Panera Bread

Overpriced for what they end up serving you. First time going there. The food itself was just awful. I ordered a ham and Swiss, lettuce and light on the mayo. The lettuce was bad (my friend said the same of hers) and there was too much mayo. I managed to get as much of the mayo off as possible but it still didn’t taste right. Employees were rude, didn’t want to answer questions about the menu (no one was in line or I would have understood this), and I had to ask three times for my cup. Definitely didn’t live up to hype or reputation.

I like Panera. I use them all over the country when I’m asked to lead lunch-​and-​learns. My kids and I eat there once a month or so. So what is wrong with this location???
Here’s my story:
Called in an order and was told 20 – 25 minutes. Took 40.
The sandwiches had basically nothing on them except lots of the greens. They were very sloppily made.
I ordered Diet Cokes and went to the machine to see they had Pepsi. They are NOT the same. When I said this to the manager he said sorry and didn’t offer a refund.
Beyond my experience, when I arrived at the host office the office manager warned me that they have had the same experience with poorly made sandwiches at this location. Her warning was correct.
Bummer. At least it was clean and the register staff were very courteous. Guess I’ll use another restaurant to cater my next event in this area of Tampa.

Panera is usually a favorite of mine but they have been really awful lately. They raised their prices and have reduced the size of the portions. They also offer very few GF choices for a restaurant who boasts about clean eating and fresh ingredients. Today I ordered a cup of Baked Potato soup for lunch and did «rapid pickup». Much to my dismay, I got back to my office to find that they only filled my container half way. Having no time to go back, I was forced to just deal with it, but I’m no longer going to do take-​out from this location.

I ordered a to go with a sandwich and a tubers yogurt as the side. When I went back to the hotel I found the yogurt’s bag leaked and spilled everywhere. Everything was sticky I had to throw all the food away. Such a bad experience.

I’ve always had good food and good experience, except for the last time. I could hear, from across the room, the manager repemanding her staff very rudely, then talking about them behind their back to other staff when they left. Very unprofessional. If you have staff issues, take it to where customers can’t hear.

I typically enjoy Panera, though I do think the pricing is a bit steep for a restaurant where I serve and clean up after myself. Still, the food is a step above fast food, and my fiancé and I occasionally crave it.
THIS Panera, however, is AWFUL!
If you want a simple soup or pastry, you should be just fine. It’s hard to mess those items up, though you may have a short wait as they can get pretty busy.
If you are hoping for a sandwich or salad, prepare yourself for disappointment. If you order an item with avocado or bacon, don’t expect either to make it onto your sandwich/​salad. This location is notoriously cheap with it’s portions, constantly skimping on those items. I don’t know why I kept giving this place a chance. Last time, I ordered the Avocado Cobb Salad to-​go. I made it home to realize the extra tomatoes I requested were completely omitted (this was an online order, it was clearly on the invoice). My fiancé graciously offered to return to get me a new salad– I accepted as the portion of my salad seemed skimpy anyway. He called and spoke with a manager, Brittany, I think. He advised we received our order incorrectly. She said, «Okay?», unapologetically. My fiancé responded that he wanted a new salad, and she agreed. He inconvenienced himself in returning to Panera for a correct salad. When he returned home with it, it did have the tomatoes, and was a larger, more-​acceptable portion size. Yet, that’s when I noticed that NEITHER salad had ANY avocado! The Avocado Cobb Salad is more expensive than the regular Cobb Salad, so I felt cheated once more.
I’ve had the same issues with sandwiches, but only from this location.
Their staff is not particularly friendly, seeming stressed, unhappy. The parking lot is a jumbled mess with an accident waiting to happen each day– not Panera’s fault, but just another point to make; Don’t go to this Panera if you have a limited lunch break, or somewhere to be shortly! And avoid this Panera if you want exactly what you are paying for– you’ll get shorted.

Life Pro Tip: If you are wanting a catered lunch, choose a local deli or other establishment, don’t choose Panera. Their sandwiches are bland, salads are lackluster, and the fruit is usually mushy. I had their catered lunch for 3 days in a row during a conference and it was miserably bad each day. For the price that you pay, you can do A LOT better.
One bright point: Their cookies are great.

One of the worst parking lots I’ve ever had the pleasure to park in. The restaurant is located next to a Starbucks and the lot is filled with larger higher end SUVs and drivers using they phone… so be weary while pulling in. I ordered the half and half and I’ll say the Turkey Avocado BLT is actually pretty good, the French Onion soup was about average — not worth ordering a second time.
The problem — really bad customer service. I was checked out by a manager (or a supervisor of some sort). She acted like she was miserable and treated the one customer in line as if it was his fault. Also many of the tables were dirty despite it being 3:30, which I assume is not a rush period.

I love Panera. This one in particular, I will not be revisiting. We were here at 7:30. One of the cashiers was very friendly. She was the best part of our visit. Both of the soups that we ordered were not hot enough, in fact, I would say they were in the «danger zone», below 135*. I asked for another, and I’m pretty sure she got it from the same exact pot. So guess what??? It was still like warm. Needless to say, I took a few bites and called it quits. The manager was standing right there when I took my soup back, and she walked away. No one apologized. No service recovery. Nothing. They are open until 9:30, but they are acting like they close in 10 minutes. I’ve never had a bad experience at Panera. Definitely not going to come back here. THIS LOCATION SUCKS!

Just stopped by for two quick lunches, and it was definitely happening on the weekdays. I got the half sandwich, half soup deal. I loved it. The salad wasn’t tiny (apple chicken) and was delicious. Thinly slices apple with decent chicken breast in the salad. Dressing was not overpowering. The chicken orzo soup was tasty — maybe slightly on the salty side — but satisfying nonetheless. They have plenty of seating, and food comes out quickly. You are notified with the vibrating contraption.

This place was so busy at lunch and parking is a nightmare. Wouldn’t recommend it if you’re in a time crunch.
The employees seemed kind of stressed out while making food. Maybe they were busier than normal. I ordered a salad that was supposed to have avocado and they forget to put it on the salad. I went back up to have it added and the guy just took my plate with out really saying anything. He also didn’t say you’re welcome when I said thank you. Kind of a pet peeve of mine I guess.
They also didn’t have regular ranch dressing, which I found pretty strange. Only barbecue ranch? Not great.

Today 5÷4÷2015 order a southwest chicken flatbread…
Was actually for my husband .
When he came home tonite he asked what was that sandwich you’ve purchased?
I said why?
Because it had a little bit of greens and nothing else!
Talk about an oversight.
So I’m giving it 1 star.
It seems lately at paneras like the portions are so small and well the flavor inst really there.
Won’t go back.

I love Panera’s soup! They are delicious, warm and a great comfort food to me. So I’ve been seeing the billboards and ads about Panera’s broth bowls. I was quite intrigued. I love my broth noodle bowls from phở to hand pulled noodles to ramen (not the $ 0.25 package you ate in college). I was hoping this would be something along those lines.
I was there during the mad rush lunch time but I was lucky enough to find a parking spot right in front of the door! It was a good sign. The parking lot is small with the various businesses there. I placed my order for the soba noodle bowl with chicken I was super excited!
So I head to the food distributing/​kitchen area with my pager. Me and the rest of the panera patronage stand there waiting anxiously for our pager to buzz. When my pager finally buzzes I wanted to call out Me! Me! I get a grip and go find a seat, which becomes a bit difficult with the crowd here.
I find a corner table and was excited. I had got it to go in case I couldn’t finish it. I never finish my phở bowls so I was thinking ahead. When I got my bowl out of the paperbag i realized my mistake. I knew I was going to finish this bowl with no problem. The bowl came with a piece of french bread which I found odd having it with a miso soup base broth. I suppose that’s better than no bread at all?
The chicken was moist but the broth was bland. There was hardly any broth– not what I had in mind. For $ 9 after taxes, I rather go get a bowl of phở and have some leftovers. I wanted to add siracha or chilli oil to give it a kick. But it’s Panera where the flavors are American not Asian. Panera, please stick to your American comfort food soup and leave the Asian broth to the Asian themed restaurants.

Friendly and prompt service. Great place to have lunch and study. Nice selection of vegan items. I ordered the Mediterranean veggie (minus feta) and the new edamame soba noodle broth bowl. The broth bowl was light yet very flavorful. Filled with lots of well cooked veggies. Highly recommended.

I am giving three stars because my lemon drink was left out of the order. If I am refunded or an able to get my drink tomorrow I will change this to four stars.
The bf didn’t check the bag and neither did the cashier.
I love that I can order ahead but if that means paying for items you may not receive. I will pass on that.
I love Panera and never really have issues but I normally go inside.
Hoping to change the star status tomorrow!

Like the location since it’s close to work. I swear I’m addicted to their broccoli soup its so yummy!

Multiple friends absolutely swear by Panera, and I obviously know this chain is not hurting for customers.
So why do I feel like I’m never getting enough for my money at Panera Bread?
While taste and quality of the food I’ve had here is good, much of it seems to be priced more at the level of an actual restaurant rather than one where you order at a counter and wait to pick it up yourself.
Let me emphasize that this, nor previous visits here, offered a negative experience. My customer service has been more than satisfactory. I just have a hard time justifying coming here regularly because the value just is not there relative to other places specializing in sandwiches and salads.
Parking at this particular location is also tricky because they are right off Kennedy and compete directly with a Starbucks right next door, so parking in the larger area off West Shore is always a better option.

As far as Panera’s go, this one seems to be above par in my experience. The parking can suck at times with the Starbuck’s right next door and since it appears that people take up permanent shelter in both businesses, the lot is always full. Despite that, the service has been quick and the food has been consistently good. Also, to Panera’s credit, they’re the only chain that has a dairy-​free pumpkin spice. I’ve had to research this due to having a lactose-​intolerant girlfriend and all other coffee chains have dairy in the actual mix itself, so they cannot make any version dairy-​free. So, hats off Panera for being a Maverick in the pumpkin spice world.

I like Panera Bread.
This one in particular is in a high-​traffic area and the parking lot is shared with other businesses. It might be complicated to find a close parking lot but I never had to leave because of lack of parking space.
They are very consistent in their food and it is good quality. Their salads are fresh and abundant. Although their menu is diverse, the only thing they have that would make me do a special trip is their Asiago cheese bagel.
The reason I frequent this location is because it’s a great place to meet with people, they have outlets through the store for your electronic devices and their WiFi has always been reliable.
The staff is pleasant, although I found the manager a little sarcastic (I started with a bad joke so it’s on me). I feel comfortable coming here and meeting with business associates. If you need private space though, this is not your location.

Those of us who spend our days on the road are always looking for a clean place to sit down and fire up the laptop /​tablet, enjoy a cold drink or a quick meal, use their restrooms, and then move on to the next appointment. Panera Bread has become one of those reliable places to set up a temporary remote office, and this particular location at the corner of Kennedy Boulevard and West Shore Boulevard is certainly convenient when I’m working in that section of town.
Sadly the parking for this Panera is not the best, as they’re located next to a busy Starbucks in a fairly small shopping center, so be prepared to circle and circle and circle as you look for an open space. There are days when I feel like a vulture in search of my next meal, but that’s part of the «charm» about places south of Kennedy Boulevard.
The menu at Panera is predictably consistent across the various locations within this chain. Breakfast includes freshly-​baked bagels, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, coffee, tea, etc. Lunch and dinner options include soups, salads, sandwiches, and paninis. The food is good, affordably priced, and served nice and hot.
I generally get a soup & salad or a soup & panini combination in the afternoons, and then try to find a clean table to set up my computer and get some work done. My one real negative about this location is that their servers are slow to wipe off the tables between customers, and you need to look carefully before setting your expensive electronics into some leftover sticky bletch from the last customer.
Depending on time of day this location can be quite crowded with financial consultants, insurance agents, ladies setting up their network marketing circles, college students, and sales reps all looking for a little space to return phone calls, check emails, and take a breather. You’ll meet some very interesting folks at this Panera Bread who are more than anxious to practice their 30-​second «elevator sales pitch» on the unsuspecting customers, but thankfully you can plug in your ear buds and pretend like you’re on a conference call to solve world peace.
It’s a nice place to get a meal and get some work done, but be careful of the sticky table tops!