Panera Bread
reviews and complaints

The website is really terrible, difficult to find and select the items to order, the website goes through a buffering process at every stage of accessing the menu, placing orders, finalizing orders, etc. so it takes much longer than with other vendor websites, yesterday the website was down for hours so I couldn't cancel and order and when it finally came back up it didn't recognize my credentials, credentials I've used for years with Panera, so I still couldn't cancel the order or place a new order. Their IT department is really awful, but apparently their top management doesn't realize it. The food is good and the service at local Panera stores is good, but their online functions are really awful.

As a regular customer of Panera Bread, I have had a mixed experience with their offerings. While I enjoy their Broccoli Cheddar Soup and some of their salads, the service quality has been inconsistent. There have been instances where my orders took longer than expected, and the food did not meet my expectations. Despite the convenience of their menu options, the overall experience has left me feeling uncertain about returning. Panera Bread has the potential to improve by focusing on customer service and maintaining food quality standards.

Frederick is the manager at Panera at UTC, on Cattlemen Road, in Sarasota.
Frederick is the quintessential hands on Manger who in my opinion is on eof the best leaders I have seen for a long time.
Panera is lucky to have him. Also, of course the food and drinks, the service is top notch.
Well done Frederick.

Howard Jackson

Mike, at the Ren Cen (Detroit) location is beyond Phenomenal. He is always prompt with deliveries, friendly and when asked a question, is extremely knowledgeable about Panera Bread. Our office loves working with Mike. He is personable, patient and strives to demonstrate stellar service as an employee of Panera Bread. We Love Mike!

I am at Panera in Burlington, WA. Haven't been to Panera in a while. I did pick two; Mac and cheese and Fuji apple salad. Mac and cheese is as good as ever as a standard. The Fuji apple chicken salad was fantastic. Incredibly fresh ingredients. The apple chips had to be homemade. The Fuji apple dressing was excellent. Fantastic experience again. Love Panera!

New Tampa Panarea discriminated by giving a salad that was old and refused to refund our money. The GM then stated he didn't care and there was nothing he could do. Then the GM who took the phone call then lied about his role and slipped up by saying that his manager. We were totally confused. The service was terrible and the food looked old and like it was someone else's salad.

Recently I ordered food online for lunch at work from Panera Bread. It arrived very late and cold, so I reached out to a customer service representative. I was not disappointed when he met me with two free meal tickets and an apology. I love when a company shows you that you are valued as a customer. I can't wait to use these meal tickets because the food is very delicious when it is hot! :)

I was celebrating my birthday weekend and a co worker gave me a Panera Bread gift card so after an appointment i had in Bellmore NY i decided to have lunch at the location on merrick road and what an amazing service i received from the front registrar but i want to mention an extraordinary young man at pick up by the name of Charleston
What a wonderful example of customer service ever. It was my first experience at this location but it will not be my last i will tell my friends and family that just as i was treated they will absolutely feel the same and again Charleston even though it was very busy made me feel as though every question or request was important he was professional, polite and extremely patient just awesome that is why i gave them 5 stars

Darius is the new manager at the Panara bread on 98th & University.
I was sick and didn't want to expose myself by coming in to grab my food. Bc it was New Year's Day, I believe the drive thru was not an option so I called and they made an exception and brought my order to my car. Darius, the new manager, not sure if I am spelling his name correctly but would not take my card or payment for the meal. He just said it was free! And told me to have blessed day! Oh my word. That is a great way to start the new yr! Being sick over the holidays was a bummer, and I didn't have the strength to go to the store and buy ingredients and make chicken soup. But Darius gave me and my husband would needed dinner after work, two free meals, on the house! I'll be shopping at this particular Panara breads from now on! Bless you Darius!

Talk about amazing! I have ordered Panera Bread delivery for lunch at my work four times in the past two weeks! They have not disappointed! My lunch ALWAYS arrives BEFORE the estimated delivery time, it is FRESH, and EXACTLY how I want it, and the delivery drivers are always so professional, nice, helpful, and friendly. I've had two drivers serve me, and both offered coupons each time. The food is so delicious that I can't get enough of it! I've had the almond chicken salad sandwich, bagels and cream cheese, yogurt cup, frozen lemonade, Caesar chicken salad, broccoli cheddar soup, and frozen caramel. Everything has been so mouth-watering. When I order extra dressing, they give me extra. I ordered extra chicken on my salad, and there was literally almost too much chicken to eat! Just the way I like it! My Panera Bread store is located on 1922 Augusta St. Greenville, SC ***. The service, timeliness, cleanliness, deliciousness, and the experience is just out of this world! I am so impressed!

-Tiffany Smith

I bought a half of bacon, lettuce tomatoes, with a chicken sandwich, half of salad and 2 scones. The scones were very dry. I think the scones were a day old.

The sandwich had barely any chicken, maybe 3 bites, the salad had a teaspoon of the dressing 3 bites of chicken 3 bites of avocado. It was a disappointment.

The scones were great.

I don't think the meal was worth $22.00. I mean I could have gone somewhere else.

Went to Panera Bread around 7PM, with high expectations from their menu photos. What I got was less then half what the picture advertised. I went back to the counter to ask if the portions were correct and they did nothing. When i was returning to my table my wife saw the person I talked to shook his head as in disgust. This is the first and last time I will ever step in a Panera Bread restaurant. What a disappointment! What bad customer service.

Went to Panera Bread for breakfast on a Saturday morning. I was really craving their sausage, egg, cheese, and brioche sandwich, so we drove for 25 minutes to get there. However, when we arrived at 9:30, we were told that they were out of brioche. I was disappointed, but I decided to order a cinnamon crunch bagel with cream cheese instead. I watched the employee select my bagel and told her to toast and slice it when she asked me.

When I went to pick up my order at the counter, there was only my husband's sandwich. I had to ask twice about the bagel, and finally, I was told that I had to go up front again. There was no explanation. When I went up front, I was told that they only had one bagel left, and they put it in another order. They didn't apologize or ask if I wanted anything else. I was really disappointed.

I decided to go up front again to let them know that this wasn't okay and to request a refund on my bagel. I explained to another employee that their service was going downhill. I received no apologies, wasn't offered any compensation, and nothing! The employee asked me, "Well, what do you want?" I just said that I wanted a refund. If you have to ask for anything else when it's not offered, to me, it's just not worth it.

I got my refund, but when I returned to my table and looked at the receipt, I had still been charged for the cream cheese that I never got. I was thoroughly and completely disappointed. If you want an efficient, enjoyable, top-notch customer service-focused experience, avoid Panera. It's so sad to see this one, which used to be our favorite, fall so far so fast.

Hey Panera Bread,

I gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with my recent visit to your joint. My family and I were expecting some top-notch grub, but instead, we got a whole lot of letdown.

First off, the prices were way too high. I could have gone to Cheesecake Factory for just a few extra bucks. And let me tell you, the food we got wasn't worth the dough we shelled out.

To make matters worse, we had to spend over five minutes at the register just to get our order right. My kid didn't even get his apple juice, and my water was nowhere to be found. Plus, his sandwich had onions on it, even though we specifically said no onions. This kind of mix-up seems to happen all the time, especially when we hit up the drive-thru. It's not cool for a place like yours to be so careless.

And don't even get me started on the bathroom situation. My son had to wash his hands, but the restroom was straight-up nasty. It smelled like pee, and we had to bolt out of there as fast as we could. That's not just gross, it's downright unsanitary.

Look, we only came to your spot because we wanted some healthier options. But with prices like yours and service like this, it's getting harder and harder to justify. You gotta step up your game if you want to keep customers coming back.

So, please, take this seriously. Fix the problems we've pointed out, and make sure future diners don't have to deal with the same issues we did.

Sincerely,
Andy

I was really excited to treat my family to some delicious food from Panera Bread tonight. Unfortunately, I recently had a medical procedure and wasn't able to cook for them myself. So, I had a friend pick up our food order for us. When the food arrived, I was disappointed to find that five items were missing from our order, even though we were charged for them. I called the restaurant twice and spoke to two different employees, but they both put me on hold for a long time and then hung up on me before I could speak to a manager. I paid almost $60 for our meal, but we weren't able to make sandwiches for dinner or for my kids' school lunches the next day. Needless to say, my family was really disappointed.

To make matters worse, instead of the focaccia bread and French baguettes that I ordered, Panera threw in three small bags of chips. Two of my children had to eat something else because they didn't like the bread options that were offered. I decided to drive to the restaurant to see what was going on. When I got there, the manager on duty was a short African American woman who looked to be around 25-30 years old. Unfortunately, she was very rude to me the entire time. I explained the situation to her and asked for a refund for the items that I paid for but didn't receive. She offered me two bread options as replacements, but I told her that my children wouldn't eat them. She didn't seem to care and insisted that those were the only options available. When I asked for a refund again, she took my receipt and walked away with an attitude, muttering something under her breath. She didn't apologize once and didn't thank me for coming in to resolve the mix-up.

Overall, I was extremely disappointed with my experience at Panera Bread. I paid a lot of money for food that I didn't receive, and the manager on duty was incredibly rude and unhelpful. I don't think I'll be going back there again anytime soon. I'm giving them one star for their poor customer service and lack of concern for their customers.

I visited the Panera Bread location at 1009 University Blvd in Suffolk, VA. I placed my order at 5pm on February 2, 2022, and the pick-up time was 7:15pm. I've also included a picture of the half-made salad that I received for $13. It looked like it was rushed and not worth the price.

Order #

I went to the Panera Bread store on Bethel Rd at 7AM. The man working there greeted me and asked for my order right away. I wanted a dozen bagels to go, but he seemed to have trouble with my order. He put some bagels on the counter that I didn't ask for, and then started slicing a few of the bagels I did order. I told him he didn't have to slice them, but he kept going. Then, he started putting together another order that wasn't mine and placed some bagels on a pan on another counter. I was confused, but didn't say anything.

He kept looking at his computer screen and then back to grabbing bagels. As he was slicing bagels, I noticed he was adding other bagels that weren't in my order and slicing them too. I didn't understand what was going on. He wasn't focused on my order, and it seemed like he was more interested in taking care of other customers. He even asked the guy in line behind me what he wanted to order, and started getting his order before finishing mine. I was getting frustrated.

Finally, he started putting my bagel order in bags, but he still wasn't finished. He asked the guy behind me for his order, and I couldn't believe it. I told him that he needed to finish my order before taking care of anyone else. He wasn't apologetic at all, and it made me feel like my order wasn't important to him. He bagged my order, but before he even handed it to me, he asked the guy behind me for his order again. I was so angry.

This experience was totally inappropriate. I could have been in and out of the store in two minutes if he had just focused on my order. Instead, I had to wait for him to put together several other orders, including pick-up orders, before he could finish with mine. He was rude and unapologetic, and it made me feel like my business wasn't important to Panera Bread. If this is how they want to do business, with terrible employees and terrible customer service, I won't be going back.

I recently placed an order for 3 packages of Panera Small Scones for a Ministry Ladies Retreat through their website. I made sure to order 3 days in advance to ensure that my order would be ready on time. I received a confirmation that my order was ready half an hour before I arrived at the store. However, when I got there, the employee waiting on me informed me that my order was not ready yet.

To my surprise, she only found one packet of the mini scones and asked if she could replace them with larger scones. I agreed, and she put 4 scones in the bag. I was expecting 10 scones in each of the three packets I ordered, but I didn't want to cause any trouble, so I let it slide. She then went to the back to locate more scones and came back with a large brown bag. I thanked her and went out to my car.

When I opened the bag, I found that it only contained the one bag of mini scones and 4 regular size scones. I was disappointed and frustrated, so I went back into the store. However, the store was very busy, and the young lady who served me was busy helping other customers. When I finally got her attention, I asked her how she could deceive me by giving me less than half of what I ordered and sending me off like she had taken care of me. She apologized and continued helping other customers.

Feeling frustrated and ignored, I walked around the store to see if I could find anything to replace what I ordered. Unfortunately, they had very little left in their display, except for bagels, which I did not want. I finally picked up the last box of pastries, even though I didn't really want them. When I returned to the cash register, the young lady was still busy helping other customers, and the store was crazy busy. I stood there for a couple of minutes, feeling like they didn't care about the way I had been treated.

Finally, another employee walked by, and I stopped him to explain the situation. I asked if I could walk out with the box of pastries, and he said yes. I left feeling extremely disappointed with the service I received. Not only did I not get what I ordered online, but Panera Bread did not offer a refund, apology, or any form of kindness in customer service. This experience was extremely sad and frustrating.

Overall, I would not recommend this particular Panera Bread location on Main Street in Cartersville, Georgia. The service was poor, and the employees seemed too busy to care about their customers. I hope that Panera Bread can improve their customer service in the future to prevent situations like this from happening again.

I gotta say, I was pretty disappointed with my experience at Panera Bread. I ordered a big ol' lunch for delivery on their website, but when it arrived, my soup was missing. I paid extra for delivery, so I was pretty upset that my order was messed up. When I called the cafe to try and sort things out, I talked to a guy named Peyton who was just plain rude. He talked over me and didn't seem to care that my order was wrong. He even told me that if I wanted my soup, I had to come pick it up myself! Can you believe that? I called back a few times, but he just kept hanging up on me.

I eventually called customer service, and while they were a bit nicer, they still didn't really seem to care about my problem. They told me that it was my responsibility to make sure my order was correct, even though I paid for delivery. When I asked for the manager's contact info, they didn't even know who that was!

Honestly, I'm pretty upset about the whole thing. I work for a big company, and this order was for a meeting with some important executives. They were all in the room when I was on the phone with Peyton, and they were just as shocked as I was at how poorly I was treated. They actually asked me to send them an email with my review so they could share it with their distribution list of thousands of people.

I really think you should think twice before spending your money at this particular Panera Bread location. They clearly don't care about their customers, and they let people like Peyton represent them. Who knows if you'll even get the food you paid for, even if you pay extra for delivery. It's just not worth it, in my opinion.

I've been a loyal customer of Panera Bread for nearly two decades now. I've always been satisfied with their food and service, which is why I kept coming back. However, my recent experiences have left me disappointed and frustrated.

My last two orders were curbside, and I have to say, the portions were a complete joke. I remember thinking to myself that I would never do it again. But with the pandemic getting worse, I decided to give it another shot. I ordered the family feast, which was advertised as a full Greek salad, a full Caesar salad, soup, and a baguette, all for $23 plus tax. I saw the price and thought it was a great deal, so I clicked on it and placed my order.

When I got home with my order, I realized that I only received one salad, soup, and baguette. I immediately called the store and spoke to the manager, who was very cold and unhelpful. He told me that he couldn't do anything about it and gave me a number for corporate. I was shocked and disappointed that they would treat their customers this way.

I understand that mistakes happen, but the way they handled the situation was unacceptable. They advertised a family feast for 4-6 people, but I only received enough food for 2-3 people. It's not just about the missing salad, but also about the way they treated me as a customer.

I later realized that the receipt showed that I only ordered one salad, but the way they presented the offer was very misleading. When I was placing my order, I saw the details three times, which showed two salads, soup, and a baguette. I didn't check the details again when I was checking out because I had already seen them three times.

I feel like they took advantage of me and other customers by advertising a family feast that was not what it seemed. It's not fair to charge almost $25 for a small salad, soup, and bread. I feel betrayed and disappointed that they would treat their customers this way.

I'm not the only one who feels this way. I've seen other negative reviews, and I'm going to add mine to the list. I hope that Panera Bread takes this feedback seriously and makes changes to improve their service and customer experience. As for me, I'm no longer a loyal customer after 20 years.

I was on my way to the Fairway when I decided to stop by the brand new Panera Bread on Roosevelt Boulevard at Red Lion. I placed my order with a girl who seemed new and had to ask a couple of people for help. I paid for my order and went to the back to wait for my food. The guy making my sandwich put it in the oven with wax paper underneath it, causing my eyes to burn. He had to make me another sandwich, which I specifically asked to have no salt or pepper, only onion, tomato, and cheese. However, when the second sandwich came out, the girl putting it together added salt, which I did not appreciate.

I had already been to the supermarket and just wanted to get home, but my eyes were still burning from the wax paper incident. I spoke to the manager at the cash register and asked for a refund. However, the manager accused me of yelling, even though we were all wearing masks and trying to be safe. I have been going to Panera Bread for many years and have never had such a horrible experience. While they have gotten my order wrong before, it was never a big deal. But this time, the manager named Megan was very nasty and unprofessional.

I will continue going to the Fairway in Jenkintown for my food from now on. I will also be calling the corporate office to report my experience. Megan needs to learn how to manage properly and treat customers with respect. She should not be yelling at customers or accusing them of yelling when they are not. I have been to many Panera Bread locations over the years, and I expected better from this new location. I will be sure to let others know about my experience and Megan's poor management skills.

Hellomy family and I. we had been a good customers for the past 20 yrs. Yestesterday I stopped in the Allen Park, MI, location. And it was so dirty, small flies around the drink area. And the kichen where it shows to the public was so dirty too. Today I stopped over Dearborn Heights, MI, Lcation. It was nothing like you could described so dirty. Food on the floors and papers. My son tried to get drink. He seen some small insect in the drink. I did asked for the manager, she said she will take care of it. But, I spend more then 1 Hour. having a meal and chatting. And all the food still on the tables. And paper on the floor. I like Panera food and deserts, But, unfortunately lately with all the isuues we have between viruses and cleaning environment. I consider it failling of safety environment and health.

12/8/23 - I went to buy a soup, a chicken noodle and in my opinion the soups are coming very small for the price. I am Panera customer for years and I used to study in the Panera next to school and I have a clear memory of the sizes of about everything. I noticed that starting a few years, there was a reduction in the sizes. Panera starting cutting the salad bowl for the rectangular container and then the rectangles are getting smaller every day. The soup and the large size is getting super small and today I purchased a tea and it seems to me that the size of the large cup also was reduced a bit.

Your store on University Ave Little Rock, they either never have the product or give you the wrong thing. The Madagascar vanilla latte is either unavailable or no milk or cream is available. I have ordered lunch and the items are not what is on the menu such as the cobb without avocado and I even got a sandwich without the meat I ordered on it... that store sucks

We went to a Parana at 6665 Perimeter Loop Road, Dublin, OH. We waited at the counter at least 5 minutes and no one came to ask us for out order, (not even to say that they would be right with us) so we left. Not sure if we will go to this location again and this gives us pause about other locations as well.

This is just a single complaint, we went to Panama and NO one came to the counter; plain and simple! Never have we entered a fast food or restaurant were we left with at least being acknowledged, waiting for service is one thing but being completely ignored is quite another. BTW there were people in this Panama already eating and drinking, so somebody was there.

I was so disappointed to read about the "Enhanced" lemonade fountain drink that you are serving. I understand it possibly contributed to the death in Septemeber of 2022 of a college age girl with a heart issue. I am not debating the legal issue of liability. A court will sort that out. However, why a businees like Panera would make an "enhanced" fountain drink available for any child, teen or at risk adult to mistakenly drink is beyond comprehension. I encourage you to consider eliminating this drink from your fountain service immediately at all stores.

I’m at the Albany George store at 738am Sunday Oct 8th and today is the second day in a row that there were zero soufflés available. When the behind the register employed was asked if they were making anymore, he answered they had none to make.

On happened yesterday, Sat Oct 7th, and again my wife will be disappointed I’m unable to satisfy her desire for a spinach soufflé.

I have endured this lack of inventory at least a couple of dozen times over the past 12 months. It’s unacceptable.

Off to Dunkin or Starbucks to buy their egg white bites. If I ran my small business like this location and remain open, I’m confident I would be out of business. I miss my major market business options where there were two Paneras to choose from.

The Columbus GA stores are run much more efficiently. I dare say, Albany Georgia’s location is the worse location I have ever experienced, and I’ve spent tens of thousands over the years throughout my SE travels.

We deserve better!

My wife & I just found out that none of your locations in the Philadelphia, PA area are carrying your annual Breast Cancer Bagels that we got every October for, at least, the last five years.

My wife is a breast cancer survivor and looks forward to enjoying these special bagels every year.

We are very disappointed since we will not able have these special bagels this year.

Joe & Pat Matusz

my grandson loves your broccoli soup. today he chose the chicken sandwich with hotsauce. for $13.00 dollars and one cold bun and one piece of chicken. it did come with a bag of chips. i could have purchased a whole bag of chicken for the cost of one small chicken breast. my grandson did like the sandwich and ate every bite. because of the cost i could not afford any food for me.