there to pick them up, and I had to wait in a line for 10 minutes. Then once I got up to the counter I had to deal with three idiots who had no idea where my bagels were.
You know I use a lot of catering for my business and I spend a lot of money and this does not send the right message. Business people like me that use companies like yours are what keep companies like yours in business. If you’re going to treat people like me like this, then I hope everyone stops using you for catering.
Good luck to you and your employees. I hope your business fails and you close.

We were there on Sunday… would never go back! Their toaster was broken, most of the tables were dirty, the oatmeal was thick as paste and the staff was rude. I overheard a staff member being extremely rude to some foreigners… very poor reflection on the establishment. We won’t be back!

Food was good, service so so and cleanliness of the outside dining sub par. Of the eight outdoor tables, all were filled with dishes when we left. Cashier needed lots of promoting and wasn’t helpful.

I love this Panera. a plethora of options (healthy or non), great scenery right in the heart of the city, and skywalk access for the frigid winter trips.
Their soups are great! Cream of chicken & wild rice sits at the top of my list with cheddar broccoli close behind, served with a French baguette, sitting at about $ 5 for a generous bowl.
They have a really wide range of salads. Fuji apple chicken salad being my favorite!
Their tomato basil bread is a must if you’re getting a sandwich. You’ll regret ever having a sandwich another way.
Their chocolate chipper cookies are really good with dark chocolate chips and rich buttery goodness. They’ve all kinds of pastries available, including bagel deals for office meetings and such.
If you’re in the mood for a smoothy. their green tea power smoothy is SO good, my favorite smoothy ever.
Happy eating!

I have been to several Panera Breads around and this experience was the worst I could have ever imagined. It’s usually a pleasant experience of varying degrees but this location had extremely slow service (on line for 10 minutes) and then when I finally got my food, the soup I got had nothing in it– just broth. Unacceptable.

Friendly staff but overall one of the worst meals I have had at a panera bread. First when the meal came out the silver ware brought was all filthy. The panini wasn’t heated enough to melt the cheese. The other sandwich was poorly prepared with meat being only on one half of the cut full sandwich. It was 2 hours before closing at a location that seems to focus on lunch and convention traffic, so I can only assume they don’t staff as well after the rush times. With the limited selection of affordable places to eat in downtown Grand Rapids that are not bars I would suggest when someone visits that they select items that are more commonly prepared by the staff to avoid any inconsistencies in their meal.

Amazing customer service. We came in a group and had a small wait time; however, they more than made up for it by their service and complimentary treats.

Over-​priced and underfed. Got the You Pick 2 and the chicken noodle soup was broth. About 6 noodles total and chicken was equally absent. Server spilled soup on way to table do napkins and sandwich were both soaked. Not very pleased or happy with this PB.

Very friendly staff and great location and décor. It’s always very convenient for a quick lunch. However, in my last few visits, the portion size consistency has been lacking.
Unfortunately, this was also one of the few times where the management didn’t walk by to ask how about my dining experience.
Very good quality food… hit or miss with portion size.

I have eaten at a lot of Panera restaurants in several states. That said, this is by far the friendliest place I have eaten. Everybody has a smile and when they say have a good day you feel they mean it.
I happen to be in Grand Rapids for a week long conference and ate here the first day. Needless to say I have been back every day since. The manager has even been out visiting customers and you can tell she really cares about her business. Sadly many restaurants do not and they could take lessons from this store.
On top of the friendliness the place is spot on clean. The food was well prepared and fresh.
Now I have to find a reason to come back to Grand Rapids just to visit this Panera. It’s that good!

Love the staff here! Very friendly, very nice, and I love the layout of this Panera Bread! It’s easy to access downtown and very pretty. If you are staying at the downtown hotels it’s easily connected to the Skywalk. A quick 2 minute from the Courtyard.

The staff here is so friendly and welcoming. I’m here at least once a week because I work nearby, and I’ve never had a bad experience. It’s hard to find service like this anymore. They really take care of you. :)

Greatest Panera Ever!