Panera Bread

The reason I go here is because the seating is nice and perfect for meeting up with friends. Foods are average, but overpriced.

I usually love this chain but today I feel like I was shortchanged on a $ 4.95 mango smoothie. I will post the picture to me what you think

Paneras used to be one of my favorite restaurants to eat. It was good, fairly healthy and not overtly expensive. The past few times i have been to this particular Panera the service is lacking and so is the food. I ordered the french onion soup bowl and the cobb chicken salad. The french onion soup was missing the cheese and croutons. The cobb salad i find out they no longer serve and instead have the goddess cobb salad which consisted of field greens, a chunk of avocado that wasn’t even sliced, onion rings, and a couple of pieces of chicken, no tomatoes or bacon and a slice of egg. It was very disappointing. Also, there hasn’t been a time when I haven’t had to wipe the table because they are usually dirty. And i have been having issues connecting to their wifi the past few times i have come here. Get it together Paneras.

I have been a long term Panera fan since I started college and I am sad to say that this is no longer my to go place. They have removed my two favorite dishes from the menu, chicken Cobb with avocado and chipotle chicken panini, and I am extremely devastated. I was given multiple gift cards and I wish I can just exchange that for cash since I don’t really get anything beside those two dishes.
Aside from that, the service in this location is awesome. If they ever made mistake with my order, they always remake it without any hassle.

Soufflé was good. My breakfast sandwich was nasty. It was a soggy and wet egg, ham and cheese sandwich. Soggy bread… ewww! These days its not worth complaining because it really changes nothing. This isn’t the first time i had this issue with their egg sandwiches??? So why keep complaining? Instead ill write reviews so everyone will know what to not order or find another breakfast joint. There should be more legit breakfast spots in Irvine and there isn’t.

New management has ruined this place. You can see the carelessness of these people for cleanness and healthy environment by checking out their mens restroom. Its always nasty and they dont clean it, even after weeks.
And now there are 2 homeless guys who are always here. They sit at all tables and smell horrible. They wash their clothes here in restroom too.
Im not sure if anything will improve because as it seems none of the staff or managers care about being clean and healthy.

I stopped in to grab a «Pick 2» that included a piece a fresh bread. After waiting 10mins some chick says, «Here’s your food!»
Excuse me. Here’s my food?! Am I some farm animal to you?!
And they didn’t even give me my bread. I’m never coming here again!
If you want to be over charged, get lame service, and not receive your complete order, by all means; waste your money here…

It should be a crime to charge the same price for pastas & have such a huge difference exist between the amount you get dining in vs taking out. I love panera but come on…
Anthony at this location was great though — they ran out of mac & cheese and he gave me 2 of what I ordered in the chicken tortellini and whatever Mac & cheese was left.

As with all Paneras, the ambiance is casual and seating is ample. There are plenty of booths and standalone tables. WiFi is consistent as are the employees.
The food at Panera is generally the same, but the money options are:
–Tomato Soup
–Broccoli Cheddar Soup
–Power Kale Caesar!!! New & Slightly better for you!
–Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT
–Italian Combo… CALORIE BOMB
We had an issue with our food coming out on time… It took about 20 minutes because there was a computer issue and the restaurant was VERY understaffed. My husband and I were really disappointed. However, I was happy with the service because the food runner acknowledged us and kept following up with the kitchen. When the kitchen did not release our food, the food runner made sure that the manager was aware. The manager then gave us our money back and a free dessert.
Pros:
–Consistent food across the board (Fresh, tasty and NOT soggy)
–Great SERVICE staff
Cons:
–Understaffed so food can take awhile
Tips:
–Use the Panera app to order from your table so you can reserve one during the busy hours.

I love Panera and I love their food. If I could give a separate rating for their food I would. But I want to touch upon something that irks me to no end.
Panera closes at 9 and I came in at 8:45. I know this must be annoying for most workers. I know the feeling. I’ve worked food and retail where people would show up a minute before we close and I would honor our closing time and serve/​help them because they came before closing. I feel bad when I do this to other establishments because I know how it feels like to be so tired that you want to go home, and you start cleaning everything to get to go home faster.
I tried to be as nice as I could be to my cashier and all the staff because I knew I was the last customer. My cashier was very sweet and kind toward me. However, when I went to sit down by the To-​Go area that’s when I felt uncomfortable. The lady preparing my meal was outwardly complaining about wanting to go home and I could tell she didn’t want to do my meal. She complained about already cleaning but having to make this «stupid sandwich.»
And as a guest, I was completely appalled by it and taken aback. I understand where she’s coming from, as I was also once in her shoes, but I didn’t want to be met with such animosity. Honestly, if you’re going to complain and bitch, do it when I leave. Not while I’m sitting there. And when she called my name I tried to flash a smile and say «thank you» but was greeted with no response, just her back toward me.
I’m very disappointed at how I was treated here, but I will continue to come back because I know not everyone is like this. And I love the food. The pick 2 is amazing.

Ordered to go~ a full chicken Fiji Salad & UPik2 ½ chicken Gigi & ½ Siera Turkey Sandwich.
Salads were made with KALE! … (seriously)
And the sandwich was a Turkey BACON…(seriously). the Lady Manager made the wrong sandwich. And a kid messed up the salad.
So, when we ate it at home… Not happy!
Come on people! The place was quiet. Not even busy. Noticed some employees weren’t even in proper uniforms (just aprons), nor was the barista wearing a hat. This place was slacking tonight.

Ordered the Steak & Baby Arugula half sandwich. I got the sandwich– first thought was that the price for the half sandwich feels high– $ 5.79 (when you order the half and half). I can deal with that– trying to watch my figure.
Second thing I noticed, is that they made the sandwich with chicken. I don’t dislike chicken, but I did not order it because I wanted steak. Pretty disappointing as I had already gotten back to eat the sandwich. I am not one to waste my time (as I had already left) to go back and argue. However I have now written my first Unilocal review (I think I’m going to do more). Chicken sandwich was good though.
Won’t go back. The food is good, however its expensive, not worth it, and the aforementioned issues, and there are plenty of other places to eat. To add to this– Also I went in and the girl at the counter was rifling through a 500 page book/​binder to find out if there was gluten in one of the sandwiches/​soups whatever. Waited 15 minutes for her to find it. Seems like they need a better system.

Incredibly unimpressed with the service at this location.
Food was great and the girl that took our order was sweet, but the staff making the food behind the counter was incredibly rude. We (my mother, my grandmother, and myself) could hear them complaining about having to make our food.
We had unknowingly arrived and ordered only about 30 minutes until closing, so I understand that the employees were close to the end of their shift and ready to go home, but that is no reason to drop professionalism when in an area within earshot to customers.
Once we received our food, we were informed that we had about 20 minutes to eat, so now not only did I feel unwelcome, but also rushed.
As I mentioned, the food was definitely up to Panera standards and the girl at the front was very sweet, but after that the visit went downhill.

I love panera, I am a rewards member and I have a favorite on the menu, but the manager I always seem to get at the register when I arrive at this panera seems so unhappy!
She let me wait at the line by myself without a hello or a «right with you!» As she typed something on the register. Finally when she was ready she just said hello. She proceeded to complain about her lack of break and not a thank you or eye contact. I felt like I was bothering her with my salad.
Everyone else seemed a little on edge because of her, I don’t blame them

4 years since my last review and just as many years since my last visit. Came back recently only because I had a gift card. Looked at the menu and the bakery section and it was still pretty dismal.
But I will say that they make hot chocolate with steamed milk which is a definite plus and that the guy who made my order, Glen I think his name is, was very friendly, moved efficiently, and gave good eye contact with a smile. (Sunday 12÷6÷15 1pm)
Management was terrible. Slouched posture, lazy work movements, muffled speech, zero eye contact, no smile. Really bad.
I don’t like Panera. Never have. And my most recent visit reinforces my distaste for the chain. I used $ 5 of my $ 25 gift card. I’m going to give the rest of it away to someone else.
Seriously, I really cannot understand how this chain is still in business, especially this location since you have so many other places to eat in this plaza that are so much better with worlds better service. smh.

such a huge let down. I am so disappointed with this Panera! tonight my boyfriend went to pick up our order which was a pasta and a grilled cheese not too complicated of an order? but to them apparently is was! upon arrival they say they haven’t started it. then later claim someone stole the food. after this realization they said they could not make anymore pasta since it was too close to closing. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! you let someone «steal» our meal and then refuse to make it right. worst of all there was no organization. the employees are joking around. eating. not caring or paying attention. where is the manager in all of this? sitting in the corner eating and ignoring this inappropriate behavior!
after my boyfriend waited over thirty minutes for our meal they finally gave it to him. but they did not give him his receipt nor get the right food. they left out items like our soup. didn’t cook our food properly, i.e. didn’t put asked items on side. this was absolutely horrible waste of time and our money. so disappointed what a joke never coming back!

Only ostensibly a food venue offering ghost food. As soon as you pick it up, it disappears, and no, not in that scrumptious good way.
The half sandwich is tiny, and beans in the black bean soup run away from my spoon every time I dip it in that black pool. Isn’t it supposed to be crowded with black beans, and not a few die-​hard swimmers in the pool during a thunderstorm?
Not only is it ghost food, Slimer seems to be going after your wallet too, pulling bills out and giggling in his mischievous glee. So then, who do ya call?
Delivery, that’s what.
I wouldn’t even cross the streams here again.

— 20 minutes to closing and nobody at counter, had to wait 5 minutes
— All window shades totally closed and front area was dark, giving impression the restaurant was close (20 minutes to close)
I love Panera bread, but the first impression at this location wasn’t a very good one. Hopefully as I go here again I will update my review.
I left LA Fitness at about 7:30pm which means I had another 20 – 30 minutes before Panera was to close. Approaching the door, all the window shades were drawn shut. There was nobody inside and the cash register area had the lights dimmed. Were they closed?
There was someone cleaning in the corner and preparing food who kept looking over at me but didn’t do anything. I stood there with my gf waiting for someone to take our order for about 5 minutes. I had to walk to the front door again and lift the shade to make sure the hours were right and they were in fact open. They were.
Eventually they took our order and everything was fine.

I said I would never do a Panera Bread review, but then I walked into this one.
For those of you that awoke from a 5 year coma, Panera Bread is basically The Corner Bakery’s plain Jane sister. They offer freshly baked breads along with a substantial menu focused around aforementioned bread. Sandwiches, Soups, Smoothies, Salads, you get the idea. The one strong niche they offer is their healthy options, they pack a lot of flavor in a small caloric and fat footprint. I end up here monthly when trying to behave.
What sets this Panera apart from the rest is everything but the food. The tables and booths are always a freaking mess. Chances are good you will turn your own table just to have somewhere to eat. The floors are always disgusting, the service is slow if not outright lackadaisical and the management seems completely content running South County’s biggest sh*tshow in fast casual dining.
On my last visit a random 50-​something was in the restroom with a shave kit and toothbrush getting prepared for his day. I kid you not. This guy was literally shaving and brushing his teeth while allowing patrons to wash their hands as they came and once finished, he just went back about his business. I have never seen anything like it. I explained to a server that a man was using the lavatory as a hotel room and the server seemed okay with the situation, if not totally accustomed to it. Unusual doesn’t begin to describe.
Due to the proximity of this Panera to my place I will most likely continue to get take out, but dining in is a whole truck load of hell no.

I do get my french bread from here since 2011, every time They do have the same problem «not making my order ready on timep»
When you do little search about Panera bread on Unilocal you can see that they dont rated over 3 stars. why?, let me tell you.
–many un trained kids on cashier
–untrained cashier get to finish they own customers order thats why always long time on line.
–they have classic music like they are part of royal family doing breakfast with classical music.
–order comes out slow
–they internet is slow (I use mine btw;)
-… Many more
I am not just specify the problems I have many solution for that too but since I do not get paid by Panera bread I’m not going to tell them how to fix the problems ;)