Panera Bread

I would have given this Panera Bread location 5 stars, had it not been for two reasons:
1. The layout is a bit awkward, and does not allow for maximum seating capacity.
2. There are only 4 electrical outlets, and they’re positioned in weird spots along the walls. With limited additional power, make sure your devices are fully charged!
Other than those two issues, this Panera boasts intelligent employees, quick service, and perfect menu items!

Typically I would be happy with my meal at Panera Bread. However, poor customer service ruins things again. A busy Saturday morning at 9am and only two of four registers were manned. Then, when two more employees were brought out to help, they were both rude. Having employees that clearly do not want to work does not help the image of a restaurant. Not one of the employees smiled at they’re customers and only one was asking people how they were doing. They did not put butter on our plates for bagels and we had to ask for that twice. I was not pleased at all with the service at this establishment. The food was on par for Panera. They also were continuously running out of coffee and not making more.

I’ve always disliked this chain. This visit has only solidified my feelings. I ordered the Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado. First off, I find the dishes here to be over priced. I only come here if my family insists. Anyway, the first salad I got had their balsamic dressing on it — I ordered it with the Poppyseed dressing on THE SIDE. Thus, I took it back up.
The second one they gave me had no avocado on it. Took that one back up, too. I had to ask for extra avocado, simply because the worker put four tiny pieces on top. Makes me upset how nonchalant and careless they were about getting orders wrong!
The salad is so plain — not even pleasing to the eye. The piece of bread that comes with the salad? Too tough for my teeth :(

Service was very fast and food was delicious! Kid and family friendly with free wifi. I love that the soup can be served in an editable bowl (made of bread!)

Tried the turkey and cranberry panini today. Very delicious.
Typical quick service. Sweets bar not as full as usual, but it was near 2pm.
Nice quiet dining area.

There aren’t a lot of things I can eat at Panera, but there are a few.
While recently driving down to Lancaster, I stopped in at this Panera, and picked up a few things to eat. Little did I know that I would be experiencing one of the cleaner, newer, more visually-​trendy restaurants in the chain.
In Lancaster?
I took pictures, because I didn’t think people would believe me. I’ve been to so many Panera locations over the years that I’ve come to expect a certain standard. When that standard is exceeded, I notice.
* Clean. Wow. Yeah, the whole place was spotless, including the tables, art, bathroom… very clean. At a few locations in the past, I’ve sat at half-​cleaned, sticky tables. I wasn’t noticing that here — at all.
* Friendly service. I’m used to a certain level of professionalism and detached courteousness from Panera staff. For some reason, this particular location is a hidden gem of perky friendliness on the way down to Athens. When driving from Columbus to Athens, you might just pass on by out of habit (I know I have many times in the past), but I’d say stop in, and check it out.
* Art and design. Again, I had to take a picture or two, because this place is color-​coordinated with contemporary color palettes, what appeared to be a fireplace, and really comfortable seating (at least the booths were). Also, there was a lot of art on the walls, which makes waiting, eating and hanging out more pleasant. The room design is quirky, which is sightly different from the average Panera restaurants I’ve visited. I think this is a newer location, so this may account for the differences. As a photographer, these design elements were something I noticed: the whole place just «popped.»
* Food. Okay, so I’ve only had a few things at this location, but I can say that it’s pretty average Panera. I think, with a chain, it’s hard to differentiate on the food, because customers have expectations. To exceed expectations, you might have to change recipes, which is probably frowned upon in a chain. Having said that, just like at McDonald’s, when you order at Panera, you’re probably not going to be surprised with what you get, one way or the other. High quality food, average beverages, and awesome desserts and baked-​goods — most of which I can’t eat anymore as as a vegan. They do have really good fresh fruit cups, salads, and bean soup — yum!
* No rush. People were hanging out, and the noise level was pretty low for as busy as they were. I think they’ve done something intentionally with the sound baffling in both the ceiling and the panels between the seating area and the ordering/​pickup line, because it kept the noise down surprisingly well. Again, something I noticed.
So, to recap, this is my favorite Panera location due to the contemporary design, very friendly staff, and good-​as-​it-​can-​be-​with-​a-​chain food. In Lancaster. If you like Panera in general, and you’re in the area, I’d say it would be worth it to stop in and verify my findings. I think a few of the Columbus-​based Panera locations could learn a thing or two from this location.