Panera Bread

I was very surprised by them today. Forgot part of our meal and two of our drinks. So I called into the Herndon (woodland crossing) store for some assistance. someone helped me and told me they would deliver the missing items. I called back 40 minutes later telling me they don’t deliver and I had to ask for a refund and not receive our food for lunch.
Not good.

This may be more of a 3.5. This Panera is a little strange. The menu is a bit smaller and everything is ordered on a screen which ends up taking about as long or longer as it would have to just talk to a cashier. Other than ordering, very fast and good lunch option!

I used to work near this location and they could never manage custom orders. For instance, if you say hold the tomatoes on your sandwich, they rarely ever did. I think they got it right once or twice in 6 years.

The service here is horrible!!!
I asked help from a manager his name is Mike and I understand why the whole staff sucks. The fish stinks from the head down.
Thank God there is another Panera at Worldgate. If not I would not be able to eat there anymore!!!

Love panera bread co.
Unfortunately we just discovered that their soups are frozen and not daily fresh made! What a disappointment!
I hope they will do something about it!

Worst Panera I’ve been to so far. I ordered online assuming there would be a line. When I finally found a parking spot and went in, there was honestly zero customers in the place. It then still took 10 additional minutes to get my carry-​out order after I had ordered 25 minutes prior. On top of this, they got my order partially wrong and forgot the drinks. I generally love me some Panera but I’ll definitely make a point to hit a different location next time. It’s hard to find good help and even harder to find a parking spot here.

I typically don’t eat here bc I have a gluten intolerance but my sons wanted to take me here for Mother’s Day. Not only was the woman friendly who rang us up– she checked for items that were gluten free bc it doesn’t list them on on the menu. Then for the next 30 minutes we were served as if we were at a sit down restaurant. The woman and the manager helped me with my plates and there were several other staff interactions that I had that were very positive. The level of service here was great and that’s what it’s all about!

Never disappoints. Good place for lunch with plenty of options. Online ordering and pick up works like a charm. I sometimes grab my breakfast as well in somedays of the week.

So my wife asks for an iced cookie that she saw on a tray behind the counter. The cashier said, «No, those are for tomorrow.» She laughed and said, «No, really. I can see them right there.»
«Those are for tomorrow, I can’t sell you one today.»

This is the second time I am using a Rapid Pick Up service. I am not happy with the service at this particular location. The first time the order was ready 10 minutes late the chosen pick up time, and it was located not on the pick up shelf but at the regular pick up station. The second time, I asked for the extra salad dressing, and I got three small containers of different flavor dressing and only half size of salad. I paid a full price for a salad when place the online order. I would consider a different location next time.

Panera in Herndon has always been a favorite lunch spot, but one I quit going to as often thanks to the crazy long lines. Now, with the new mobile app, the wait is obliterated and Panera is back in the lunch rotation. Hooray!
Order and pay online, then select your pick-​up time. Orders are filled and placed on bookshelf-​type pick-​up stations, labeled by name.
My favorites? Mac-​n-​cheese; Bacon Turkey Bravo; Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup; and summertime’s Chicken Poppyseed Salad. Mmmmm. Plus a whole grain baguette and a big iced tea.

Forgot to put the chicken on the chicken salad, when I asked about it, I was told, sorry I thought the other person did it. Seems like the employees don’t care much about the job here. The food itself was ok though.

I am only rating on the quality of service. The food and pastries are pretty much standardized throughout America.
I needed to buy breakfast for about 40 people for work, I went into Panera and got 18 bagels and asked them to cut them in half. The employees there made such a fuss about cutting my bagels in half saying that they are not suppose to do it, and they offered me plastic knifes so I can do it. Well… the NY in me, told them I don’t want to cut the bagels in half either, and I told them that it would be much easier if they did it with a real knife. Then the manager got involved and told me that they are not suppose to do it either.
Also, the employees do not care about the quality of the food that they serve, about 4 out of the 18 bagels weren’t cut correctly. The slicing machine made the cuts so thin, that it was impossible to spread cream cheese on the thinner half. I am underwhelmed with the serve… However, the cinnamon crunch bagel toasted with honey walnut cream cheese is the bomb diggity (also 700 calories total)

This Panera is my FAVORITE. My father and I eat Breakfast here every weekday. The staff is energetic and helpful, its always clean and the food is awesome. I would specifically like to mention Allison and Anna who are both there every morning. They remember our orders and make Panera feel like our home away from home. No matter what kind of day we are having these girls make it better.

I’m not sure whether this is true of the Panera chain of restaurants as a whole, or just this location, but wow… has the quality of food declined in recent years. I used to go to Panera in college about 10 years ago in another city in Virginia, and then moved out of state where they don’t have this chain. I used to love the food and so I was excited when we moved back to the area to be able to eat here again.
This location is across the street from my office building so it makes for a convenient lunch spot. The only thing I have eaten here that has been consistently decent are the soups and pastries. That’s it. Salads and sandwiches are OK at best, gross at worst. Service is OK. Cleanliness is sub-​par.

The Elden St location is better off across the board in service, staff friendliness.

I was happy that I was able to get a free coffee and pastry when I stopped in here after boxing class. I had those two things loaded on my panera card that needed to be used by October. The coffee was nice because I could fill it up all the way to the line (unlike Starbucks where it depends who is pouring).

in general a good staff and clean–
i typically measure a business by how well they rectify/​admit a wrong. i was served a bad bagel. the manager Antonio corrected the situation and went beyond. great job!

I don’t normally review chain places… but I find myself at this particular Panera often due to its proximity to my work, so I feel compelled to review…
This particular Panera seems to have better-​trained and more-​efficient staff than other locations in the Herndon/​Reston area, and their dining area and restrooms are cleaner and better bussed/​serviced.
That being said, this Panera copy gets VERY busy during the lunch hour, again, due to its proximity to several office buildings and apartment buildings, but they’re fairly dead at breakfast. If the line is too long at the Starbucks across the street, I sometimes make a compromise for time and pop into Panera for a quicker latte.
I do like the variety of items on their menu, and they do rotate and change regularly, but nothing really is outstanding. It’s all kind of «safe and bland» to me (but I also have over-​inflated taste buds that demand spice and intense, savory flavors). Do yourself a favor and don’t bother with their salads — the lettuce is often limp/​wilted, and the chicken is pre-​cooked, refrigerated/​frozen, and dumped on top, and it’s all kind of blah (even if there’s no chicken).
Best bets are probably the sandwiches or bagel/​breakfast sandwiches, although I find the latter to be a bit too greasy and «microwavey» tasting. Their sandwich breads will remind you why Panera started off as a bread-​only type bakery; they’re still really tasty in that department.
Skip the smoothies, cookies, and brownies, and go to Harris Teeter across the walkway in the same shopping center for better treats.

Quick friendly service for late weekend breakfast. I love the season change and the flavors that come with Autumn! When the wind is brisk and the air is cool outside, I love the flavors of pumpkin, squash, apple and pear that make their way into the pastries at panera! Pumpkin muffins and apple tarts and a cup of spiced cider or cocoa are a perfect way to get my Lazy Sunday going!