Andrew L.
Yelp
We decided to check out the new Panera location on Hopper, and let me tell you, they completely met my expectations! The low-quality Panera you may have remembered in such locations as Mendocino Avenue has been perfectly replicated just on the other side of the freeway.
The service I received was... paralleled entirely to service I've received at Panera in the past. I drove up to the "Rapid Pickup" lane where I just saw someone get handed food in their vehicle. The Panera employee delivering food cheerfully approached my vehicle and asked for my name. She said she'd bring my food out as soon as it was ready.
I ordered a decaf coffee and a bear claw. As it turns out, Panera makes everything from scratch in the back and grows the beans in their garden! Twenty minutes later, I was astonished their artisanal gods had not completed this hand-crafted order, so I went inside to check with their masterful employees as to the disposition of my order.
As I walk up to the counter, the employee who, minutes earlier greeted me at my car, had no idea who I was! The amnesia was impressive. I asked about my order and she honestly seemed to have no idea where it was.
So, she pulls out a bear claw and puts it in a bag, and hands me a coffee she retrieved from the back. As I am walking out the door, I spot my original order sitting on a tray that was likely supposed to have been ushered out to my vehicle some dozen minutes prior. Oops.
Two bear claws and two coffees in hand, I step into my vehicle. I took one sip of the coffee, got back out of the vehicle, and dumped out both coffees. For all of the astonishing work Panera put into the marketing tagline "See how we make the perfect cup," they didn't leave any money in the production budget for, you know, decent coffee. They must have been talking about the paper cup and not the coffee inside.
The bear claw was passable. Sort of.
For all intents and purposes, if you're considering a trip down memory lane - a visit to Panera for nostalgic purposes - you will find yourself in the comfort of crappy food and inconsistent service, as usual.
Cheers, Panera!