Panera Bread

I have always enjoyed Panera when I get bagels and their salads. However, I ordered a breakfast sandwich with egg white and spinach and could not figure out why it had an odd texture… They failed to tell me the sausage is mixed into the egg white. I wasn’t sure what I was eating until I asked.

This panera bread location is always dirty inside, the sanitation score is not good, and they have messed up my order a few times. Some side items are often forgotten in a larger lunch order.
It’s always packed here during lunch, so maybe they don’t have enough employees to handle the usual lunch crowd. I don’t know. They need to get it together though. I generally like panera, but not this location.
I was given a fork with leftover food debris on it when I dined in once. Ew.
The last straw for me was when I was given a pickle that was so old it began to shrivel up like a prune. It had a dirt speck on it too.

My family absolutely loves Panera Bread. I’m not a huge fan. The sandwiches are fine. Soups are probably better. They should probably be tarred and feathered for how bad their sweet tea is.
Nice alternative to the normal fast food joints but just okay in my book.

When you’re on a road trip you want something fast and easy, and I personally would rather have Panera over other fast food options any day. I didn’t even know Panera advertised on road side business boards, heck we saw a billion Bojangles, Subways and Wendy’s signs and then suddenly a board with Panera?! It was around 5:30ish just before the dinner rush when we arrived. I had a big old salad with dried apples, nuts and cheese and my boyfriend had his favorite sandwich both of which were speedy and made well. I’d definitely stop here again, or at any Panera while on the road.

My family and I had breakfast. I had a whole grain bagel, egg and cheese. For a drink I had ice water. For some reason my sandwich had some burnt carbon on it, I told the manager and he got me a new one within minutes.

Panera is great for a quick lunch or a healthy dinner. I always get the ½ & ½ Sandwich, Soup or Salad combo. I’ve never been to Panera and waited more than 2 or 3 min for my food to be ready (which is how it should be). I visited 3 or maybe 4 times in my 2 ½ week stay in Clemmons for work. There was only once I walked in and waited about 5 min in line, every other time it was relatively quiet. Staff was pretty nice, young highschool and college kids it seemed. Overall they did a good job I think.
TIP**** Get the Strawberries and Crème or Orange Scone… ohhh so good, and not too sweet where you feel guilty afterwards haha

Clean, friendly staff, great place for kids. Panera is a chain and a solid one at that. They have healthy choices, calorie counts on the menu and fresh ingredients.

food is tasty, but portions could be bigger. service OK, but no standout eating location here. Try a smaller chain or non-​chain if you can find a good one.

We go to Panera Bread at least once a week and always have a good experience. Because the sandwiches are large, we usually order one sandwich, a bag of baked chips, one cookie and two drinks. A half sandwich is just right for two people who are trying to lose a few pounds. The first things you see when you walk into Panera are the baked goods, so passing up dessert is not a possibility for us. There is a good variety of sandwiches served on freshly baked bread of various types. The orders are prepared quickly, and the restaurant is comfortable, pleasant and clean. On many of our visits, the manager is visible, circulating among the diners to ask if everything is okay. We appreciate that.

This review could be titled «The Curse of Jimmy Hendrix.» When this location of Panera opened in Clemmons, NC, the food quality was high and the customer service was top notch. As I continued to go there, we noticed one of the employees that was already ready to help the customer and his name was Jimmy Hendrix — swear to God.
While Jimmy was there, service was always perfect. If you have read any of my other reviews, you will understand I don’t often say that. Jimmy spoiled me, he remembered my name and always gave valuable opinions of new menu items.
Then one day Jimmy was gone — Hell, most of the staff was replaced by Waffle House rejects. And with the exit of Jimmy Hendrix, so did their customer service and food quality.
These past few months, I have had nothing but shitty service and worse food from this location.
If you are familiar with Panera’s you will probably know they warn you ahead of time that the Crispani, a nice thin crust pizza, requires a 15 minute wait. After Jimmy Hendrix left, getting a Crispani become a nightmare riddled with frustration and a total disrespect for the customer.
The first Post-​Hendrix Crispani I ordered took an hour to prepare. After 40 minutes I got sick and tired of waiting for the thing so I started waiting near the counter to see how much longer it would be. Then I saw the guy (tall skinny white kid) who was making the Crispanis, in the back of the store with his pants below his ass, gangsta style while he was scratching his ass. Thankfully, he was gloved so he was saved the exposure to who knows what bacteria might have been growing back there. But my Crispani, I doubt it was blocked from such infestation.
My second Post-​Hendrix visit was still an abortion of epic proportions. The cashier had problems with every single customer that was standing in front of me and she took forever to get any order out. I finally got my call-​in bagel pack and left. When I get to the clients I learn that instead of whole wheat, they packed a full box of mochachip and instead of toasted, they were burnt in a way only the entirety of the Manhattan Project could have achieved.
The third Post-​Hendrix visit was another try at a Crispani and it took an hour for a 15 minute prep. No apology, no coupon — I was barely lucky to get the pizza. Also, this visit, they put the Crispanis in thin flimsy boxes that left my car seat greasy plus the pizza wasn’t cut, it was just thrown in. Fuck the customer, that must be their new motto.
The fourth Post-​Hendrix visit, tonight, was another trial of customer service. Up until this visit, Panera (in fact ALL Paneras) have a sign hanging where folks can queue that have called their food in. Most restaurants have this. Some will either direct you to the bar area or others have a similar sign for call-​in orders. The reason they do this is so the food for the call-​ins ordered will still be warm when the customer picks it up. So here I am tonight, under the same damn sign that I have used for months and I am totally ignored. There is a huge line with three other cashiers and no one seems to be able to get their order correct.
When I finally get the attention of an employee that has walked by — most just walked by as if I didn’t exist, maybe the entire staff is just deaf, when I ask about my order they tell me to get in line. I point out the sign and the new junior slacker says, «I never knew that was there» and he walks the fuck off.
Then I just go to the end of the line and wait and wait and wait and finally get to the front of the line and I see a guy, Chris, with a «manager» tag on his shirt (they have a new one ever time I go it seems). I call his attention to the sign and he too didn’t know it was there. I tell him the purpose of those sign and he tells me he can’t staff it. I tell him the small deli joint down the street manages to provide that level of customer service and I am sure he can also. He ignores me and hands me a coupon for another bagel pack.
I wonder if these too will be burnt?
I might add these visits were not at peak hours or when the high school football team just crashed in, nope. They were barely busy.