Panera Bread

Love panera but did not have a good experience this visit. The assistant manager took our order but seemed impatient and as if she had something better to be doing. She was rude and not helpful, won’t be visiting this location again.

The food is okay if a little pricey. My problem is that they hardly ever get a bagel order right if you call it in. You should always check your order before you leave the store. Yesterday, I picked up bagels that were supposed to be sliced. Got home and none of them were sliced. Also, I asked that my bagels be put in plastic bags. The problem was they tied the bags in a knot and I couldn’t reuse them after opening. On other occasions, they have shorted me one bagel on a bakers dozen. The customer has to be very vigilant at this location.

Katie
Katie
Katie!!!
Katie in «Kate-​Er-​Ring» :) (Catering) is so friendly and helpful that I’m going to look for excuses to buy more bagels and coffee en masse just to work with her again soon.
When I arrived yesterday with only 10 minutes to get in and out with breakfast for a large group of people she advised me on how to do this, comped me a cup of coffee and then made a whole pot of dark roast for me to take fresh to the meeting.
One hour later, everything had been devoured and I was a hero.
Thanks so much!

***Panera Bread was originally Saint Louis Bread Company and you will still see shops named Saint Louis Bread Company in St. Louis today; unfortunately, in nearby Kansas, it is just Panera Bread; the food here was similar to what I have had at other Panera locations though I was disappointed with their turkey BLT, which featured unappetizing looking bacon and did not appear remotely similar to what was shown on their menu board; I went here because it was convenient though I would recommend trying to explore the area for something more local***
This Panera Bread is located in what appears to be a mostly office park; this plaza offers free parking and it is easy finding an open space.

I’m such a sucker for good advertising, and my oh my did that Broth Bowl look good. I came in late on a Wednesday night and found it to be everything I hoped it would be! Wow, so tasty! And filling! And healthy! The side of crusty bread was just perfect. Chicken lentil quinoa all the way!
I’m a dedicated brown-​bagger when it comes to lunch during the work week, but you’ll see me in here to buy a loaf of bread now and then. I guess I’ll have to stop in more often for a meal.

I love Panera Bread!
This location is especially nice because it is so large. It is perfect for a study break or lunch meeting. They have a few outdoor seats and a large parking lot. However, because of the busy location, the parking is usually pretty crowded at all times of the day… especially lunch.
My last visit I ordered a dozen bagels. I usually call ahead to make sure that they have the bagels I want. This time, I was rushed and did not call. However, they had just about everything I needed, with the exception of the French toast bagels (YUM!). Next time, I’ll call ahead the day before to ensure my selection.

Customer service was excellent even though we came in 30 to close. They offered food they were about to toss and were friendly and exuberant. Melissa was especially kind and helpful.

I am not a fan of Panera but I had a random gift card, a craving for a salad and a need to get out of the office.
The «a-​ok» is for the nice cashier, the short wait I had for my to-​go order and my very pleasant Greek salad.
If you’re in this area, it’s a decent place for lunch. But it does get super crowded during the typical lunch time if you’re dining in. Because it does get crowded, the dining room is VERY loud. If you’re looking to work during lunch, I don’t recommend it.

I really like this Panera. It is definitely a go to for my family. The food is always similar to the other Panera locations and we have always had great service!

Crowded at 9:30 am on a Tuesday?
It was ok, but just ok. They have some work to do on getting the place clean and getting the bfast sandwich right…
Its kind of soggy and not so tasty.
Sausage, Egg and Cheese on sesame bgl 3.89
Lg Iced Tea 3.69
Small Coffee 1.79
Total — $ 12.56

This place is strictly utilitarian. In a pinch, it’s an okay place to go. Odd-​set up, you go through a door which leads to a door on the right side to enter the dining room, to the left door leads to the ordering line. Sometimes people are coming from all directions, office manager types with mega bags chock full of pastries, & coffee, or a group of older ladies standing around with grim looks on their face. The routine is universal at Panera, except in Kansas, the servers won’t toast your bagel.
So I head to the toaster like some hobo, making sure someone isn’t taking it out of the toaster to toast their own bagel. Reminds me of some free lance hotel breakfast bar, where they supply frosted flakes in some kind of variation of a gumball machine, and the guests grill their own pancakes, while they scratch and itch in their Walmart brand jogging suits.
Without fail when I make it to the coffee stand, the dark roast is empty & I wave to get the attention of the kitchen staff, or end up with some «team building» office type, commandeering the entire coffee station, as she customizes each coffee for her co-​workers back in the office.
Then there’s the requisite cheapie, set up with a lap-​top, tablet, two I phones, & sucking on a small Mocha like he’s on holiday. I don’t mind that as much as the tone of his nasal voice, barking orders to some poor bastard who has to deal with this twit, over his I Phone
One day I saw a march of gals in «man pants» suits meeting apparently for job interviews with a fired up employer, chunky– young, jocular type who occupies a tiny table, shamelessly bellowing about the great opportunities at his company, and that «you have to make it happen». Strange thing, not 20 minutes later as I was leaving Panera, I recognized the same fellow, who minutes earlier was making the big decisions, he was now in his office-​annex, apparently. A dirty, mid 90’s era white Toyota, with a busted headlight, on to the next round of interviews.
I like the steel-​cut oatmeal with strawberries.

While I do agree that this location is a bit run down & smaller than others they are always quick with my to go orders and are they are spot on with quality. As far as a quicik lunch by the office, it’s a never fail.

Coming here makes me feel like they are herding cattle. I am «just a number» here and the people behind the cash register don’t even try to be a little more friendly. I made the mistake of trying to study here once and will never do that again. The place is obnoxiously loud at lunch hour. It was challenging trying to find a table at 1:30pm that day. The WiFi was kinda glitchy. I like the food here, but I just don’t like the Panera «experience».

Broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl is a great way to warm up on a chilly day. Great fast service. Never had a bad experience here!

This Panera could use a little extra TLC, as well as an infusion of happy juice into their employees. Um, and probably some extra training on cleanliness.
I visited this location twice. Once for a quick lunch pick-​up on the way to the airport, and again for a quick and easy dinner (since it was within walking distance of my hotel). I didn’t have any issues with my first grab-​and-​go experience, but the second visit was a bit off-​putting.
Why? As I was waiting to receive my order, a lady brought her food to the counter and in a quiet, non-​confrontational way, pointed out a long black hair that had found its way into her sandwich. Ew. The manager apologized and comped her meal, then brought her an entirely new one.
As I stood there watching and waiting for my order, the guys preparing the food were a little loose and sloppy. The manager had to correct them TWICE in the short span that I stood there regarding their soup-​serving technique. They’d slop it into the bowl so that it would drip down the sides, then they’d plop it on the plate. Manager-​man would come by and point it out and tell them to please stop doing that and clean the sides of the bowl.
Other details that were off-​putting: a rag used to wipe down the counters near the coffee sat in front of the coffee carafes the whole time I was there.
Someone had swept up a pile of debris in the kitchen area and just left it, broom and all, within plain sight of the customers.
Some of the tables could have used some extra wiping, and the place just didn’t have the shiny, happy vibe that other Paneras have.
I don’t think I’ll be returning to this location any time soon.

Nice people behind the counter. No Diet Dr. Pepper though -.- lost you major points.
The blue cheese and steak salad was amazing for a chain. Huge portion. Their chips are quite atrocious, skip them in favor of the apple or the bread. The bread is quite good. But you know, the apple is okay too.

Smallish location; the food is predictably good. The place seems a bit run-​down though — ratty-​looking upholstery on the booth seats, and so forth. It’s also a bit noisier than I would like, due to the long, narrow shape of the dining room. Service, on the other hand, is cheerful and fast. So… not my favorite Panera’s, but not a bad choice for that soup-​and-​sandwich craving.

Not my favorite Panera but it’s Panera! I can say that this particular Panera seems to always be dirty and the staff don’t seem to be the normal upbeat, preppy type Panera employee’s. It’s Panera!

I am a Panera fan — there are a number in Kansas City and they serve a variety of reasonably priced, tasty foods in the bakery style. Soup and sandwiches are a great option for lunch and the bagels are pretty good too.
This location in particular is extremely busy over lunch, the rush starting around 1115 and running through about 1230 when it thins out again. At that time, it can be hard to find a table especially if you have a party of 4 or larger. Outside those hours it is a great place to meet and work. At any time there are a lot of laptops open here. However…
The wi-​fi is reliable these days (didn’t used to be so) but between 1130 and 130 you can only access if for 30 minutes total. This is a constraint that I completely get, but it is annoying when you chose to work here. More of an annoyance, and one that is particularly bad here, is a lack of power outlets. There are 3 high tables with 4 sockets between them, and 2 more double sockets along one wall and that’s it. This is a big location and should have more to attract those of us who want to work here.
I have mentioned this to them and they are aware of it but never add more. I guess they may not want people camping here all day nursing one cup of coffee and that’s OK — it’s just that, for me, this cuts down the starts I can give this location.

Adventures in Lunchtime Mediocrity.
1) Where does Panera get its apples? Are they specially collected from some crabapple tree in a hidden desert orchard? Or are they grown on some type of shrub in a warehoused metal pen, force-​fed chemicals until they reach their maximum 3-​inch diameter and then wrenched prematurely from the branch before they have the chance to take on any girth or, for that matter, flavor?
2) Is Panera really known for its breads? The same bread that, no matter the type, is Wonder-​chewy on the inside with a crust that practically makes a popping sound when you pull it apart with your teeth?
3) Today, my sandwich and cup-​of-​soup order killed, I think, at least one sequoia. Two large, decorated pieces of paper wrapped around a modest sandwich, five pre-​packed napkins, one paper cup for the soup, one miniature paper bag for some croutons that I didn’t need, one small paper bag for the soup and accoutrements, one huge paper bag to hold the small paper bag and the sandwich. Mother Nature, I weep.
4) The lines here are almost always long at lunch, the register staff wild-​eyed as managers in different-​hued shirts roam amongst them — I once was there when a manager publicly belittled a staff member for struggling with the smoothie machine — then you move to the pick-​up window, where more wild-​eyed service personnel spin, grab and prep dizzily (at little apples and chewy bread) and thrust the dullest of food at stunned-​looking customers.
This place is popular for some reason. I was there today, so I am clearly part of that problem.