Panera Bread

I walked in at 3:56 on a Saturday Afternoon. The building stands alone across from the WD on OBT in Apopka. Upon walking in there was a young lady at the register named Shana (I think I got it right) who belongs in the kitchen and not at the front counter. She needs some customer service training. Actually, I think she may have been getting trained by Kaycee as that is what is on my receipt… who was trying to be cheerful besides the grinch… er I mean Shana… They had cookies under the warmer and I asked how warm are they and she said «warm». So I elaborated, I mean warm as just out of the oven. been there 30 mins. what is warm? She then said they stay under a warmer… okay not a lot of info… then I ask if there are any shortbread cookies because I don’t see them and she says «no». Okie dokie… I order comfort food as that is what I need right now with all this studying… of mac n cheese ($ 4.60), turkey chili ($ 4.70)from the pic 2. She asked me what size, I didn’t know you had a choice from the pic 2 but I said small… and of course she didn’t miss the 99cent pastry offer with a dish… so I begrudgingly added the «warm» cookie. I added one small beverage ($ 1.99) and that was $ 13.08 total. I gave her my number so I can get my Panera credit and she put that in, accordingly. She gave me the pager and it was paging right after I got my beverage and grabbed a clean table. The mac and cheese was good but I would not move it to the great category. Honestly, it probably was not worth the calories to be honest. The turkey chili the same. Both were lukewarm and neither jumped out at me. I swapped the baguette for the chips. which now are only limited to plain or kettle. So what about the «warm» cookie you ask? It would have been warmer if we popped it in the microwave for 5 seconds. Nevertheless, I did eat it but again not worth the calories for me… anywho. For the beverage you have a choice from the fountain drink to the Iced Teas and it is refillable. One thing which honestly gave them an extra star was the young lady named Unique who would come by the table and ask if there is anything she can get for me with a smile… as she did for others. She was on point cleaning tables and serving customers with a smile. Of course, I visited the restroom which was clean 3 stars but not clean immaculate. The changing table was dirty, the paper towels were not stocked. So for me… food not what it used to be with panera and for the cost…2 stars… service 2 stars but Unique who is unique and yes, that is her name plus the wifi, I will give 3 stars total!

I visit this Panera frequently. I have never been disappointed foods is always been great. If I want something extra they are nice about, great service. It’s right on broad with the other Panera same great quality and food. I’ll definitely be going back.

Turkey Chili in a bread bowl and panini was just ok. The orange scone was good as usual. This is why I only come here once a year.

I’m a fan of Panera, and this location is on par with the others I’ve been too.
I have yet to be disappointed in any of their offerings. The bread is so yummy, as are the danishes, the pastries, the brownies, the cookies, the bagels, the salads, the sandwiches… it’s all good. I personally love the Asian Chicken Salad and the Tomato and Basil Pannini. I love the baguettes that come with the meals… but the chips are also really good, so it’s always hard for me to decide. Their drinks are also yummy… the green tea and lemon aid mixed is a favorite and their iced coffee is good as well.
My only complaint is that tables need to be bused more, esp when busy, but other than that, great work.

Let me start by saying I am a Panera fan however this location is bad. The staff are inexperienced and goofing off the entire time I was there which was about 2 hours from 2 till 4. The dining room and restrooms were dirty. I ordered broccoli cheddar soup and Napa chicken salad sandwich the food tasted fine but there was no care in the way it was served. Soup all over the plate. I will not be going back to this location.

Hello Panera?
Just a tip… add more than one person at the register during peak morning hours! I had to wait ten minutes for a coffee and danish while the guy in front of me picked out his bagels as if he were trying on watches at a flea market. Frustrating. Several employees looked and watched from behind the counter frozen, staring into the beyond as if they had one foot on a land mine… Meanwhile, more importantly I suffered through my caffeine withdrawal! Seriously, I expect this from a smaller coffee shop, well maybe not… but certainly not Panera!

The staff are really nice. But when it comes to your food arriving, it’s not very appetizing. I can’t speak for the dine-​in customers because I always get it to-​go. I have been going to this panera for a few times now but the last couple of times I did not enjoy eating my food. When I took the sandwiches out of the bag, I got food on my hands, I’m assuming it was tuna and/​or hummus. I had to unwrap my sandwich with a napkin, wondering If this is what it’s like from the outside, what is it on the inside. And guess what? I was right. My sandwich was drowning in hummus. There was a sandwich in my hummus! I opened up the sandwich and had to scrape off the excess hummus from the inside. And outside. And the sides. I was really debating on whether it’s even worth eating. My salad didn’t fill me up so I decided to tak a few bites. Half way through eating my sandwich I realized it is NOT worth finishing. I actually enjoyed the bag of chips more than the sandwich. I had also ordered a tuna salad sandwich for someone else and that one looked like a tuna explosion. I’m wondering whether the staff are even changing the gloves after they make the food. Very disappointed in the food making dept. Presentation is key!

Very negative experience unfortunately. They don’t carry mint syrup for lattes, so I ordered hazelnut. Restaurant was empty except for 1 other table. Waited 7 or 8 min, went up to the pick up counter, they had no record of my order. I had to show them my receipt to prove that I had even placed an order! Furthermore, they stated they are out of ALL syrups other than vanilla. Question. Why aren’t try letting the order counter know that?! I explained to the manager about how unsatisfactory this experience was. Unbelievably, he did nothing to recover this poor customer service experience! No one in the restaurant had any sort of positive or helpful attitude. I cannot recommend this Panera location in Apopka, especially for lattes. If there had been a Starbucks nearby, this would have been no contest. Will be taking my business elsewhere, where customers are treated as a valuable commodity (I think there are good reasons this place was empty of customers!)

Overall good. I agree, it is nice to see this in Apopka and at the nice location. You either gotta drive toward wal mart area and it’s mostly just chain fast food places. Food and service each time has been great. All 3 times in there there has been someone constantly cleaning the tables and the carpet. My only qualm is that it appears the wifi requires you to re-​login every 10 min or so. Prices here are too much for wonky wifi!

Always enjoy the food here. Today I tried the squash soup and it was A-​MAZ-​ING!!! I’ll be having it again!

My family and I have tried this location several times and will not be visiting there again. We had to ask a few times for the frozen lemonade that finally came at the end of our meal. We were served a ham and swiss on wheat with visibly wilted and black lettuce not fit for eating. The French onion soup was goopy. It had shredded cheese which didn’t melt because the soup was not very hot. The chicken noodle soup had overcooked noodles and they taste pastey. They offered to make another sandwich at the point when we were almost finished. Customer service there needs an uplift. It was a manager that listened to all our concerns and complaints, yet nothing really was resolved. The pastries we bought were the highlight of our trip there. They’re pretty tasty, but we’re not returning just for that. For the price of their sandwich, the quality should’ve have been at least 4 or 5 star.

Good food, good service, clean, good prices.

Happy to have a new place so close
Food is always good and hot and love the cookies! Service is always fast and friendly.

It’s Panera so the food is pretty much the same every where, but this store has great service. The ice tea can be a little iffy, one day amazing and the next day horrible. But the food is delicious and fast.

This particular Panera was very messy and the tables and chairs were dirty. Had to wipe it all down before we could sit. Floor was dirty also.

Horrible customer service even the managers. Can’t seem to handle keeping up with the menu items on weekend mornings especially. Always using excuse they’re new and don’t offer any solutions. I never write negative comments just usually let it go but when the same thing keeps happening over and over something needs to be done. Hopefully this comment will get them to work on shaping up and then I will gladly replace this comment with a positive one. You have been around long enough not to keep having the same problems.

FANTASTIC customer service!!! As a (fairly new) Apopka resident and former resident of downtown Orlando, I was thrilled to see Panera come to this part of the county. :)
They’re still working out the kinks with orders — drive-​thru has been hit or miss a few times, but managers always right there to correct the issue and refer to each as a ‘learning opportunity’ — I like that. :) Positive spin and all…
But their customer service is top-​notch, no matter who’s on register, which day, and at any hour… nice!!! Example, this morning, Hubs and I arrived at 10:40 (Labor Day holiday), ready for breakfast sandwiches. Another family had just come in before us, expecting the same thing. We were told, «We’re so sorry. We stopped serving at 10:30.» Disappointed, we turned to leave and said we’d run through another local spot with breakfast sandwiches…
Panera staff’s reply: «We’re happy to extend breakfast for you! It’s a holiday!» And with that, we (all) ordered all the yummy things we wanted.
*Big thanks to Panera staff and to Caitlyn, our cashier, for accommodating us. YOU are the reason I’m writing my review today!
Yes, this location has been busy — we Apopkans are THRILLED to have another choice in our area, but things are settling down, and Panera is definitely worth a visit. Oh, and if it’s lunch/​dinner time, get the tomato soup — you won’t be disappointed!

New location. VERY busy. I think that they have not yet gotten used to the crowd. The croissants are really good though, and they always seem to have what I am looking for. I went on a Saturday morning so they were quite busy, and there was an elderly couple with a large order giving them trouble, so I fully understood the slowness that my order was filled.
I did get a coffee too, and it was not hot, but luke warm. I didn’t mind too much as I was able to drink it right away.
Other than that, this location is great. Easy to get in and out of and everyone who has helped me there has been pleasant.

I’m a fan of Panera. Their food is consistently good. I’m always getting the same thing, more or less. I get the You-​Pick-​2 with French Onion soup and either Turkey Artichoke or Frontega chicken for my sandwich. It is just enough food and tastes oh so good with their lemonade. Yumm.
This particular Panera is set up a little strange. Maybe because it has a drive thru (which is a great idea) but the seating inside is limited. In other Paneras they’ll have comfy seats for sipping coffee and surfing the web. They’ll also have space for meetings but this one has none of that. It’s kind of a stripped down Panera. Still, the food was good, ready quickly and service was quick and friendly.

Finally, the Apopka Panera is a reality! For those of us who take up residence in Apopka, this has been a long time coming. The sign displaying that they were coming soon had been on the roadside for what felt like an eternity. I’d say the opening was a smashing success. I decided to wait until dinner, as the lines on opening morning wrapped around the building.
I went in with an open mind, knowing that this is opening week, and my expectations were met. Although wait times were a bit long for Panera, the food was still as I have grown accustomed to with other locations, and all the employees seemed happy to be there. This is a big step up from the chain restaurant wasteland that is currently residing in Apopka (Burger King, Popeyes, KFC, Taco Bell, etc.), as at least we have a place that makes fresh bread daily.
As for the drive thru concept, I didn’t know how that would work with a restaurant that has this vast menu, but they pulled it off quite well. If there is any complaint here, it is that they might be over compensating for the drive thru right now, as the inside service might tend to suffer a bit. Overall, it is great to have a Panera out here, and hopefully this will show how other restaurants do not need to fear heading over to Apopka as well.