Au Bon Pain

TERRIBLE!!! Don't go here and ESPECIALLY don't bring your kids here. I have to say, since I work out early mornings at Galter, I was excited for this location to open, but when I stopped in one morning after working out I was shocked at all of the things going on there.

First, there was a manager training a new employee, which is fine and expected, but when the other employee (3 people total) was asking for some help with the growing line of customers [I was in], the manager would yell over to her that she was "busy and to do get the bagels herself". Having managed retail, I found that tacky and in poor judgement.

Next, while I was standing and waiting for my 2 sandwiches, I listened to the music playing and was really disgusted at the lyrics to the song playing. I Shazaam'd it to find out it was a song called "Deuces" [Explicit Version] by Chris Brown. There was a LOT of profanity in the song, which I couldn't believe they were piping through their speakers at an Au Bon Pain.

My sandwiches were presented to me, both incorrectly, but the lady working behind the counter nicely offered to remake them and I was okay with that since the Manager wasn't helping her at all anyhow. This was understandable, but the general quality of the food was terribly. Freshly cooked eggs that were then put into a drawer near the floor and 2 previously cooked egg "discs" were pulled out for my sandwiches. I understand the need for speed, but with 3 customers in line, 6 sandwiches to be made, and it's already taking 20 minutes to get me my food, please don't pull precooked egg discs out of a drawer bin that sits about 6 inches off the floor. Absolutely disgusting. People walk around and kick up water and debris all the time. I can't see this as a good place to keep precooked eggs or why even precook them in the first place.

I finally received my 2 sandwiches and went to the checkout register to pay. The new hire there was very friendly and did a great job of asking me questions and ringing me up and thanking me for my visit. While this was going on, the manager was mopping up a broken bottle of juice that has spilled under the register. In the process she was mopping all over my feet and didn't say "excuse me" or anything about possibly moving so she could mop. So, I took my sandwiches and my wet shoes and left the store. I got to my care and started to bite into one of the sandwiches and it was like eating rubber surrounded by cardboard. It was an egg and bagel thin sandwich, but there was NO flavor to it and the textures were gross.

This was on a Saturday and I tried to call the Au Bon Pain customer service phone number to complain (as I'd rather do that than go straight to Yelp with a complaint), but they were closed until Monday. I waited until Monday and called in the morning and left a message. I then called later on Monday afternoon and left another message. It is now Thursday morning and I have yet to receive a call back even though I have specifically stated in my voicemails that I had a terrible experience in this location and wanted someone to call me back fast because of several things that had gone wrong with my experience.

I find is sad that this manager is in charge of 1. training new employees since she apparently has no patience and 2. this manager has no sense of decorum in dealing with customers and 3. she cannot seem to handle more than one thing at a time. I'm disgusted that Au Bon Pain lets the music played in their stores be of a sexually charged and profanely graphic nature. I feel very bad for the two employees that were working that day and hope that better jobs come along for them in the near future.

I will NOT be setting foot in this or any other Au Bon Pain in the foreseeable future. You'll be better off getting your order mesed up at a McDonald's Drive Thru than going to this Au Bon Pain.

3.5 Stars

small bakery/breakfast/coffee place near Swedish Covenant Hospital.  Seatings are nice with some booth.  They have good selections of coffee, sandwiches and pastries.

This I didn't like much was a little bit of inconvenience.  They don't have any wifi, and on top of that, the reception is pretty bad in the restaurant.  Also, there is no plate available for pastries for dine-in customers.

Service is adequate, but I think at least they can think of a small paper plate or something unless they are vocally environment-friendly.  In that case, I would totally understand.

As a Swedish Covenant employee, I was counting down the days for this Au Bon Pain (ABP) to finally open the doors. The opening kept lagging on and getting pushed back. ABP seems to have an affinity for hospitals since there's one at Northwestern, Rush, Lutheran General, University of Chicago, Lake Forest, and now Swedish! Within Swedish Covenant Hospital's beautiful Foster Pavilion building, the ABP is very modern within. They have a wide selection of soft breads and pastries (go figure!), fresh salads, sandwiches/wraps, and soups. I can always go for any one of those three. I would eat here every day if I could afford it, especially when compared to the average food sold in the hospital cafeteria. I just wish their hours were a tad earlier than 6:30 am on Monday-Thursday for those who begin our twelve hour shift at 7 am. Nevertheless, I love ABP and am happy to now have a second quick dining option to choose from while at work.