Panera Bread

I normally don’t review Panera’s. Starbucks, yes. Panera’s not so much. But this Panera offered such a unique experience that I had to inform the interwebs.
Usually a Panera will take your name and give you a buzzer and you will have to go back up to the counter after you pick a seat. This is an annoying practice if you are alone with your MacBook. But not at this Panera. In Highland Park, they give you a number and you go pick out a table. Someone then brings your food to you. Yea, you heard (err read) me correctly, you sit down and your food is brought to you. It’s pretty spectacular.
The only thing I really did not like about this location is that the seating area inside was so small. For a town that gets a lot of foot traffic and is laden with pricey restos, you’d think a fast casual chain would pick a bigger location.
All in all, a good experience. I’d definitely return.

I’ve been here plenty and only have great things to say about this Panera. Always clean and the food is on par to other Panera breads. One of the clerks is especially great, a man named Angel. He’s always helpful and he keeps the line moving.
It’s a nice location and the parking is almost always available.

It’s a recently opened Panera, so it’s exactly what you’d expect– good food, nice staff, but slow.
As someone who frequently gets Panera for lunch at work, I am happy that this Panera is already preparing all the dishes properly. In particular, the Mac n’ Cheese is very rich and creamy and the Tomato & Mozzarella panini has perfectly melted cheese without having soggy bread.
The only downside is they’re still a bit slow and sometimes don’t give you the right item. However, they are very friendly and always make it right, right away. I think once they’ve been around a few more months this could go up a star.

Ok, I guess they deserve some slack considering they just opened less than a week ago. But they are certainly experiencing some growing pains.
In just this first week I have been there three times. Service has been inconsistent at best. In particular the people taking the orders. One woman is great and really on her game. Another just isn’t quite there yet. For example, I ordered a bowl of soup. She said that I would like a dinner roll with it. I asked if there were other options, there were. Then she explained them to me. Meanwhile I overheard the other order taker just providing the options without prompting. Also, a smile wouldn’t kill her. When I ordered a hot drink from the same woman she didn’t explain where to pick it up, It isn’t clear and she didn’t give me a pager (not that the pagers work, mine didn’t!). Then I waited a very long time for one hot drink. They need to rethink how they fill the orders. A hot drink (even specialty) should be a quick in and out. One shouldn’t have to wait behind all the sandwich and salad orders. The people assigned to clean up the dining areas are really good. Very on top of things.
Speaking of the dining area. It is really small. With everyone wanting to try the new place in town you can’t find a seat. Plus there isn’t a lot of good seating. Only two booths in the whole place. Maybe it will be cozier when they put the double sided fireplace on in the winter. Here’s hoping!