PaneraCares

I used to enjoy this restaurant occasionally. Once I applied for a job there. The manager insulted me repeatedly about my age. I never set foot in the place again. Good riddance to Panera Cares.

They have closed. They used to be great and I always felt good about helping others.

An ignominious end to a bad experiment!
Don’t understand why Panera was paying exorbitant rent to serve the needy while taking money from hard working customers who wanted a good meal in a safe and clean environment.

Looks like I was correct in my previous review. The place is closing at the end of the month. Posted sign says it’s due to increase in rent, but I am sure the lack of competent management and customer service all contributed to this closing. Wonder what will go into the space now. It is kind of sad that needy people will not have this resource anymore, due to the company’s rudeness to all customers.

This location was frequented by the Restaurant Grim Reaper of Chicago, and thusly, for better or for worse, it is closing. Announced today.

I went into this Panera Cares around six in the evening. I ate my food while reading from my Kindle. A man comes to my table and says, «Sir.» I didn’t look up because I thought he was a beggar. When the man didn’t move away I looked up and asked,
«what?» He answered, «we are closed!» Another man who had been sweeping the floor was staring me down with obvious seething hatred. He followed me out to the sidewalk and I thought he was going to attack me. I will never step foot in this Panera again. There is something evil about this place.

I can’t believe I haven’t reviewed this place.
I go here all the time before work and on days off to get a bacon, egg and cheese on cinnamon crunch bagel! its savory and sweet!
The staff is always friendly and explains the business model to newbies.
They implemented a new feature where you can just say «round up» to donate the change back on your receipt. They have boxes where you deposit what you want to pay.
Everything is generally very quick too.

I haven’t been to panera in a long time. And now I’m remembering why. I had modifications with my sandwich, given I don’t do dairy. And man oh man, I opened my sandwich when I got it & it was just sad. I didn’t ask for much– chicken, spinach & some condiments. So imagine my disappointment when I got this. Come on guys, you can do better. I did speak up because, for $ 11 I think it should be a bit better, that is my opinion.

I wasn’t too thrilled with the experience. I thought it felt more like finding out what I had in my pocket and then telling me what I can afford. No. Actually it was like that. The suggestion was asking me how much money I had and then telling me what I can get. I pretended to have a dollar. I was told I could get a cup of coffee. I would of went to McDonald’s. I actually had more money. Just testing the system to see how much crap big business can put forward. Wrote them they never get back. What is the loss of one customer for life?
Eat what you need. Pay what you can.

It’s a community restaurant.
So get ready to give back to the community.

I’m actually sad writing this post. I love the premise of this location but the service is horrendous. I ordered my gluten-​free salad with no bacon and donated more than what my meal cost. While waiting for my meal, I noticed that my receipt didn’t have an allergy notice or no bacon on it. I talked to one of the line cooks who had already made it. His response was, «now I have to throw perfectly good food away.» I’m sorry maybe if your co-​worker had noted my allergy, you wouldn’t have to throw food away. Give it to someone that is less fortunate. So the rude worker then places my bowl on the plate with my silverware. He places a baguette on the silverware. I asked him to take back the bread so they could save it and politely asked for new silverware. Needless to say that was offensive.
In the fantastic interaction with the line cooks, they took my receipt to verify the meal. I later went to use the restroom and wasn’t able to enter because I didn’t have a code from my receipt.
All in all I don’t know if it was the ignorance of the worker (s) or lack of training from management.
I’ll just save my panera cravings for my work location.

What an amazing idea! This spot helps give back to the community! They allow people the chance to work an hour or so in order to get a free meal. The staff that works full time are very upbeat and friendly. When you order they tell you the suggested price and you pay what you can afford or pat a little more to help out. They also have a table at the front where you can buy really good bread and bagels for a dollar.

I think this is the coolest idea ever. If you don’t know what this place is about, please go check it out! Basically they have «suggested» prices and you can add more if you’d like or if you’re hitting a hard time, you can pay less. I really thought this was awesome when they first explained it to me and it actually motivated me to come here more frequently. I don’t know how many people are actually not able to pay, considering this is kind of a nicer area, but I like that it gives people that option, just in case.
As for the food, it’s your basic Panera with sandwiches, soups, salads, etc. It’s the same as every other Panera, which I personally enjoy, so I like it. I felt like the servers were really nice and enjoyed working there, which always makes a dining experience that much better.

Loved it, love the concept. Will definitely be back.
I hope those that don’t like dining with ‘poor people’ move to the suburbs sooner rather than later.

Looking for a place to get a quick lunch and I turned to a familiar chain. I didn’t know anything about the «Panera Cares» concept until I walked in the door and read the signage. Great concept — there’s enough people wandering around Lincoln Park/​Lakeview willing to cough up money for all sorts of ridiculous things, and so many people willing to pay $ 3-​$ 5 to have something like a sprinkle of goat cheese or a couple of shrimp added to their salad. At least at this Panera your extra money is doing some good, and helping to pay for the lunch of someone who isn’t as fortunate as you, and doesn’t have that extra cash burning a hole in their pocket.
But if you don’t want to donate extra? Fine, then don’t. If you aren’t making a donation, and you aren’t needing a donation, then this is just another Panera. The prices are the same. The food is the same. Panera is one of those cookie cutter chains across America. I like it because the bread is fresh and they are one of the rare chain places that has vegetarian soup. So in this restaurant you might have to *gasp* sit in the same room as poor people. Well here’s a newsflash for you elitists out there — this is America, and you don’t get to choose who gets served by the restaurants you patronize. I was there at a busy lunch time, and the crowd didn’t look any different than any crowd at any fast food/​counter restaurant. In fact, the one thing I did notice is that the service was friendlier than nearly any chain restaurant I’ve eaten at. There was a greeter at the door, and another near the counter asking me if I was ready to order. The cashier and the person who gave me my food were full of smiles. And a manager came to check to make sure everything was okay. If it’s the «Panera Cares» concept that pushes staff to be extra friendly and helpful, I’m all for it.
I’m really appalled at the comments made by some of the other reviewers here. Believe it or not, as you walk around the world, you are constantly surrounded by people who may be poor, homeless, and hungry. But if your ignorant selves are so bothered by «knowing» that you are in a place with people who are poor, homeless, or hungry, then eat somewhere else, where you can blissfully pretend to be isolated from the problems that your neighbors face.

Panera is not my favorite restaurant, but it’s a fine place for someone like me who is on the go.
I wanted to go out of my way to review this place, because I love the «Panera Cares» concept. I ate there today, and it all went smoothly from the service to the food. I really thought that it felt communal too.
Yes, there are people from all walks of life, which I think is great. Call me a marxist, crazy, commie pinko queer, but I think that this is one of the best things I’ve seen in a while.
You privileged, ignorant self proclaimed 1%-ers sound like the biggest douche lords I’ve ever heard of.
If you have a good heart, and think that food is a right and not a privilege than spend your money here. I know so many that eat panera like me often because you’re on the go. Why not buy from a Panera that is doing good?

I’m chuckling at the 1 and 2-​star reviews by people who expect this to be a «regular Panera.» The whole point behind this place is that it’s a community-​supported café that is for the purpose of helping out those in need on a regular basis. Their money comes from people who donate above the recommended prices. Here’s the low down:
Yes, there are homeless people inside. If this offends you, you might not want to dine there.
Yes, there are people who are dirty and/​or socially awkward there. If you don’t like it, there’s a Potbelly’s across the street.
People are only allowed to have one, free entrée per week. They may, however, have a pastry and a beverage daily.
Donations and discounts have been fairly even at this location. Which is why they selected Lakeview over other areas — they knew, in this demographic, the give and take was likely to be even and they were right.
If you’re more interested in the quality of the café, here’s what you need to know:
The food is good and the service is very fast.
The staff is very friendly and extremely helpful.
The restaurant is clean.
The only negatives I can think of are that the bathrooms aren’t large enough (at least the women’s room isn’t) and it can sometimes get a little crowded in the main dining area. Other than those, two things, it’s a nice place with a good, community-​conscious concept.
Tada!

This location is one of the first Panera Cares businesses in the nation.
What is Panera Cares, you ask?
Take your average Panera Café, turn it into a not-​for-​profit café, place «Suggested Donation» above all the prices, tell your order to an employee, give the amount of money you are able to afford based on the suggested retail price. Give extra, give less, it’s up to you without eyes watching. This Panera remains «self-​sufficient» by those who are fortunate to donate, while giving an opportunity for the less fortunate to eat. With all this said, I have a few thoughts to share based on my visit:
–Cedric or another employee greets each customer asking if they know what Panera Cares is all about. Then there are flyers with facts about food insecurity (i.e. «1 in 4 U.S. children are struggling with food insecurity»). Seems a bit overwhelming but it gets the point across while not being overly pushy to over-​give. Yet it does make you feel a bit guilty into donating.
–A big plus is that I don’t have to worry about loose change in my pocket since I can just round up or down and give bills… or get rid of the spare change in my pocket. Money is money.
–I must say that Panera keeps it classy with the same great product, décor, and perks such as free WiFi and an outdoor patio.
–I feel like a better neighborhood for this establishment would be Uptown since there is a much higher percentage of public housing and food insecurity than Lakeview. I guess their explanation is that they need a neighborhood like Lakeview with deep pockets to give more so the doors to remain open.
–While there are some «odd» folks in the vicinity, nobody was too smelly or bothersome that I needed to avoid while eating my «Pick 2» lunch. This may come off wrong but it would be a plus if they provided an automatic hand sanitizer machine at the door. It is a known fact that those who are homeless or less fortunate have higher rates of infection due to their lack of access to healthcare.
–I absolutely loved the idea that near the entrance/​exit there are yesterday’s baked goods with a donation box.
All in all, I hope that this business idea is successful. Panera offered my suburban hometown a healthier option over all the fast food chains and I was thankful for that. I hope that now those who are unable to afford food other than Doritos and cherry pies have a healthy option. Hopefully those who are begging on the streets to buy a meal are getting fed and no longer need to beg to survive. As I have previously stated, I think most of these folks come from outside Lakeview which makes me continue to question its location. Stellar idea over all!

This location is now a Panera Cares, which is an incredible concept.
There are no set prices for anything, instead there are suggested donations. You pay what you can afford. If you cannot afford to pay anything, then they ask that you volunteer in their kitchens.

The people behind the counter seem genuinely friendly, and the food here is the same soup, sandwich, pastry menu you’d find at any Panera.
But the cliques of people who seem to inhabit this location are both fun and irritating at times. There are two, maybe three very distinct groups who hang out here at any given time:
1. The college grads and near-​grads who hijack every table in the restaurant, thinking that they’re still in college. Children, SPREAD OUT PAPERWORK, TEXTBOOKS AND LAPTOPS ON YOUR OWN DESKS AT HOME. PAY YOUR OWN WIRELESS-​DSL BILL. Stop camping out here for friggin’ hours with your text books and laptops. Panera Bread is NOT A STUDY HALL. Venture in here on a Saturday afternoon, and you’ll see a sea of laptops and half-​empty coffee cups.
2. The mid-​rise apartment building above the restaurant, and a few buildings nearby, are full of Refuseniks and old communists from former Soviet Bloc countries. You’ll know them because they’ll come in with their walkers, canes and order coffee. Then they’ll sit for hours, fall asleep and slump over in their chairs.
3. The old Lincoln Park guard. These folks remember when Lincoln Park was bohemian and tawdry during the 1970s. There are a few of them roaming around, and there’s a skinny older lady in particular who manages to get the exact same seat almost every time I see her in here. She has a certain faded glam look; I call her, Grizzabella the Glamour Cat. She’s actually pleasant.
I do have to write one thing that confirms what another reviewer wrote about: when I was there last weekend, I noticed a fly buzzing around and landing on some of the pastries. Do they realize what flies do to «eat» what they land on? Eww…