Panera Bread

It was a cold December night, 7:40 pm. Just left an extended day of work and I hadn’t eaten all day. Hadn’t had Panera in years, and decided to pause, sit down, and recalibrate with some comfort food before the 3 hour drive home. I really love tomato basil chicken and really wanted to love the Toasted Frontega Chicken Sandwich. The menu photo, description, and ingredients looked amazing. The first photo is what I ordered. The second is what I got. I’d ordered the full size sandwich and paid for that but what I got was smaller than half a Subway sandwich (which comes with a drink and chips or a cookie for $7). I’d ordered the (full size) sandwich and water. It automatically came with a small bag of chips; no cookie. As you can see it was mostly bread with a small slice of tomato, a couple of rings of onion, few crumbs of basil (not leaves or a shmeer of pesto) and what little “pulled chicken” was there didn’t even cover the bread…which, even in its diminutive capacity, was clearly the majority of the sandwich I got…for $16. And…as I ate my very small meal, I could see the 2 young guys in the kitchen laughing and chowing down as the very friendly and welcoming cashier attended to dining room cleanliness. Now I remember why my last visit to Panera was so long ago. This isn’t a sit-down cafe where $16 for a sandwich served to you at your table would be normal. It’s an “order at the counter, wait for your number to be called” establishment, and sadly, a decade later, the quality and portioning still miss the mark for the money we spend when we could get a large fast food meal that fills you up for the same cost. I wanted to enjoy my first visit back to Panera in a decade, but next time I’m hungry for something after work that’s not a burger, I’m going to a local place with waitstaff, or a fast food joint like Subway, the Asian teddy bear place, or several others where I can get a full size sandwich with layered ingredients that fully cover the bread, plus a drink and cookies, or a piping hot, full plate of fresh hot food for the same price (or less) as what amounted to a disappointing 1/3 of a sandwich with a cup of cold water at Panera.

I love their broccoli 🥦 cheddar soup but their prices are getting expensive. Last time I dined in I saw a cockroach curled up at the entrance, this was months ago who knows if it has changed but it made me feel sick after I just finished eating there.

It is great store and delicius food. The staff provides excellent service and is friendly. I have been here for 3 years and I am glad I got to know these people. I love panera bread

Ordered a simple meal and ended up not even getting one of my deserts that I payed for and got overcharged for a bunch of stuff I never got, like 2 French bag sides but I got 1, and again the missing chocolate croissant, and the cashier needs to learn to speak up I can't hear a damn thing he says, and make sure that the name matches, I'm sure Tamara wasn't my cashier as it was a visible male, I'm disappointed in the 40$ worth of food I didn't get, very bad experience, seems fun to work there and be lazy but not fun as a customer. Be careful what days you go and what time, Thursday night shift is lazy from what I see.

This place is a complete mess, and the management is the main reason why. The managers don’t want to work. They stand around and push everything onto employees unless it’s convenient for them to suddenly step in usually only when a customer is being rude, not when actual help or leadership is needed. Most of the time, employees are left to figure things out on their own while management does nothing productive.Always thing one manager going to the bathroom all the time doing who knows gods what she very short big built The store itself is dirty. Tables aren’t cleaned, the drink station is gross, and the whole place feels neglected. Meanwhile, employees are often grouped up talking in the back while the floor is clearly understaffed which again falls back on management for not running the store properly. One manager always looks extremely stressed but somehow never actually fixes anything. Just pacing, hovering, and adding tension without solving problems. The general manager is openly rude to employees I’ve personally seen her yelling at one of them when coming into the store. As a customer, that’s uncomfortable and unprofessional to witness. Honestly, I don’t understand how this location is still open. The lack of leadership, cleanliness, and basic respect is alarming. It also makes you wonder what goes on behind closed doors if this is what customers can already see. Until management changes, I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone.

The place needs to be cleaned a bit more as every seat was dirty but they were also busy so it might be just that the people eating there were really messy? The food ordered was what we wanted, and came out quickly. I ordered the fuji apple chicken salad and my boyfriend ordered a chicken sandwich.

Really bad experience and won't be coming back, even though the food was mostly good. The cashier kept asking over and over to clarify what we wanted, and she still charged us wrong. (Also, no prices on the receipt?) We asked for the You Pick 2, Mac and Cheese and Tomato Soup. She charged them separately with a baguette on both. It was very odd and very expensive. The portions were incredibly small on the soup and Mac and cheese. My boyfriend got the fuji apple salad and the teriyaki broccoli bowl as a You Pick 2, both very large portions. Every table was dirty. There were dishes piled up at the trash cans. The floor was covered in crumbs. There had to be 7 employees there at least, all standing around in the kitchen and not working on the front that really needed attention. Very disappointed.

I ordered the harvest medley salad with chicken. To my dismay rather than the grilled white chicken breast normally get on their other salads, this was rib dark meat. It tasted salty and like over processed chicken. For the money it was awful. I liked the rest of the salad and will ask for grilled chicken the next time. My partner had their Chicken salad sandwich on xtra toasted sourdough which is his favorite.

Excellent sandwiches, salads & soups. Nice atmosphere with outdoor seating. Good bread that they use & also, sell by the loaf. Really professional service.

Very disappointed Order new chicken salad not much chicken salad Or walnuts or cranberries Turkey Bravo ok Not much turkey 2 sandwiches $27 Not going back Ever don't mind price but put something on it!!!

Good fresh food at decent prices. Pleasant clean surroundings inside and outside the restaurant.

Came in with my family letty has very good customer service skills very respectful knows the menu very well Good job letty soup was great

My daughter and I are regulars here. She loves the Mac n Cheese and chips, and I like that it is so easy to customize your salads here. The service here is great, they are all very friendly and they never take long to make the food. It can get busy, but never an issue here.

I Didn't Have Time To Make Myself lunch Today So I Stopped By One Of My Favorite Spots! I love how you can do 2 by 2. The Caesar Salad & Chicken Chipotle Avo Sandwich Are My Favorite. I like that they have a drive thru & the employees were kind. Thankfully there was no long line when I got there.

First time at a Panera Bread . Someone gave me a gift card as a present. The receptionist/ order taker was friendly and personable. She explained what was on the warm taco salad and another salad that I a was thinking of getting. It took a long time for the salad to arrive although there were no pickups on by order and no other customers. The cooks were just standing around. I was shocked by the small size of the large salad at $14.96! The baguette piece was about 4 inches long and not too fresh, no butter, no salsa. Won't be returning.

I have never been to this particular Panera before, and didn't even know it was here. It's literally right off the freeway! Lol funny enough there's two other coffee shops in this plaza as well! Lol I was really happy to see my favorite pre-pandemic pastry, the cherry and cheese danish, so I had to buy one of those!! It was over four dollars!! Crazy but at least I have my coffee subscription so at least I got a free iced coffee well, granted I pay for a monthly subscription. Lol whatever! The pastry was delicious and reminded me of the pre-pandemic days. Lol. Inside the seating/lobby area of the café. It was really nice and open! I could totally see myself doing homework or work here if I needed to they were really nice comfortable booths and people were sitting eating their lunch. Will definitely come back.

$10 for a 12 oz smoothie. This place wont stay in business with these prices. Jamba juice smoothies for $10 are more than double the size.

If I could get the store six stars by 100% would. I'm a regular first member, but not to regulars where they know me super well, however, everyone is always super kind specifically the individual to work nice because usually when I get my food. The lady I had at the window was super sweet tonight. She my day after a long workday stuck driving in the rain. Plus the food was great!

I am 75 years old, not typically absent minded. I am retired from an engineering position of 41 years and currently writing a book. I leave my home 3 days a week to work on my book and regularly carry a laptop computer, an iPad, and an iPhone. Yesterday I went to the Panera on Hopper in Santa Rosa, CA. Sat and worked on my laptop for 3 hours. When I arrive home I couldn't find my iPad. Thought I left it in my car didn't get concerned. Later in the evening I started looking for the iPad checking my car and computer bag. No luck. Contacted the manager at Panera to check their lost and found. No luck. Certain I had left it there I showed up this morning. No luck but got lucky. Their staff showed me how to find my iPad from my iPhone. It indicated the iPad was at my home. Found it. Thank you to the management and staff for resolution of my fearful issue with professionalism and patience. They have healthy food and excellent staff.

Avg , not same as 2008 ! Lower standard! I worked there then and see the quality in California isn't same as Florida. The displays are cheap and overall it's a cheap out to eat !

Ordered 2 sandwiches from the Alameda location. I picked them up, went home and found that they only got one sandwich right, they replaced one of our sandwiches with a random sandwich. Both were terrible. Both bread sandwiches with hardly anything inside. I would never go back to this place. You shouldn't either. We all deserve better.

My husband and I had lunch at Panera Bread. The sandwiches were so fresh and delicious. The cashier was very kind and efficient. I wish we had a Panera Bread in our town!

Food - their menu is diverse and inclusive of different needs. Portions don't always match cost, unfortunately. The broccoli Mac n cheese was just ok. The broccoli was a little mushy and not many pieces. The sauce was on the liquid side and the taste was bland, almost like a box meal. Service - we ordered from the kiosk. No one welcomed as you walk in. It wasn't until half way through our order did someone ask if we wanted to order. Ambiance - it wasn't very busy and no one was in line that the restaurant should be clean. There were booths that needed tending to, the floors needed a vacuuming. It was just an ok visit

The food is overpriced cafeteria food. They got my order wrong and they ask for a tip at the drive thru. They point blank ask if I want to tip them and proceed to look me in the eye and hand me my order that's incorrect. Like bruh. Don't be evil

Panera is always a great pick for a quick & tasty lunch! I love ordering ahead using their app, very easy to order & makes for quick lunch pick ups. The restaurant is clean & service has always been friendly!

Be ready to be price-gouged! I ordered a "pick 2" salad and sandwich with a drink. My order was $25! The salad, although it was labeled as Chicken Greens with Grains, contained only two small lumps of chicken and not many grains. Though the staff is very nice, the time you have to wait for food and the amount you have to pay, I know that was my last visit. Panera is going downhill. I see why so many of its locations are filing for bankruptcy; no one wants to pay those kinds of prices.

Well it's a darn shame this place is getting such bad reviews. I went there today for the first time but I had been to a Panera in another town. They have lots of options for fresh yummy salads sandwiches. Place was clean ordered had my pickup order in about 2 minutes. Not sure why people think it's so bad but I thought it was excellent I had a chicken Caesar salad a half portion and it was plenty I hope people have a better experience in the future

I rarely eat at Panera and decided yesterday morning to see what they had for breakfast. I was super excited to see that they had avocado toast (as I wanted something light). I ordered through the drive-thru and took it home to eat. The picture below is exactly what I got and how it was presented when I opened the box. I always thought Panera offered a higher quality of food than most fast food restaurants. This has shown me that it is not true and not sure I would give it another chance.

Came this morning to get breakfast after working a long shift in the hospital all night. My food wasn't ready just yet as I was early and I had no problem waiting. The worker ( I apologize for misspelling) yalsen was absolutely amazing !! Loved her positive energetic attitude and for my wait I got a cookie ! Really made my day so thank you!!!

Ordered a grilled cheese sandwich , order of Mac and cheese for later. My sandwich came with potato chips. It was good with fresh bread. I also got a Madagascar cold coffee. Also very yummy. Service they drive thru was quick. The ambiance of the staff was cheerful great ambiance. Prices were pretty high. But my craving was more than I can handle

I ordered a half sandwich today, the Chicken Bacon Rancher. It was 80% bread, very hard to enjoy the sandwich with so much bread to meat ratio. I brought it home, so I tried to doctor it up with lettuce and tomato, but the bread was so dry.

Im really disappointed. I ordered a Greek Salad to go so I didn't notice until I got to work in SF that its missing half the ingredients. No tomatoes, no feta , etc. Here is a picture of what I got. Im really disappointed. It was my go to stop for dinner when i cant cook for myself

Food and service awesome love the turkey sandwich with broccoli soup wowza!!! Love love panera

Service was great but yikes this place is awful. Ordered two grilled cheese (very small) and two small orders of Mac and cheese, again super small serving. My total was over $40.00 without a beverage. The grilled cheese and Mac and cheese were both flavorless and cold even thou I attempted to eat them right away. The grilled cheese I was able to eat only because I was starving but the Mac and cheese was not edible. Definitely save your time and money. I can't see how this place is popular.

Best Crew and Fastest Service I ever experienced! And the food is my favorite! A really fast drive thru and a clean relaxing atmosphere inside the restaurant.

I first started going to Panera while I was working in Washington State. I loved the food and the pick up service. I'm now on an assignment in Santa Rosa so I thought it would be a good gamble. Well, it was. Same delicious food, same friendly service. The Teriyaki Chicken and the warm bowls with chicken are my faves. I really like the chicken salad sandwiches but they pack a lot of calories so I don't get them as often. But I was pleased to know that Panera is pretty reliable. They occasionally run out of arugula or cucumbers near the end of the day but that's no big deal. The food is tasty and filling. I didn't go inside but the lady at the drive through sported a genuine warm smile and chatted briefly after she handed me my order (which was on time).

Ordered a sandwich and Mac&Cheese through delivery service. Got the sandwich, then got a bag full of loose bread loafs and random butter and utensils all mixed together. Hopefully the pic I attached goes through...

You gotta be kidding me with these small portions of mediocre soup for $10! Not worth it.

Toasted cheese was cold and not toasted. Just bread and cold melted cheese. Mango smoothie is very sour. Latte is just coffee and milk and the grossest I've had. Through that out. The bagel was supposed to be sliced and toasted but it was neither so it was just a cold hard bagel .... That was not eaten. It was crazy expensive and we didn't eat any of it. What a waste.

I'll say, overall, I've been perfectly happy with my orders from Panera. It's not something I order when I want delicious food, and I think it's a little overpriced for what it is. But it's consistent, and pleases a large group of people. There's always something for everyone which I appreciate. Also, never order a cookie or dessert item if you're ordering through a delivery app, you will 98% of the time get something other than what you ordered. Usually, not a huge deal, but if you're ordering for kids that can be an issue.

always my go to for to go breakfast before I head out for a walk. I like the sandwiches and blueberry scones. Sandwiches are a bit pricey though but the taste was worth it.

I want to start this review by stating that the girl who served me in the drivethrough was lovely and I enjoyed our interaction. The issue I have been having with Panera is the food. I used to be a big fan but in the last two years or so thigns have gone way downill. My salads have had old, limp lettuce and the chicken on them is slimy and rubbery. I atually picked out every piece of chicken from my salad yesterday because it did not smell or taste right. I do not plan to eat here again in the future, it's pricy and the quality is not up to par.

Pecan Braids are the best!! They are one of my favorite treats paired with their hazelnut coffee.

We ordered deliveries twice this week for corporate events--both times items were missing and individual items were incorrect. For the second order not only were individual sandwich items incorrect, an entire bag of salads was not delivered, however one salad was delivered so it's not like they didn't know salads were attached to the order. Additionally, none of the dressings are labeled and they all come in a separate container. There were also only about six napkins included for an order for about 18 people. What?! The only reason any stars are given is the breads are fantastic. Perhaps they should just try to be a bakery?

The food is always good here. The service is always friendly, and the prices are always fair. Not to mention you don't have to wait too long for the food. I tried several things here and have never had a complaint. My favorite pastry is the chocolate croissant. Not only do they sprinkle it with powdered sugar and a chocolate glaze but they make sure that the inside is filled with chocolate. A lot of places I go to for chocolate croissants barely put any chocolate in the ones that they make. The chocolate croissant is also very flaky, and very delicious.

This location on Hopper Ave in Santa Rosa has great food, friendly staff and is always clean. Service is quick and precise. For breakfast I usually get the sausage, egg and cheese on Asiago bagel. For a treat, I get the chocolate croissant. You must ask them to heat it up. It's so good! The soufflés are another of my favorites. The Napa almond chicken salad sandwich with broccoli cheese soup is my go to lunch. You really can't go wrong.

Let's not get crazy, it is a chain...but I am a fan. During the summer, I signed up for Panera's free coffee program. Needless to say, I have taken full advantage of their free coffee program. Their coffee is pretty good. I was a regular at the other chain across the street, but I haven't been there in ages. Since this restaurant opened after COVID, I have yet to go inside. All my (and my families) orders are made via the Panera app. When I go (nearly ever day), I do the rapid pick up. Unless they're busy, my wait isn't more than a couple of minutes. I feel like all the staff knows me by now...not sure if that's a good thing or not. Staff is always extremely friendly. On occasion, we also order food. Their sandwiches, soup and salads are good. I can't complain. Other notes. I live close by, so this doesn't pertain to me but it's conveniently located off 101. If you're traveling southbound the off/on ramps are adjacent to the restaurant. The app works great, and you occasionally get perks.

Because I live so close, I joined their coffee club. My stars are based on that experience alone. I will admit, I have probably been 30+ times in the last two months. I'm absolutely hooked to iced coffee in the afternoon. :) I do rapid pick up most times unless there is no line in the drive-through. I am always pleasantly greeted and the time it takes simply depends on how busy they are. I have never waited more than five minutes. I need to start learning names because I'm definitely a regular. The coffee chain across the street is a thing of my past for as long as Panera remains.

I ordered take out and the bread was really fresh and soft. I did not care of the Thai soup but the chicken noodle my kids loved.

I ordered the soup/Mac and salad combo. Their chicken Cesar salad is the best salad I had ever had. Their Mac and cheese is delicious, it's super thick and cheesy.

Pretty disappointed in this 1/2 sandwich. For apparent reasons. Stick to the soups I guess.

Horrible service and long wait (as other customers stated). Expensive and small portions of soup. Ordered a $8 chicken noodle soup and requested more because the bowl had 3 pieces of chicken and a couple noodle piece. The rude girl cook in back said sorry there's nothing I can do. SMH. This how is the kind of food and portions Panera serve?! Lost my appetite and got a refund. Will not be returning here! One star for overall experience but 5 star for Bernie (cashier) who was excellent!

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!

Well, the food was ok. BUT, everyone in the back that was preparing the food had long hair, NO hairnets. One guy with long hair I was watching even had his long hair touch the food he was preparing!!!! Violation ??!!! There were big fat flies flying around the dining area landing on peoples food. Also, 3 separate people here had dogs in the restaurant, one of which was standing on the table. 3 stars for the food, -000 stars for the cleanliness and food safety violations . Grossssss.

If you are pretending to be somewhat health conscious and decide to pick up something here, do not have their Grill Mac and Cheese sandwich. It has all the carbs you'll need for life. Instead, I had the classic whole grilled cheese sandwich with a few less carbs. It came with a bag of chips which added more carbs to my daily intake. I'm a grilled cheese-holic and I know a good grilled cheese. This one wasn't one of them. One side was well toasted while the other side wasn't toasted at all. Who knows how they prepare it. I was given "your food is ready rattler" and waited for the rattle. It was less than five minutes before the rattler went off, I got up from the table and got my food. I find it interesting that when you pay for your food the scanner asks if you want to leave a tip. A tip for what? I never saw an employee after the masked girl took my order...

Updated review after a superb breakfast a few years ago. This review is for the Napa Chicken salad sandwich and turkey chili. I just got home from traveling this past week as my girlfriend picked me up from the airport. She had to get back to work and I was hungry. No cooking this evening. Takeout? Drive Thru? How about Panera? OK! Absolutely terrible! I ordered the Napa Chicken salad sandwich...No pickle! No chips! No Napa Chicken salad! I paid for a lettuce sandwich! BS! I couldn't find the chicken salad...wait...a spoonful? Turkey chili? Best to open a can at home as this was exactly that...Canned chili warmed up with a piece of baguette and two little squares of butter packs. I paid with a tip $25 for can chili and a lettuce sandwich...LOL...At least the bread was fresh and decent. I write this because the last time (a couple months) I was here they forgot my green smoothie that was paid for too. Don't get me wrong...The young staff working here are truly friendly and seemingly great kids...However...I am paying for the food. Never again! They always seem to forget something that was ordered. Thank goodness Jersey Mike's is opening up next door! That's where I will be spending my money on sandwiches and quick meals. Adios Panera! You lost me!

Mediocre establishment. Probably came 4 times to give things a chance because it's the only location near me, but it's horrible lol.