PaneraCares

Best BreadCo around town! The staff are so nice and welcoming going to this breadco is so different than going to any other breadco. This location is a non-​profit version of Panera (aka: Bread Co.). The idea is that you pay what you feel you can afford for the meal. So if you are paying on card you simply just say the amount you wish to have charged or if you are paying by cash you just dump the money into the donation box.

The staff was so nice and the food was delicious! I hadn’t been there before and didn’t realize it was non-​profit until after I had ordered. I wasn’t paying attention. Left extra in the donation box and felt a bit better about cheating on my diet. (smiles)

I really like Panera, so when we happened upon this location I was quite interested. I had heard about the Panera Cares concept before and was intrigued to actually see it. We of course paid full price plus a little extra (the idea is that this place is a pay what you can so that others who cannot afford full price can pay less).
The food all met what I was expecting from Panera, but what struck me was the personable service that was provided (it helped that we had our 11 week old daughter with us) really made this visit quite pleasurable.

I love Panera… that’s an understatement. I would eat it every day if I could.
This location is awesome because it’s the community outreach location. If you want to know what that means, look it up. It’s a good thing. :)
I have been many times, and I will go many more times I’m sure.

This non-​profit version of Panera (St. Louis Bread Co.) is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. The idea is that you pay what you feel you can afford for the meal. They only ask that if you cannot afford to pay anything, you help wash dishes for an hour in exchange for a free dinner. The company hopes that enough people pay over the suggested amount to compensate for those who cannot afford to pay enough. I am surprised to see that enough people pay extra to keep the place running! I would have expected so many to abuse this system, but I guess the company must be doing really well!
Coming in, I was a little skeptical about how understanding they were. I was worried the workers may embarrass someone who could not afford to pay the full amount for their food, so I thought I’d give this place a little test. I ordered a panini, but only paid a couple of bucks to see if they would still let me have the food. Absolutely no snarky remarks, evil eyes, or glares. I was (and still am) so impressed with how accessible and considerate the workers were that I slipped in a much larger amount into the donation box before I left. This is definitely a place I will keep coming back to. I hope this concept continues to grow to more cities across the country.

Simply amazing.

While I wasn’t too thrilled to be selected as a juror and having to be at the courts all week, I was excited to see the concept behind this «Panera Cares» project at this Bread Co which is the only location in STL that is non-​profit.
Prices are the same, the food quality is the same. The way they check you out is quite different.
I handed the cashier my $ 5, she gives me back 4 $ 1s and 4 quarters. She then tells me to put into the box what I think I can afford for my meal. I give the full amount but knowing that if I ran out of coins or something, it would be okay.
I’m not sure how they work it with the credit card option. I do know you cannot use your panera card to redeem or receive points.
The staff was very attentive, almost too attentive asking each person if they were finished with their meals when there was food on the plate. Popular place crowds up pretty fast.
But all in all great program!

I wanted to stop and get a salad to take home for lunch one morning. i looked at my Unilocal app and saw that this was the nearest location. I had $ 2 off of a salad on my panera card. this location does not accept my Panera cards. this is why i took a star away. yes i am that petty sometime.
this location is a not for profit store. the counter guy said that you pay what you think you can afford. I am the kind of person that still pays full price and i even rounded up to help feed others. it is a good place.
I do wonder how many people will order $ 10 or more and tell them they can only afford $ 5 or less. I do know many people who would do that.
I think this is a good place and will return.

This bread company has gone completely non-​profit. I am so proud of them! I went in today and made sure to leave a little extra to maintain the balance for those who can afford to pay and those who cannot.
Great program!

Mmmm, a toasted Jalapeño Cheddar bagel with hummus. It looks like a plain bagel, but inside are finely chopped peppers and cheese. The pepper flavor wasn’t too hot, just enough to give it a really good flavor and leave a little tingle on my tongue. Probably one of my favorite savory bagels right now. My favorite sweet bagel is the Cinnamon Crunch.
While I was there picking up breakfast, I threw in my lunch order too. A BBQ chopped chicken salad, romaine lettuce, fire roasted corn & tri-​colored peppers, black beans, tortilla strips & BBQ ranch dressing, with a drizzle of BBQ sauce. It was all so good. I haven’t been grocery shopping in a while if you can’t tell, maybe I’ll be back for a panini for dinner? J/​K
The one thing I wish they had not change, is they no longer have cut up samples of day old bakery out. It was always nice to grab a sample on the way out, that’s how I discovered I like their sweet rolls.

In St. Louis, Panera Bread Co. is called The St. Louis Bread Co. Absolutely no one knows why.
St. Louis Bread Co./Panera has been experimenting with a new business model at the location in Clayton, MO. Basically it’s a pay-​what-​you-​want model in which the restaurant doesn’t charge you a price for any of their food but instead asks for «donations» and provides a recommended funding price for each item on the menu. It’s called St. Louis Bread Co. «Cares.» The thinking is that people who can afford to do so will pay the suggested funding price (or even more), which should make up for the people who eat but can’t afford the recommended price (e.g. The Noise FM). It’s also suggested that if you can’t pay for your food, you volunteer to work an hour in the kitchen. That didn’t happen. The Noise FM has enough trouble taking care of their own kitchen, let alone someone else’s.
If the whole St. Louis Bread Co. Cares concept sounds like some sort of utopian ideal or strange social experiment, you’d be right on both counts. We were obviously intrigued. This «pay-​what-​you-​want» business model appealed to The Noise FM as we didn’t actually «want» to pay anything and couldn’t «Care» less.
There’s always a catch though, and the folks at St. Louis Bread Co. Cares have mastered the art of the guilt trip. As soon as you walk through the door you’re given a speech on the importance of sharing, giving and donating for the good of the community. Donation boxes are placed strategically throughout the restaurant and employees constantly directed us toward them. It was almost as if they sensed we didn’t want to pay for our food. (They might have smelled it on us… it was day 8 of our tour, and we hadn’t bathed in over a week.)
Did we buckle under the weight of pressure? Did we give into our inherent sense of community good and self-​sacrifice? Did we donate, share and «care?» Hell no. We took that restaurant for all it was worth.
Austin ordered the «You Pick Two» Greek Salad and Roasted Red Pepper Panini with a cinnamon bagel for dessert. Of the meal, Austin says, «It was fine, but I think they forgot to put the meat on the Roasted Red Pepper Panini.» [EDITOR’S NOTE: the Roasted Red Pepper Panini is clearly labeled as a vegetarian selection on the menu].
Oliver dined on the chicken noodle soup and classic salad. We think he said «It was fine,» but he might have said, «It was alright.» A man of few words.
Alex went with the «You Pick Two» Tuna Sandwich and Caesar Salad and an orange scone for dessert.
On our way out the door we each took a bag of bagels and a heavier bag of guilt.
*Note that none of us ordered the more-​expensive «Signature Items» from the menu. We’re all for taking advantage of free food, but that would have been downright greedy.

Not really sure there is much to say in a negative light about Bread Co.
This location is the pay as you wish donation. I always pay my tab, but some folks can’t necessarily afford a $ 9 salad and soup.
I stopped in for a Red Velvet cookie, pretty tasty!

I recently started working in Clayton, but I had no idea where anything was or where to grab a bite for lunch. Then I found the Bread Co. It’s a perfect lunch place, where you can grab a good bite quickly. The Bread Co. has changed a lot over the years, and it just keeps getting better. I’m currently addicted to the chili. And I love this location. It is a nonprofit community café. You order and they tell you the suggested donation amount. You pay what you want or can. I first read about this idea a few years ago but hadn’t been to there until recently. I’ve been there 3 times now and have had the same cashier each time. Today when I went in, she greeted me by name with a big smile on her face. So nice! Also, they are on the ball here. People are always around to take your plate when you’re done. It’s only a block from the courthouse so, it can get packed on Mondays when they call juries, but they handle the rush well. And people are friendly enough to share tables because this location is seriously tiny. It sounds so cheesy but they call it a community café, and when you’re in there, they really make you feel like a part of a community because everyone is so friendly.

This location is unique in that it is a non-​profit. They give you a suggested total and you pay what you can.

Asiago Roast beef. French Onion Soup.
I miss you.
I’ll be home soon.

Oh asiago bagel, oh cheddar and cream broccoli soup of heart attack, I miss you so.

Same as panera everywhere else. Great food for decent prices. The only half-​way healthy «fastfood» place in the area.