Panera Bread

I love panera bread and have been to many different locations but by far the worst experience I’ve ever encountered. I went to this one for my lunch break and usually at panera bread you get your food within 5 – 7 minutes mainly why I chose panera bread but I was waiting for 30 minutes! It was ridiculous, they made no effort in trying to look for my number, the lady dropping off food to tables saw I had been waiting for awhile she knew I ordered food and I think should’ve asked. What’s the point of giving a buzzer for? Ridiculous. First and last time going there

Good food at a good price. It’s best to pre-​order your food if you’re in a hurry and want your food to go, as it can get crowded and preparers are laid back. Nice place to go and leisurely eat in. Love the Cobb Salad and the fact that you can substitute steak for the chicken for variety for only $ 1 more. The French onion soup can be a bit salty if you don’t purchase it early in the day, as I have found that taste varies; however, overall all the soups, sandwiches, breads, salads… Everything is very good.

Great every time!
Staff is very friendly and food always good!
I go there often and was always happy with the food and staff is very friendly!

I learn something new every time I enter a different Panera Bread! This location has a modified table service. You can order at the register, the self-​pay iPad kiosks, or at the table using the mobile app. They are also using a table tracker location technology, so the servers know where to deliver your food. I’m so excited about all the new changes and new ways I can now order my Fuji Apple Chicken Salad. Keep it coming.

By far the biggest Panera I have ever been to. I mean come on! They have a drive through and provide table service. Say WHAT?!
Décor is same as all the others. Ambience seems more welcoming to individuals studying than others I have visited. Then again, it’s a lot of space for those studying and those dining to sit in unison and in peace. Feeling chilli?! Sit by the fire place.
I’m currently here on a Wednesday night and they are out of the French baguette and of course I’m disappointment. What starch am I suppose to pair with my starch drenched in cheese? life goes on
The place closes in about forty minutes so the staff is highly focused on cleaning and ending the night but the table service makes up for it. Table service is assisted by the pagers, they are used by trackers for the serves. Just an FYI so instead of hawking the counter waiting for your food. You start your Unilocal review and wait for it to be served.

THEY SUCK they don’t warm up bagels for some odd reason, they don’t know how to turn off their own damn fans, they didn’t put whipped cream on my frozen caramel or caramel sauce and when I got it back it was fucking melted I sipped it like water instead of a frozen beverage this place is God awful

I can only comment on my two Rapid Pickup visits. This place irritates me.
My first visit I ordered a regular sized plain Caesar salad but opted for kale instead of romaine lettuce. When I received the order more than half the salad was romaine and sprinkled on top to hide the fact was kale. That’s extremely dishonest and ridiculous.
My second visit I ordered a Pick two — Half Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich and again, half Caesar salad. I again, asked for no romaine and opted for a mix of kale and spinach. What I received was half of a half salad. It was extremely disappointing. I also added avocado for a $ 1.00 more. I found that ¹⁄₈^th of an avocado slice at the very bottom of the box. I feel completely taken and that I wasted my money. Nearly $ 5.00 for a salad I could spill into the palm of my hand and eat in one bite.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

I have frequented this location about once every month or 2 since they opened. I never thought about writing a Unilocal review because I consider it a fast food place (it’s like writing a review for McDonald’s or Chipotle or Wendy’s). But after seeing its rating and reading others reviews I felt compelled to do this place some justice. This is a newer, unique restaurant concept (fast casual) that I don’t think people are keeping in mind when reviewing. What McDonald’s/Chipotle offers free wifi and outlets that allow you to stay for hours? What McDonald’s has a fireplace and seating options that allow for more privacy? I recently visited and they replaced the tables and carpeting and now deliver your food to your table. What McDonald’s serves you your food? I have ordered food inside and from the drive in and have never once had my order made wrong. Is it the cleanest place on earth? No, but what McDonald’s is? You don’t go to Panera for an epic restaurant experience. You go for fast food, coffee, free wifi, outlets, and to be left alone to study or talk for a few hours. Nobody has said they got kicked out, nobody has said they were told they took too many refills. My experience with their food has been great. I’m not a vegetarian, but every visit I order their veggie sandwich. The bread is always soft, the veggies are fresh, it’s addictive! And we are always offered a free pastry which we take home for my dad. I go with my mom and we sit and talk for at least an hour. What McDonald’s/Chipotle would allow you that privacy? I’m only 31 but can already see how bad generational entitlement has become. Giving a one star rating because a place «doesn’t have enough outlets» is absurd.

The water from the soda machine tasted funny and the sandwich I received was the smallest of any I’ve ever received at the many paneras we’ve been to. both things seemed not to phase the staff who didn’t apologize and said «that’s how it always is»

I like this Panera the best — for me the food is always the same, more or less, whichever location you go to. I prefer this Panera because of the layout of the seating and tables. Compared to the closer location to my home (in Brunswick Square Mall), this is bigger, and also has more options for people who want more privacy and to be away from people (Granted you aren’t going during peak lunch or dinner hours). There’s plenty of booths, but almost quaint and quiet nooks and crannies of other tables, not to mention two additional seating areas on opposite sides of the restaurant, which I believe can be closed off if needed. I occasionally saw managers having meetings there or holding interviews.
Large parking lot too. Usually never have trouble finding a spot.
Free wifi.
Small bathroom — 2, maybe 3, stalls.
High turnover of staff who are comprised of young kids. Sometimes the managers here are obnoxious in how they talk to the young workers which is a bit of a turn off.

I use to love panera but I feel like it’s not worth it anyway. I got the pick two kale salad and turkey avocado Blt and I got it to go. I always feel like you get less food to go. It was way overpriced at 14. I opened the sandwich and was more of a lettuce sandwich then anything else and only one slice of avocado and sparse meat. Salad was ok but not 14 dollars worth!!! Sorry panera don’t think I’ll be back

I order a big kids grilled cheese in my you pick two and they gave me just a regular grilled cheese — I ask them to fix it and they added only a slice of bacon — when it should have three different cheeses and bacon — not this crap. It tasted awful.

This Panera is one of my favorites. Of course it has all the standard «You Pick 2», bagel, beverage, pastry options that others have, but the staff and set up really help make for a comfortable experience.
Employees: friendly. All of them. The person at the register offering recommendations and patience when you can’t make up your mind. The person building your order who makes sure they have your side of choice absolutely correct (wheat not white, apple vs chips). The person wiping tables and offering to bus away your finished tray. The manager who swings by to make sure you’re happy where you’re sitting. Thank you everyone — you’re wonderful.
I also like the structure of this Panera. It’s sub-​divided into three different areas which allows you the feeling of a Panera crowd, but also keeps things moderately quiet and reduces traffic. There’s a side room that’s walled off from the order counters, a main dining space in the center, and another side room twisted off the main center (terrible description, but you’ll get it when you see it).
The last few perks I’d call out is that coffee is always fresh, location is good for ducking off Route 1 or escaping Menlo Park Mall, and that patrons are typically friendly. A lot of people on laptops typing away and happy to share an outlet if you need one.

Drive-​through Orders are Almost Always Wrong
When the drive-​through first opened, it was excellent – fast, accurate, professional. For the past several months, however, service has degraded drastically. Orders are much more often wrong than right in at least one aspect. Today, my drinks were accurate but the breakfast sandwich was completely wrong – bacon and egg panini instead of the steak and egg bagel I ordered. Other times, the soup is the wrong type or sandwiches are dressed wrong. Unfortunately this means you have to physically inspect each item to find which one is wrong – because at least one of them is.
Some aspect of this «wrongness» seem to be deliberate cost-​savings efforts. Order chips as many times as you like with the Pick 2 – they are almost certainly going to give you bread instead. And recently, that bread has been a crappy dinner roll kind of thing instead of the nice baguette that is supposed to be Panera bread.
I like Panera food, and I love drive-​through convenience. It’s infuriating, though, to have to open every item in your order before pulling away from the window.

The location is at the awkward diagonal intersection of Rt. 1 and Parsonage Road, next to the Sonic’s. No matter what direction you’re coming from you’ll have to make an unregulated left turn to get into the parking lot, which is a pain during lunch rush or after-​work hours. Nevertheless, this location still seems to get a lot of traffic from locals and employees working in the Metropark area, which accounts for some of the reasons I will probably not be returning:
1. Noise level. The sound of silverware clanging against plates mixed with the unruly conversation from staff and customer alike (heard even during the end of lunch rush at 2:30 PM) makes this Panera less than ideal for anyone wishing to eat, study, or work in some semblance of peace. Unlike other Panera locations, this one has mostly open-​table seating and fewer booths, which make for little privacy and poor sound isolation. Unless you sit in one of the tables in the sunroom at the east end of building and wear noise-​isolating earbuds, expect to put up with the sounds and ambience of a busy café or diner.
2. Cleanliness. Tables have never been clean at any Panera I have ever been to, and this location is no different. I can clean up crumbs and spilled coffee on tables and vinyl seats myself, but sticky floors and counters in dining areas and restrooms are hallmarks of a McDonald’s or a Chuck E. Cheese’s.
3. Service. Interactions with store associates were relatively pleasant. However, all three varieties of unsweetened iced tea were unavailable during my visit, and even after asking a store associate to fresh the empty dispensers I had to wait an hour before I could drink anything other than coffee or soda. Wi-​fi was a bit patchy at times.

Good place for meeting and groups and studying but tables are often left dirty and don’t expect your order to be perfect most of the time.

Following the rule ‘If I become a duke, I have to write a review’ – so review for the Panera Edison. This is a very convenient location right off route 1 with plenty of parking. I tend to come here after work usually since it is on my way home – and has free wi-​fi and plenty of room to sit and work. The food is the same as any other Panera so I am not going to bother – and folks who works here are friendly and helpful. Compare to other Panera locations, this one is bit dirty (including bathrooms) but that is probably because It gets very busy. I am sure I will come here many more times to take advantage of the free wi-​fi while eating «healthy food». They do have a drive through window which is convenient for the morning coffee.

I used to love Panera but as someone else mentioned, they have got very sloppy. They make the most poorly constructed sandwich as it is always falling apart. I had the tuna today and the sparse amount of tuna wasn’t evenly properly spread in the bread. I once had a tomato and mozz sandwich and the tomato was only in one side of the sandwich. Sloppy Sloppy Sloppy.
I have always enjoyed their soups. My favorite is the tomato soup. But, at almost $ 10 for half of a sloppy sandwich and a small bowl of soup and having to clean up after myself… yes, that sorting of the tray items is a PITA (and I don’t mean bread), I might as well go to a local diner.

This Panera is one of my favorite locations in Edison. Think of it as your typical café, about on par in terms of quality, selection, ambiance, and price with Starbucks, Cosi, Au Bön Pain, and the like. It’s an excellent place to meet up with friends; drop in for a quick mid-​workday lunch; or camp out with your laptop and/​or books to get work done for a few hours.
The employees are great. This place can get busy from around 11:30am to 1:30pm on weekdays, but it’s still never taken me more than 5 – 10 minutes to place and receive my order in that time.
The food, I’d say, is above average and the pricing is pretty agreeable. My favorite go-​to is the «You Pick Two» option, which gives you the choice of two out of three from a half-​sandwich, salad, or cup of soup. I also like that the menu changes pretty frequently; each time I’m home from college there’s a few new offerings available.
My only complaint is that, as this place has gotten more popular, it seems like they’ve subtly started trying to limit people from using it as a workspace. While the staff won’t pay you any mind if you’re there for a while, the wi-​fi sometimes logs you out at 30-​minute intervals and they’ve closed off a lot of their electrical outlets in recent months.

A perfectly acceptable coffee/​bread/​sandwich shop.
In the old west the local saloon used to give cowboys the lay of the land. In this era of mocha sipping phone slingers coffee shops act as de facto cultural gathering places. I go to this spacious Panera to meet with other local board game enthusiast on a weekly basis. I know it isn’t robbing stage coaches, but times have changed a little. The food is always good and the menu changes with the seasons. It may be a little difficult to get in an out of this Panera on the weekend due to popularity and location, but as long as you can find an open hitching post a good time can be had.