Panera Bread

If I can give this place, no stars I would, but unfortunately, you have to put something here in order to write a review. I purchased something from this store on October 30 and everything wasn’t cooked. It seemed as if it was warmed up in the microwave. My soup was congealed as a solid as if it was just oil.. I contacted them regarding this they gave me rewards. I ordered it again on the 31st. I was violently ill Stomach bug in the hospital couldn’t keep anything down. I contacted them again and they refused to give my money… because credits but the food made me sick. Anyways I beg you guys do not eat from this location they are aware of the situation and isn’t taking the matter seriously about my illness .

Let me tell you, I used to be a 20-year Starbucks drinker. I worshipped the line, the ritual, the name scrawled on the cup. But lately? Walking into a Starbucks feels dead: 90% takeout, minimal people sitting, minimal chatter, that third-place energy gone. Meanwhile, Panera is doing something smart. Really smart. It’s not just food, it’s strategy. Paul Carbone (yes, the CFO now steering Panera Brands) isn’t tinkering around. He’s helping reinvent Panera into what Starbucks used to be: a place you go to stay, to work, to mix with others, to linger over a cup. With over 57% of Panera’s sales now from ecommerce and the Unlimited Sip Club subscription model drawing in folks who used to drop $4–5 per drink elsewhere, Panera has pulled ahead. Let’s talk about that Sip Club: for about $10.99/month (now bumped to ~$14.99 in many places) you get nearly everything: hot or iced coffee, teas, fountain drinks, Charged Lemonades, free refills while you’re in the café, drink every two hours. This isn’t just value for someone who wants a drink here and there — this is a power move to lock in daily habit. Students, freelancers, people with laptops — they show up more, they stay longer, they spend more. Contrast that with Starbucks under Brian Niccol. He walked in, saw what’s happening: falling same-store sales, stores with dwindling in-person crowd. He’s trying with his “Back to Starbucks” turnaround: store closures, job cuts, simplifying the menu, re-investing in the café experience. But he’s got a steep hill. The cracks are there. The momentum is with value and habit, and when customers can get more for less and an environment that invites them to stay, that’s a powerful one-two punch. So yes — Panera has won me over. If you asked me six months ago: I’m Starbucks all the way. Now? I hit Panera every day. Sip Club is unbeatable. Quantity. Quality. Ambiance. And people are flocking back in. Starbucks might still dominate in brand recognition, but Panera is quietly taking back territory: the territory of the lingering, the working, the connecting. If you're a coffee drinker, if you're someone who wants more than just “grab and go,” Panera is the new Starbucks you wished Starbucks still was — and seeing more and more places follow that model

We ordered 2 baguettes and they were terrible. Corn chowder soup was good, but the Smokey Buffalo Chicken baguette had very little chicken. There was barely enough for 1/4 of the sandwich. I usually like Pampers Bread but this was a bad experience.

This place looks poorly attended. It’s always something missing like coffee, hot water, coffee lids, brown sugar or cream. Many times few items missing at the same time. Coffee is cold most of the times. If you ask staff about those they give you attitudes. This place is not clean, nice and friendly like it used to be. :((

I typically order the warm bowl from the store at the mall and the quality is much better and you get a larger serving. I just got my dinner there and my bowl was tossed in the bag. The ingredients where all over the place and it barely had enough food to the point where I couldn't see the hummus that should have been in there. So I asked for it, because the last time at this location, it was forgotten. So I opened the bowl and realized a dab was in there but because there was barely any food in there I could not tell. At the mall location, the bowl is full and you can tell there's hummus there because it's pressing on the top. The lady offered me some extra and I refused because she was trying to convince me that the bowl there and the bowl at the mall are the same, I'm like I'm the consumer, I should know when there's a difference in quality. The only advantage here is the dining space, it's much larger than at the mall. Definitely better quality and service at the mall as well. Update: After consuming the bowl I had to go take some left over antibiotics because both my tonsils began hurting after I ate. You go figure...dirty food does that. $20 wasted, to think I even tipped on a takeout order, just to have this experience. I will never be going back to any Panera

It used to be a great place. Last time we went there was no one to take your order, and the food did not agree with me. The staff is very unfriendly. Would not eat there again.

I would highly recommend this location the cashier Javin was highly attentive also recommend what was good to eat. He was welcoming and polite as well as patient.

I ordered food from Panera and it’s said it was gonna come like at 6 o’clock to 630 and that was OK I’m waiting like 20 30 minutes and it hasn’t updated the time and it’s past the time that says it’s gonna be and it says preparing the food so I was gonna call Panera , but then as I was about to do that the DoorDasher texted me and said oh order is taking a long time so I said OK. Can you ask them how long it’s gonna take. they didn’t respond and it said that the DoorDash was named Mary so im thinking its a woman right? then I’m waiting and I’m waiting and then I see the doordasher left OK and then the DoorDash is lost. I don’t even know where they are and I’m looking around for the car and I sent a picture of my location to say oh this is where you’re you’re supposed to come then I see them turned down the road and it shows they’re on a bicycle. I thought It just said that. But I didn’t know because I don’t usually order from Panera itself. I usually do DoorDash so then they’re going the opposite way. I called them three times. They don’t pick up. I texted them. I say you’re going the wrong way and then he finally gets here. It’s a guy, not a girl and I was like oh! I was so shocked I could not believe it it was a guy bc it said Mary not a guys name and he was on a actual bicycle but it said that he was going a different way because it put my location down the road and put the building next to me way down the road so I thought that he was going away from me, but really like he was coming closer to me and his was messed up too so like I don’t even know what’s going on It didn’t even let me rate the experience but if I did, I was gonna put it on one star because that really was a one star experience. Don’t order delivery from here unless you get it straight from DoorDash it sucks and they need to do a better job and my food was cold.

I've gone to this location 2 times and it's always been for to go pastries. The customer service has been adequate. The food has been good/standard to the chain's quality. The ambiance at this Panera throws me off. It feels gloomy and not so welcoming . I'm not sure if it's poor lightning or not as many windows but I don't find it inviting to dine in.

Service here has never been good but 2 of the girls working there with curly black hair (one with blond highlights who spoke Spanish) are racist. I went during a non-busy late afternoon. My drink was missing from my order - typical for this location - so I asked the worker to hand me a cup. Should've taken 2 seconds, I saw later that they were right there. One of the girls looks straight at me, clearly having heard me, and walks away. Again, it isn't busy. The other worker (blond highlights girl) dilly dallies for half a minute before giving me a cup then is politely acknowledging the white lady behind me.

If you haven't had their mac & cheese, you are missing out The service is good and comes out very fast. Clean place.

I wanted something light to eat since I was at work. I ordered a bowl of Turkey Chilly to go. It was very tasty and flavorful. I think they put garbanzo beans in it which made it taste delicious. The serving was just enough for one person and it was very filling. This is always my go to if I want something not to heavy but hearty while I'm at work.

I have to say since they remodeled they went up on prices and the service is really lacking, I went there a lot but now I am not. They need do something or else

Food was good, and there is plenty of indoor/outdoor seating. Plenty of parking. The location looks a little sad though - seems like the staff didn't care too much about being there. My name was called, I picked up my order, told the guy "Thank you" and he just looked at me and kept working.

This store is run so poorly that the last three times I tried to go there. I didn't get what I wanted or I didn't get anything at all. I am in the process of awaiting refund for the food they did not prepare today and I don't ever plan to go back to Panera.

Ordered a small mac&cheese for it to be delivered with it being a. 1/4 of the cup full with about 5 noodles in it and it being all cheese for how much it was that's not even a toddler size portion that's rediculase, called to complain lady told me she'd give me a refund and then hung up on me

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Went in for lunch yesterday because my wife wanted to see if they still had a seasonal strawberry salad she likes...they didn't We stay and order lunch...both getting their Get 2 promo. I order soup and a sandwich. My wife says Why did you get a sandwich?? Don't you remember last time. Oh, yeah...that was when I opened up an alleged ham sandwich to find literally a single thin slice of ham. Yesterday's chicken salad sandwich lived up to Panera standards....contained about one tablespoon of chicken salad. NEVER AGAIN.

amazing service especially Omar at the font. The service had gotten amazing over the past few years. Also it's very clean

I went to review this and noticed the low stars! I've only had one bad experience here (they didn't make my mobile order and couldn't find it even though it was paid for reason for four stars and not five). However, the other times I have visited, the staff were wonderful and helpful. The food was hot and delicious, and the dining area was always clean. If all the other times weren't great, I would make this three stars. However, the staff always go above and beyond. I truly believe that one day was just off.

It is very clean inside and there are plenty of places to sit. I liked it better than the one in Hamden. The staff seems OK. It doesn't have an inviting atmosphere in the sense that, at least when I went, nobody greets you or anything. And it gets crowded, same as the one in Hamden though as I said I prefer this one. The setup is different and it feels more like a traditional eatery. They have soups and sandwiches and when I have gone to Panera I usually get a grilled cheese. The bathroom is very clean too I must say. I am not really a Panera fan but I was impressed with this one.

I went to Panera yesterday the guy at the register was digging around in the trash can looking for something . He then took my order handed me two coffee cups with his dirty filthy hands that just came out of the trash . I mentioned it to him and he just gave me a stupid look . I watch him for the next hour and he never did washed his hand . Disgusting filthy place and employees . The counter person handed me two more cups id she didn't I would have asked for my money back. WTH

A bit conflicted on this review. First of all the restaurant is very nicely furnished and the decor is pleasing. I ordered the autumn squash soup and it was delicious. The issue I had was with the sandwich. It seems like they barely put any meat in it. I ordered the Cubano and unfortunately it seemed like they left most of the meat in Cuba. How disappointing after having such a good bowl of soup. In addition the prices are just absolutely outrageous. 2 sandwiches, soup and a small Mac n cheese=$32.00 and then there is barely any meat in the sandwich. Not good! Had the sandwich been decent then I would have given a better review but I could not bring myself to do it at this time.

I wish I could give negative stars, I will never order from this company ever again they can go eff themselves. Waiting 20 minutes for a curbside order the only reason I did curbside is because I had my dogs in the car and I didn't want any other social justice warriors in Fairfield to say something about leaving my dog in a car even if it's only for a couple of minutes. It was a goddamn bowl of soup and a goddamn bowl of macaroni and cheese how long can that take. When I called to cancel the order the so-called manager didn't even ask why I was canceling or what was going on they just said OK it's all set.

Really really bad... salad had completely frozen solid chicken. Ice cold to the touch. Showed the manager and he said "so what?". Unbelievable. This place needs a new manager and kitchen. Doesn't help that the manager is working in the kitchen and passing out frozen food to customers.

This review is during COVID-19. Although the staff wears a mask, hand sanitizer is located at the front entrance, and signs are posted where seating is available, and where you should be standing. I chose to dine in, and to my disappointment, many seats, tables and the sight of trash on the floor was very discouraging. Did I enjoy the food, I sure did. But to witness no one making an attempt to clean or check the conditions of the restaurant was frightening to say the least. I hope a manager reads this and act's quickly. I'm hoping to return to see improvements and change this review. Stay safe everyone!

Garbage, plain and simple. In the past I've occasionally gotten passable food here, but this time (9/2022) I ordered a Frontega chicken sandwich and Margarita pizza. The food was barely edible. The ingredients were thrown together with no real care, the food was cold ( even though I picked it up the minute it was ready), and it was bland and tasteless. I'm wondering if they hired kids to make the food. With a plethora of great pizza and sandwich places nearby, I'm kicking myself for going there. It's my last time. If a huge national chain can't produce a consistently high quality product, they should give up.

Panera Bread is a clean, spacious environment to eat and drink a small dinner or lunch. I found their prices steep for the portions they gave. A small mac n cheese was 3.99. It cost me $15 for me and a guest for a small bit of food. One thing I can say is that you can stay as long as you want if you desire to meet with someone and chat awhile. I spent about 1 and a 1/2 hours with my guests. It's not a place to eat every day. The prices are high, and the amount of food isn't enough.

Ok...this institution should get ZERO stars based on customer service alone. I don't care how food tastes, but if I feel disrespected by MANAGEMENT, then your restaurant is dead to me. On Tuesday to celebrate Nurse's Week the office I work for which is right down the road wanted to buy the staff Panera as a thank you. Now...we order from Panera often. That being said, we had a large order to place so one of our staff member tried to place the order online. The website continually rejected the order, first stating an order of $75 or more cannot be placed online. So they broke the order up into smaller amounts, still rejected. Mind you, this was trying to get done between patient's. Ok, so finally they placed the order over the phone. Perfect, all set. We sent an employee on their lunch break to pick it up. This is when this get hairy. She arrives, goes to the pick up window and does not see the food...so she waits. After a few minutes of waiting a staff member asks what she is waiting for. She states to pick up an order, she then said she could see it on the order screen...she pointed it out to the persons who put together the orders. Long story short...they tell her "the order was placed, but was never put through to be filled". She then had to wait...on her unpaid lunch break...for them to fill the orders. She finally arrives back to the office, but now it is change of shift, so a few of the people who had lunch ordered were leaving. They did not get their lunch and overall the entire thing was a disaster. I called their manager to seek some service recovery for the cluster of problems we faced. I informed the manager, I think his name was Savine? about our trouble how this was for a Nurse's Week celebration and due to the missteps a few of our nurses were not able to eat their food. He said, "It is not my fault the internet orders didn't work what do you want me to do about it". I reiterated the problem was that the telephone order was never put through to be filled. Again he said, "well what do you want me to do about it", I asked for a credit for next time or a refund. He said "No". I informed him the problem was a few of our staff members were not able to eat what was ordered due to the delays. He told me, the only way we can get a credit is if WE RETURN THE FOOD THAT WAS NOT EATEN. I honestly had to pick my jaw up off the floor. First of all...that is DISGUSTING. I don't care if they through it in the garbage, but all I can think of is them reusing the pre-made meals. As a healthcare worker I am absolutely appalled. Second of all, he had the worst attitude I have every experienced from someone in a management position. He was rude, condescending and downright mean about the entire situation. Obviously, I could not LEAVE MY PATIENT'S TO GO BRING BACK QUESTIONABLY PICKED AT FOOD FOR THEM TO POSSIBLY RE-USE. If you care about your safety, sanity or customer service...AVOID THIS PANERA AT ALL COSTS. Side note: my sister in law works for a school system and it is teacher appreciate week this week also, every day a different chain donated breakfast or lunch for the teachers. I said multiple times to the manager this meal was for nurse's week. I am not looking for a hand out, but even a "I'm sorry we disappointed you, but thank you for all you do, I cannot refund you". Nope...instead just had to deal with being insulted.

I have come here a couple times and the service hasn't been good. I got an iced coffee with no ice, and they also did not have any tops out that fit. Besides this location, I have found the staff to be helpful and upbeat at Panera.

The food really isn't the problem here. They are Panera... and Panera is pretty much standard no matter where you go. The staff is the real issue. I placed an order for three meals at the counter. She listened to the first two meals and then blanked out on the third one - I had to repeat it 3 times! Next, I specifically asked for no chicken on my salads. I don't like their chicken - to me, it's "fake" tasting (normal for a fast food restaurant). The guy put chicken on both salads, and then when I pointed it out to him - he yelled at the cashier for not notating "no chicken" on the receipt. I had the receipt in front of me which CLEARLY stated NO CHICKEN. I pointed that out to him, and he didn't know what to say then. He re-made the salads, and then slammed them down on my trays! "Oops, that slipped out of my hand" was his only excuse for his poor behavior. COME ON. Your food may be cheap... but I thought Panera had higher standards or service than this. I will be writing their corporate office to file a complaint as well. DO NOT go here. Not worth it.

Not sure why it has taken me so long to write a review, but here I go. This place has a special sauce and I like it. Their staff is TOP notch. Let me tell you a few examples. The weekday cashiers go out of their way to accommodate all allergies and special requests (calling out the weekday cashiers only because I never find myself here on the weekend), one cashier even helped me with the Panera app on my phone, another time a food prep gentleman was rudely approached by an angry woman in the middle of a rain showers to provide a towel to wipe off the outside chairs. He not only got a towel, but he went out and dried off those chairs himself with a genuine smile on his face. Kind, nice and hard-working people work here and serve good food that is a step above other locations. There's something about the food and people here that makes me come back all of the time.

This panera used to be good, they cut all their portions in half now and quality has worsened as well

Another good heathy salad from this chain restaurant group. The young lady that took my order(Asia) was friendly and polite. Furthermore the young man came over and took my dirty plate and napkins from my table. The associates at this location get 5 stars in my book.

Bad manager in Fairfield, CT, very small portion 5,49 salad, the cashier doesn't use gloves to make drinks, workers talking to each other all the time when doing service, imagine a lot spit in the food. Workers sweeping when another ones prepare order. I very disappoint about that place...and still hungry. Let's go to another place for eat.

The place is very nice and clean! The kids high chair was being thoroughly cleaned by an employee while we were there The staff was super friendly and welcoming. Food was great as always. I will definitely come back

Good location friendly staff. ..... but you never know what you portion size will be..... salads can be small one day and normal the next ..... sandwich could be okay then next time you get the end of the loaf and thus a small sandwich. ...... side of bread could be 3 inches then next time 5 inches. ..... not very consistent. ....

Drove here from Stamford, because needed to get a bite to eat and work on some paperwork. Although Norwalk is close, it's waaayyyy to dirty for me. So since it was a really nice day today, I decided to make the drive here. Could have gone to Starbucks, but I was hungry for Panera. Since I regularly frequent Panera's across the U.S., I have to say I'm disappointed in this location. I had a really hard time locating outlets for my computer. When I asked the girl at the front counter, she replied that she had no idea and her mgr was in a meeting. Ok, so I'm done eating and walking out the door now.......probably won't be back again.

DOUBLE CHECK YOUR FOOD BEFORE YOU LEAVE. My girlfriend & I were literally the only people in the place and they messed up my order. All i wanted was a Caesar sandwich with no chicken. The cashier even read my order back to me but when I got home my sandwich had chicken on it. Its shredded so i cant even salvage the sandwich. The 2 people behind the counter were extremely preoccupied with their own conversation while making my food. Plus there was a hair on the side of my lemonade that definitely wasn't mine.

Order is incorrect more often than not. I do online ordering so I know it is written down properly. However the food is still good, and a healthy choice so I will be back again.

Ok, this place messes up food and orders every time!! I hate this place!! I showed the person at the register my order on my phone. I was charged for it. My daughter opens the "to go" order a half hour later and items are missing. It happens to often Panera to be a mistake or coincidence! It is called "shorting" the order. Stealing is the other name for it. Don't go to this place. There are plenty of other restaurants on Black Rock that have better food and give u what u pay for!!

Lousy! Rude employee when ordering, not friendly and didn't look me in the eye. Food was just thrown together and no forks given for salad. When I looked for plastic ware the fork container was empty. I asked the same employee who took my order for a fork and she said she'd find me one and walked away. I proceeded to watch her check on the coffee and then help another customer before she handed me 4 forks. I realized when I put my tray away why I wasn't given a fork, the dirty dishes and silverware looked like they hadn't been picked up in hours. I love Panera and frequented them all the way down the east coast on a road trip, this location was by far the worst.

I'd give this a zero if I could ! I just picked up a Thai chicken salad to go . Got all the way home. There is not even 1 piece of Chicken In it and the lettuce is soggy. I will never go to the Fairfield Panera again. Obviously there is no quality control. It was not at all busy so no excuse

This location is pretty huge and overall has lots of options available, even right before closing time. The crew last night was friendly and helpful. I ordered half a bacon turkey bravo and a cup of chicken noodle soup. The soup was pure salt and I'm assuming that because it was almost closing time, the soup was all stock, very little chicken or noodles. It was a total let down and shouldn't have been served. Meh.

Came here for a Girl Scout meeting. There was ample seating and the good was ready very quickly! My garden veggie soup was awesome, but my dessert wasn't great :( the cinnamon roll was dry.

Panera deserves 5 stars. Best fast food available.

I've ordered to-go from this Panera at least 2-3 times a week for the last few months. Out of my numerous orders, they've only messed up twice. Both times, I contacted Panera directly and they gave me a free meal voucher. I think it's better if you order online when you're making modifications to the menu items; the staff just seem to fizzle out when it gets busy.

We recd a 20 gift card here, the first visit was ok, two smoothies and a small mac cheese for 13.70, a little pricey. Upon return to use up 6.30, we ordered a small chicken ravioli deal, lg mac cheese, frozen caramel, and a water. 25.00 later we were served the togo order via an individual who was chewing the whole time he prepped our order. He neglected to include our quarter cup of soup and the amount of chicken served with the over cooked ravioli was abt an eighth of a really dry over cooked cx breast. The girl who took our order was sweet, but what I guess was the manager, was kind of creepy and phony friendly. He stood at the soda fountain and drank three or four cups of soda from a tiny cup. It was pretty gross that he kept returning the cup he drank from, back to the machine over and over right in front of us.

I was excited to go since they introduced the clean menu. On Monday the cashier was very nice and didn't get annoyed at all that it was taking me forever to read the menu. I got two sandwich halfs. The turkey blt was good but seemed skimpy although for the price I guess it was a good value. The Italian was amazing and the best sandwich I've ever had. Only thing wrong and it's not worth complaining about but it shows a real lack of detail is that the bread pieces were facing different ways. The cut side needs to be on the same side as the other pieces cut side and the uncut ends need to match up. Sandwiches made in a sandwich shop especially need to be made in a specific way for uniformity. I figured that was a one time error so I went back on Tuesday for another Italian because it was so good. This time, however, there was a hard non food chunk in it that could have cracked my tooth. Luckily I caught it but I will never go back to this location and probably not another Panera ever. I went to another location a few months ago and they were extremely careful about my gluten free request but it seems they're only making cosmetic changes to accommodate the latest diet buzzwords (gluten free, clean eating) to make more money but as far as food preparation McDonald's has them beat by a mile.

This is a really nice Panera. It's quick and the food is great. I enjoy coming here. It's a big, nice building. I feel like it's never empty nor too crowded. However, this place Isn't perfect. They always get the order wrong! It's extremely annoying. I can't remember the last time they got it right (because it probably never happened). With that said, if you tell them they will give you a free desert usually or some sort of discount.

The staff is horrible here. They clearly don't want to be in customer service and it shows. I received cold food (it was supposed to be hot) and the cashier actually pointed to the microwave and told me to warm it up. I will never go back to this location.

I get take out here occasionally on my work lunch break. The place is usually crowded when I go and the cashiers have always been friendly and quick. My order has always been filled quickly and accurately with proper utensils and napkins.

Yuck, yuck, and more yuck. It's a college town so I guess those kids have to go somewhere like this. The two stars are for having some organic items for kids and great desserts but the food is no better than diner food. The bread soup bowls are the only things worth going for but loaded with calories and fat.

This location is lacking in quality of their food service. The atmosphere was maintained well and the staff was friendly, but it seems they don't put the same effort into preparing their food as other locations do (Shelton and Southbury are sooo much better). Our son ordered a peanut butter & jelly sandwich, which literally looked like they applied an "essence" of both jelly and PB...seriously ridiculous. I had to actually open the sandwich because I thought they had simply jammed two pieces of bread together. I ordered the BBQ Chicken salad which I had tried for the first time at the Shelton location, this too was lacking in the quantity of goodies within the salad. If I hadn't tried this salad at a quality location previously, I never would order it again. I like having Panera as an alternative to McDonalds and other fast food establishments in this area, but I will be steering clear of this location for a while. Hopefully, they will get their act together soon.

Food is great and healthy. Jessica, weekdays, and Little Laura, Sundays, provide exceptional customer service!

I really like Panera's food, but the service at this particular location isn't so great. They've gotten my order wrong 3 times recently, and not just minor mistakes. I'm talking about forgetting the noodles in my soba noodle bowl, forgetting the chicken in my salad, and giving me a completely different soup than what I ordered.

My husband and I made a second trip to Panera bread ( The first visit was good but for the very wilted small salads) The second trip was a disaster. They packed the soup sideways in the bag, and my husbands vegetarian sandwich was absolutely pathetic. It consisted of two small slices of tomato, one very wilted piece of lettuce, two tiny slices of cucumber, and what appeared to be a very small teaspoon of feta cheese and it all came in Two small slices of soaking wet bread! We had to toss it out! Also the staff got a bit surly when we asked for a freshly made salad as the salads the day before were very wilted. The staff appears to not care less whether or not you are getting what you pay for. Stick with the bakery items and don't waste your time or money on these poorly prepared meals. Awful.

love the mac & cheese :) and frontega chicken panini. great for a quick cheap bite to eat that's not McD's.