Panera Bread

Rarely eat at Panera just get soup when I’m sick. Go buy some soup and I get moldy bread with it. They refunded my meal in store credit and that was it. No free dessert or something similar. Yeah because I want to eat again at a place that gave me moldy food.

Only one elderly lady was ahead of me. We were not immediately handled. Waited until the the customer in front of me was acknowledged and her order taken. Waited and watched at staff standing, talking and laughing in kitchen which is open sight of the front counter. As the lady in front of me finished I was finally acknowledged by another employee and placed my order. Breakfast sandwich, chocolate pastry and crappy iced coffee. About $ 10.50.
They took my name and I went to the back and waited for my name to be called. I filled my iced coffee. I waited and waited. I saw a bag on the counter. I saw the kitchen staff dancing. I waited some more. There was another woman also waiting for her order. A staff member walked around to the front side of the waiting area, picked up the bag and said my name. I said thank you and wondered aloud to her when they were going to call my name. She said she was sorry.
I sit down and look at my receipt and compared the price $ 10.50 to the amount of time I spent in this exercise, equates to about a dollar a minute of wait time.
I opened my bag and there was no chocolate pastry. I walked back to the front counter and asked the woman who took my order what are they doing? She looked at my receipt, kept it, and apologized saying it was her fault.
I am more accommodating when it’s hectic. But with seemingly only one or two ahead of me in the queue, chained with the talking, dancing and incomplete order fulfillment, this Panera is not worth your time or money IF this is their standard operating habits. I have only been here three times, the other two times when it was hectic. But seriously – a 3 line order and I get that much hassle and annoyance?
Ask yourselves: What are *you* willing to pay for? If it’s for this service and then you are more tolerant than me.

The food is fresh and scrumptious. The service? Not so much. Be sure to check your order, before you leave the counter!

Tried this panera again… Bad choice. Still morons who can’t get an order right. Charged for cream of chicken, receipt say cream of chicken, but got chicken noodle soup:(really disappointed

What happen??? The menu has changed and all my favorites are gone. I had a steak panini and I didn’t get enough steak to see let alone eat! I could not see any cheese, I know it was melted but that usually leaves a trace! My husband had the turkey sandwich and he had one slice of turkey and one slice of cheese. No mayo or any type of dressing was included. So sad to see a place we loved go downhill. I won’t be back.

Kinda expensive for lukewarm food. Got the pick two Mac and cheese and frontega chicken sandwich. They taste pretty okay room temp but I can only imagine how my hot sandwich and pasta would taste hot…13 bucks unfortunately wasted

I only go to Panara for the coffee, I absolutely love the hazelnut coffee. Once in a awhile I will get their bagels as they are good. I don’t care for the soups or sandwiches.

Love this location! Redesigned — they have the self order kiosk and table runners (essentially people who run the food out to you vs. you going up). My order has always been right and I am a picky order“er”.
Thank you! You make my dinners so much easier!

Way to go elmhurst location… this particular panera location deserves recognition… i frequent other locations but this one stands out which is why i felt compelled to leave a review! its not a one time experience i frequent here for lunch and its consistent with fast good service, easy pick up, and the staff are all hard working and kind!

Give Panera a lot of credit for keeping their menu fresh, with new items throughout the year. The food is good. The core team at this Panera location has been here for years. They are wonderfully friendly and welcoming, and greet their recurring customers personally. On the downside, the recent format change to be pick-​up, take-​out, restaurant-​style service is causing longer waits and incorrect orders. The multi-​service expansion may be more than they can chew.

Great service at this Panera! Boy are the people nice! At first the bagel that was given to me was wrong, but I wasn’t gonna complain, it wasn’t a big deal! But after the employee realized the mistake and brought me my actual bagel and I got to eat both of them.
Then I loved those bagels so much that I asked the employee if I could sample some of the others. He preceeded to give me over 5 different bagel samples, for FREE! I could’ve hung out in that Panera for the entire day! I will definitely return! Hopefully to sample all the soups :)

I generally like Panera-​a lot. Today’s visit to my local Panera changed that, however. I ordered a salad I’ve ordered at countless Panera restaurants around the country, and was told it was no longer on the menu. When I asked if there was anything similar, the clerk went to ask someone and lo and behold the salad I originally requested was in fact available. But that was nothing compared to how I received my order. I had requested my meal to-​go and stood by the «window» to await its arrival. The girl who completed my order literally threw it on the bar and walked away. She didn’t call my name or acknowledge my presence in any manner. Keep in mind this was approximately 2 p.m., and the restaurant was not busy. I’ll continue to eat at Panera, just not the one in Elmhurst IL.

Bagels are good. I am not really a fan of panera bread food. I’m have tried it a few times and it just seems overpriced for what you are getting. I get bagels frequently though!

Horrible service! I was waiting in line behind a lady. the cashier finished with her and asked can I help who’s next. so I walk up to the register. the cashier proceeded to take care the lady behind me with the manager standing 5 feet away I look at them both dumbstruck that they did not help me. the lady behind me said did I cut in front of you? and I said no apparently I don’t exist so I’m gonna go and stand in the 10 person long line and maybe then I’ll get some service
I finally after waiting in the other line (btw several other people were helped in my former line) got some service from the other cashier. I have never been so poorly treated in my life. Corporate will be notified!

Panera is delicious. I’ve never had a bad experience there but man oh ma does it get busy at this location. There is sometimes not enough space to get around to the tables. Anyway, the food is always on point. I especially love their broccoli cheddar soup! The bread bowls are to die for! Perfect on a winter day! The bacon turkey bravo is my second favorite and it goes just great with any soup.
You can also add a dollar to your order to get a bakery item. It’s not a lot to choose from but what they have is splendid. I recommend the chocolate chip cookie. If you obtain a Panera rewards card, you can receive points for free items after awhile. It’s great!

This is a bad Panera. I consistently have problems at this location. Ultimately, you have to point fingers to the store manager because he is the one responsible for the day-​to-​day operations and the conduct of his staff. I spent 1−½ hours here last week (meeting up with a friend who missed her train from downtown). Here goes:
1. This place is dirty. I often have to find someone to clean tables even at off-​times (like 4 P. M). Last time there were lemons on the floor next to the drink and condiment station. Mens bathroom always has urine on the floor and is in need of a deep cleaning. This store does not stay on top of maintaining the café area. The areas by garbage cans are stacked sky-​high with dirty dishes. Nobody seeps or vacuums and there are crumbs and garbage under tables.
2. Staff are unfriendly and incompetent. People at the counter never engage in small-​talk or wish you a nice day. They often do not say, «thank you.» They get my orders wrong (like leaving off pepperonchinis on my Greek salad or putting onions on something when I request that they don’t). One young man was clueless making change at the register: my bill was $ 6.11 and I handed him a $ 10, a $ 1, and 26 cents. He counted my money and told me I had too much and proceeded to hand me back the $ 1 bill and the penny! Seriously!!!
3. The counter is illogically laid out (bakery area with registers on one side and then around the corner are other registers in front of the lunch and dinner menu board). When I come here late afternoon or evening, staff are using only the registers in the bakery area. The problem here is you cannot see the soup/​salad/​sandwich menu from the bakery side and you have to get out of line and walk around the corner to read the sign. This often results in the person waiting in line behind you moving ahead and them trying to place their order. The set-​up is confusing and twice I have had conflicts with customers because they accused me of cutting in front of them in line.
4. This location runs out ordinary items. Last time I got a U Pick 2 (at 4:00 P. M) and they were out the soup that I wanted AND they did not have the focaccia bread for my Frontega Chicken Panini. Other times we’ve been given some oddball rolls with our salads because they’ve run out of the normal rolls.
I continue to visit this Panera because I like the food and its location. But I dread going here each time because of all of the problems I’ve had.

Sometimes on your lunchbreak – if you’re feeling daring – you try something new, on a whim, and discover a terrific dish that you wouldn’t have otherwise gotten.
Other times, you get the southwest chicken flatbread at Panera. In the words of the knight from Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade, «I chose… poorly.»
Before I go on a hilarious rant, I will say that this Panera was clean, well-​run, and overall not a bad spot. The value for the money was ‘eh’, but I understand that Panera prides itself on quality over being inexpensive, so I wasn’t too off-​put by the tab. I couldn’t decide on a sandwich selection, so I asked a cashier what they’d recommend. She said «well, the southwest chicken flatbread is really popular», and that was good enough reason for me.
And so marks the last time I take their suggestion. Why it was so popular, I haven’t the slightest idea, and here’s why: it looked like someone shat on a pita and tried to cover it up with coleslaw. Small pieces of chicken were held hostage amongst a murky bean paste and crunchy dressed-cabbage…I had to do considerable digging to find my chicken bits.
From what I could tell, the mystery blackish paste were thrice-​refried beans that were pureed, incinerated, then aggressively pooped out onto my sandwich. The flavors clashed all over the place, and after just a few bites I tossed it in the garbage. I literally could not handle eating anymore of that flatbread abomination, it was just too awful.
Horrendous sandwich choice aside, their broccoli cheese soup was awesome. Really awesome. Thick and extra cheesy, with plenty of the good parts of broccoli (not all that stem crap that so many places try to get away with). If the flatbread was a 1, the soup was a 5; split the difference, and that’s where the 3* comes from.
Once again, this Panera isn’t a bad joint at all. I just can’t in good conscience recommend the southwest chicken flatbread to anyone – man, woman, child, household pet, or malnourished zoo animal.

What I don’t understand about Panera is how the food sounds so healthy, but when you look up the calories or fat grams they’re really high. Also, I was complaining to my family and friends that the food rarely tastes as good as it sounds. However, I was pleasantly surprised during the last visit. I had the new BBQ Chicken Flatbread and it actually tasted pretty good. Good job Panera! I would order it again.
As of this writing there are ninety-​six restaurants in Elmhurst. I plan on eating at, and reviewing, every one. Follow me on Unilocal

I like coffee. I don’t like Panera’s clientele. I got cut in line… TWICE. Yes, soup in a bread bowl. I am more of a fan of their secret menu WHAT UP POWER BREAKFAST?!

I don’t like Panera.
That’s what was going through my head as I stopped there this morning. And truthfully, I’ve never really had what I considered a satisfying meal there. It seems overpriced for what you get, and everything that is supposed to be homemade seems very mechanical to me.
Mind you, I’ve never been in the kitchen, I don’t know how much of the food is pre-​prepared and/​or pumped with chemicals. But since they’re such a large chain and the food is identical from location to location I get the feeling that things aren’t as fresh and healthy as they’d like me to believe.
Now, if this was a single artisan location, I’d probably love it. But it’s not. So there.
I only come here when I have to, or when someone else wants to. And this morning I literally looked in my fridge and pantry and there was NOTHING there that seemed remotely edible. We didn’t get to grocery shopping this past weekend, and I kind of predicted that this would happen.
Anyway, after much rumbling of my stomach this morning I decided to stop here because it’s right around the corner from my office, seemed more logical than stopping at McDonalds and is easier than running into a grocery store. That’s my logic and I’m sticking to it.
I ordered a breakfast sandwich on an asiago cheese bagel. For $ 4 that seems like a decent deal, and compared to a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin, which seems to shrink a little each time I get one, I thought I’d done pretty well.
I am overwhelmed each time I visit Panera because their menu is large enough to be released in volumes. I never feel like I have enough time to make a decision and I never seem satisfied with what I get. There are literally 5 boards to choose from just for the lunch options, and another 5 or so for the breakfast/​bakery counter.
There was no line so the woman asked me about 3 lines if she could help the «next person» while I stared zombie-​like at their massive menu.
Then I ordered. And waited, and waited and waited some more. Then I waited. The buzzer they gave me never went off. Finally the woman I ordered from came over to me and asked if I hadn’t received my sandwich yet. I hadn’t.
Turned out it had been sitting on the counter and nobody bothered to buzz me.
It was also nuclear flaming hot as a result of being pressed in a panini maker.
But y’know what? The sandwich was good. I liked it and I’d order it again. So I’m conflicted. I am clearly anti-​Panera, but I enjoyed my breakfast today. I’m going to go 3 stars. There’s definitely things I don’t like, but there are also things I like as well. Please give them a try and make your own informed decision.