Panera Bread

Its Panera! My friends and I jokingly refer to Panera as the most average place on Earth, but I tend to lean towards below average more often than not. But hey, Ive had this gift card sitting in my wallet since Xmas so might as well use it up!
Credit where credit is due, the interior design of Panera is always so comfortable. Theyve got it down to a science, with all the walls and other line-​of-​sight interrupters, the place always seems cozy.
The thing that bothers me the most about Panera is the small portion sizes. 5 or so bucks for half a sandwich I could get somewhere local, full size, for the same price. The fact that their food is so often not good just compounds my frustration with the high price.
I ordered the steak & white cheese sandwich. It was alright, but youd think theyd list horseradish on the menu, because when you slap horseradish on something, know what its gonna taste like? Horseradish. What steak, what cheese? Luckily i dont mind horseradish but some poor sucker not into pungent flavors certainly has gotten screwed over by that option. «Steak & cheese» should imply just that, but whatever.
The mac & cheese was a little sour. I didnt mind it. Its mac & cheese. I got an apple on the side (people who order the baguette along with their sandwiches boggle my mind. Would you like some bread with your bread, sir?). It was an apple. I got a chocolate chip cookie just to even out the gift card. It was «gluten concious» which i believe was the reason it didnt taste that good. Hey im concious of gluten too, concious it makes flour-​based food taste good!!!
The standout for me was their iced coffee, actually. I believe I got a café latte and it was by & far away the tastiest thing I had there. Id never ordered a coffee at Panera before, and honestly, it was one of the best chain-​food coffees ive had.
I live like right across the street from this place so Ill probably stumble back over after a night of drinking or something. But if that happens, im ordering completely different things. Buhhh

The WORST PANERA EVER!!! I don’t know why I come to this panera. They can never get my order right, on time, or be friendly. The restaurant is always filthy, staff is not friendly or accommodating. Management needs to re train their staff. Customer satisfaction is number one in my book and I am not a satisfied customer. I will probably stop coming here all together.

Awesome employees. Outside seating is good. Clean and quiet. Food is always as advertised.

Great Panera! Orders are always correct and come out fast! Staff is friendly.

I really enjoy Panera, but this location is terrible. They are constantly filling your order wrong, the last 3 times I’ve gotten it to-​go, they have forgotten some portion of my order. Many times they are out of staple bakery items such as baguettes and bread bowls, two out of the last three times I’ve been there this has been the case, including last night around 5:30pm. Sorry Panera, there are too many alternatives in South Riding for quick eats now that will be getting my business before I return to this location.

I love Panera — I love the bagels, soups, sandwiches and salads. Their specialty coffees are usually delicious. I have never had a bad experience with staff at this location or others and usually receive friendly quick service. Likewise I have not had any issues with my order being filled incorrectly.
I work from home and options for a quick lunch out in South Riding are not plentiful. Panera fits the bill. However, my experience has been consistent with other reviewers in that the food sometimes does not seem to live up to the quality of other locations. The food is not consistently good and consistency is key. There have been times my sandwich has been quite frugal when it comes to filling — more bread than anything else. I’ve also been served a somewhat soggy Panini which just seems to contradict what a Panini should be.
To be fair, I have experienced these issues when I have taken my food to go, but I am not traveling so far I would expect a lukewarm, soggy sandwich when I arrive. I will more than likely go back, although I won’t be in a rush to do so. I just wish they provided the consistent quality of sandwiches I have come to expect from this chain in other locations.

Went with my children to eat a turkey and soup. The turkey was slimey and had a terrible taste.
Never coming back to this place.

This Panera is awesome! Everyone who works here is super friendly, throwing in things like free pastries, extra chips, etc. for no other reason than the fact that they’re nice and truly engage with their customers. The food is just like every other Panera, no complaints. This place is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to pop in for a quick dinner (or just one of their scrumptious sugar cookies).

Why do I always feel like I’m getting barked at when I go to this Panera? The staff is so aggressively helpful. If I stand back of the line and look at the menu for more than a few seconds staff begins to yell at me in increasingly louder voices, «Can I help you? Sir, what would you like to order!!!» I ask for more time, but they are relentless. In the end, they were out of what I wanted and the bagel I ordered was stale. I love their tomato soup in the bread bowl. I should just stick to that. But hey, give a guy a little time to look at the menu. Sometimes a nice quiet smile is the best way to welcome a customer.

Need better cashiers who actually know how to type in orders. Always something goes wrong and looks like they’re always on empty with the bread. Well at least the times I’ve been here. anyway the broccoli cheddar is always a yummy must!

Come all the time. Not bad but the pastry section needs to be glassed off. Me n the kids wanted junk food but there were so many flies there was no way I was buying anything

Have very fast 11mb wifi. They get an extra star when the other stingy jerk owners have crappy or no internet. More comfortable and better food than Starbucks. What’s there not too like, except perhaps healthier food options and less baked goods…

Soups, salads and pastries! Oh my! I am a big fan of Panera. It is generally a great spot for a fast lunch or dinner or just to grab a coffee and bagel. They have wi-​fi but during busy «rush» hours you can only be only thirty minutes. My kids love the kids meals (mac and cheese in particular), although I do with they came with a drink.
I am not sure what is up with this particular Panera, but they are ALWAYS out of items. Last night they were out of baguettes, bread bowls and many pastries. The previous time they were out of certain toppings for their Thai Peanut salad (wontons and Thai peanuts).
This location also has some outside seating which is a true perk on a nice summer day!
Not sure why but lemonade at this location also tastes very water downed!
Would I come back? Yes… but it really bothers me they are always out of so many items.

Orders are fulfilled correctly most of the time. The staff is courteous. The place can use a bit more picking up but that’s hard given the volume of people that come through.

Usually Panera’s Bread is good with their service, today, I stood in line, one cashier and I watched the manager (louis (?)) Standing in the back looking and so obviously trying to look busy and yet doing nothing. Today, not a good customer service day!

After a hiatus of about 3 months, I again entered this establishment, and I. again. wish I hadn’t.
To start things off, the cashier, («Katie» I believe was her name), was a total a-​hole. I said hi/​asked how her day was going twice, and she blatantly and purposely ignored me both times by staring at me completely stone faced, so I just got on with my order.
As always, I clearly asked for egg whites and cheese on a plain bagel. Also asked for a sesame bagel to go. Seeing as I repeated my order 3+ times cause she just wasn’t competent enough to handle it the first few times, I assumed she had it down pat by the last time.
Guess not, cause I received egg and cheese on a sesame bagel.
Walked up to the manager and didn’t even bother to mention that the sandwich was wrong, but just said that Katie must have forgotten to ring me up for a sesame bagel. He apologized and gave it to me free of charge, (Appreciated… very much.)
While this happened, I noticed Katie glaring at me from her register.
As I was about to leave, one of the girls who had assembled the sandwich further down the counter came running up to me asking if I had accidentally taken someone else’s order. I told her that my name was on the receipt attached to the bag, but that the order I had requested at the register wasn’t what I had received, although it was similar.
«Oh» was the response I got from her before she turned and walked away. No offer to fix it.
Reallllllllllly wish this place would step it up. I’ve been to different panera locations all over NOVA and have never had a problem. Seems like every time I come here they can’t get it together. The incompetence and rudeness I’ve encountered is unbelievable. No thanks.

Do the rapid pick up… I came in to order and was greeted with ‘have a great Day’ AND ‘a pissed off face’.
No thank you, Kat C.

I enjoy Panera, but the quality of the food was subpar at this location. Sandwich was falling apart and didn’t taste as fresh/​good as other locations I’ve eaten at.

Okay, first off Panera is a nation-​wide chain. A place where you typically know what to expect if you’ve ever eaten at a Panera before.
As far as the food goes, I have always enjoyed their soups, salads, sandwiches, bagels; everything they have is pretty good. For this particular location I’ve never had an issue with my food.
South Riding and the nearby Stone Ridge communities are quite large and this (to the best of my knowledge) is the closest Panera for the SR, Aldie area. With that said, I wish the location was a tad bit bigger. If you go during peak times the restaurant and tables are really crowded.
Staff is friendly, food tastes good and they do a decent job of keeping the restaurant clean.

Oh Panera. How I love thee. I can count on you when I’m at home or in a strange city to offer me some sort of comfort. Bagels, sandwiches or salads. Whether its just for me or a business lunch I can depend on Panera to deliver decent food.
Panera bagels are my absolute favorite! If Western Bagel was on the East coast, I wouldn’t even walk into Panera for my bagels. However, since I’m denied Western Bagels, Panera is my go-​to. One of my favorite traditions is to sneak out of the house on Saturday or Sunday mornings at 7am and get the fiancé his hazelnut coffee and pack of bagels for the week. I come back looking like a superstar delivering the goods of the gods… all courtesy of Panera.
The line here around 9 – 10 am on the weekends are INSANE. It snakes out the door, but it really does move quickly so don’t let that discourage you. Parking is easy, but again I must vent about the stupid planning of the parking lots in Ashburn… One exit out of the lot you can’t go north and have to exit south, then wait at a light to do a U-​Turn. The other exit you can only exit west… but if you need to go east, you have to do a u-​turn –but there is a sign forbidding you to do so! If you keep going straight you go miles before you hit Gum Spring. ARGGGH!!!
Regardless of the lack of common sense planning on the city, I will continue to visit Panera. Their bagels are awesome, and with fall right around the corner, I am looking forward to some of the menu changes!