Panera Bread review: Sandwiches and job training

I go to rolling road Panera in VA once a week. It's been down hill, and a shame to admit I need to there because my boyfriend needs to make healthier food choices than fast food.

I would drive 10 miles away if I could to falls church Bailey's location in VA - just for better customer care and line workers that know what they're doing matters. Order accuracy is so valuable and speaks volumes!

Over last 10 Years the rolling road location has gone from rough, to mediocre to disgraceful customer and management customer service.

1. The staff barely know menu - when I worked there in 2007-8 we had know 12! Sandwiches by heart - now there's 6 if you're lucky and cashiers barely smile and greet you! If my managers back then - when got 8/hr!- saw me sluggish at work and being in my phone literally was a write up on spot!. Staff used to cry - no joke - if you dragged your feet around pretending to work and you got it worse if you were Katty chatty and standing doing nothing - like seen many many cashiers do over years at rolling road. It's unacceptable for any front end staff to show the company lacks customer caring!

2. Years after I left the menu changed - it always did every season but items would come back! You would await the day for chili soup and a rare steak sandwich or seasoned Fuji apple salad - obviously they sold out for diversity and went mainstream - serving pizza and Asian bowls?! Why? Flocks of people would come just for your sandwiches and the quality back in early 2000's was unmatched! You got quality food and you - as customer - knew it. Saw it.
(See my boyfriend's sandwich below - it's the new standard!) if staff or management cared check line workers were "cared for". Wouldn't be playing roulette with my sandwich ingredients — - I expect the worse bc if they get all the ingredients THIS sandwich (below) was suppose to have I'd literally cry of joy. So now Panera's motto is expected the worse that way "promised order accuracy" will shock you!'

3. Management back in my time at baileys crossroads va made you care for customers. You knew the same if not more than management bc YOU were in the trenches! You could fix issues before management could bc you HAD the knowledge and training or least exposure enough through the day to see patterns were building. And management was OPEN to hear and improve issue with quick response. My issue today - have one 1 out of 4 times I go there bc it's clear management pits 1/2 effort and thus workers follow and put 1/2 of that (1/4) effort into doing their jobs — - my issue. Needed kiosk get me receipt to expense for my work... I should've been able to talk to CASHIER for 3-5 mins and got answer or directed to management for resolution of 10 mins max. The issue wasn't complicated. I know I had the very first kiosks at my store 08'.
But guess things have changed and not for the better... why would they?

Well, here's reality. Got my order placed kiosk. Went cashier, said "can I have reprint of my receipt kiosk order". She stood still looks down her phone as if to Google? the answer. Then mumbles something and walks away and "gets manager" (at that time I was pissed, why would you void your customer and assume they know
Your going get someone help them?)
Manager comes frantically, you can see clearly they're understaffed. She runs to attend the line workers and giving other customers their orders. Why? As manager can't you delegate your skills set should be used more wisely. It's one thing to support your staff it's another to not trust your line staff do their job and work as team.

I had to insist TWICE I need my receipt as I annoyed her with it bc her attention was clearly in too many places. She said, they'll get it for you - as to infer the line staff had answers.
THE RECEIPT you get with your food at the line counter isn't the same as the one kiosk or cashiers give you! Management seeing tickets all day - as she clearly did the dispersing of food to customers from pick up line counter should know that — - I look at her in fury and disappointment.

I had this problem BEFORE. Usually I don't have the TIME OR ENERGY. but today I had enough!

Told management please look in system and here's my name on your flat screen. I'll wait for your abilities to solve this in the next few minutes. (Basic customer care orientation tip: never ignore customer and toss them aside. You provide a solution or an alternative)
After 20 minutes. A long while after my order was done. She hands me receipt in 8X11 sheet. No explanation. No apology. No basic care.
Only a whisper from underneath the cashiers watching as if to infer that I was very difficult.

I called 1800 customer care service and waited some more! Because it's disappointing to been bounced from Cashier to management to line worker and force management to help me. That was a training moment. One that managers I had in baileys location in 2008 would not allow
GOSSIP or commentary in front of customers. Rather pull you the side and TRAIN YOU how'd handle it next time on your OWN. Bc that's leadership: delegating over multitasking; training in tough moments over showing stress bc forced get a solution; and caring from customers over dismissing issue to lower staff.

I had rougher moments than having a customer as for receipt. I had difficult times where I was in charge of 3-5 cashiers, mid lunch rush, and all mishaps fell on me. Monitoring cell phone use, and cleaning routinely every hour. Bc if didn't keep BUSY showing I was working. You got nasty chat in office asking why you CAME TO WORK or didn't TAKE CARE of the store needs.
These are Basics. But Sadly a luxury nowadays to find in very few Panera locations.

I've grew up in Paneras. Worked in high school to freshman year college. Then studied at mosaic location in VA for years, then falls church one, and baileys was next my condo post college. It's heartbreaking to see how it lacks so much of the warmth it sought to bring to families and working adults camping there.

THE NEW standard CHIPOTLE AVOCADO sandwich — - 2 table spoons of chicken and 1/2 sandwich is covered by burnt avocado that was pushed to the side — to avoid customer from seeing 1/2 sandwich is EMPTY for $6.99. And you only get half of a sandwich — Sooo let's see 1/2 sandwich with 1/2 of that empty so I paid for 1/4 sandwich with believe would get "all its ingredients". Yep that describes the store perfectly!

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