It was my First Job, Associate Trainer at the local Panera Bread, circa 2005..But it seems that LOTS have changed since then!
Yes, the soups still come in bags, about 85% of the menu has stayed the same but the quality has drastically decreased!!!
You Pick Two... Broccoli Chedder soup, great for the first two minutes until it went cold.
Sierra Turkey, served on a Asiago Miche Bread, red onions, lettuce and chipotle mayo.. First two bites, all bread. Lack of Sandwich ingredients turned me away.
so as I sit here with a 1/2 eaten You Pick Two, a pop-up from their WiFi comes up and says 5 min left... WHAT?! Theres a time frame on how long you use their internet. Havent even fully finished my meal and they're already kicking me off the internet.
Not what I had in mind for a nice, quick lunch to get some work done.
Next time you'd like to stop in for a quick bite at this Panera Bread location, i'd suggest a bagel and your off!!!
A pretty good Panera. I've seen the lines build a few times, sometimes in part to their exceptional patience in giving service at the counter. Overall though, the majority of times I've been in there the lines have been small.
The employees have all been very friendly. The routinely come around and check for empty plates which is nice if you're planning on sitting for a little bit to read or do some work.
The orders also seem to come quite quickly which is good if you're on a schedule!
I've been here preparing for a board exam from 9am till closing almost everyday for the past 3 weeks. Mornings are open and the internet is fast. There's a 30 minute limit between 11am till 2pm. Internet stops at 10pm though closing may be at 11pm on Fri and Sat. Busiest days are usually Tues, Wed, Thurs for lunch starting at 1130 till 130pm. The back area with the fire gets full and there have been countless days where there was no seating for all the people eating, so I just relocated to the front where there are outlets along the front window overlooking michigan ave and Grant Park. Outlets are located in the front, in a couple of 2 person booths (2 in the front & back), and along a series of seats. It seems they made those small booths specifically for studying space. There's a very nice, glossy table next to the fire and usually after 7pm few people except large groups like to take this spot and its prime location.
As far as food, I've ordered almost everything from the menu and it's the same from all the paneras I've frequented from Sacramento, Irvine, Los Angeles, San Diego. I've gotten to know a few of the employees and a manager and they are working so hard to make it great. I even met the baker in the back. There's only one baker for each shift (1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon). There are a ton of employees in the back during lunch and usually 2 servers/waiters for the front and 2 for the back. They actually clean and pick up your plates, and serve you the food at this location. You take a electronic marker when you order and the waiters will know where you generally are. On a good day you can sit out front or the side and eat out with all the people walking by on Michigan Ave.
Be careful, I have witnessed a few burglaries at this location since it's a prime location for all the families and tourists to be eating at. Also, the bathroom is heavily used by non-patrons and have heard of people getting things stolen from within the bathroom. Protect your belongings at this location because from what I have realized, even with camera evidence, the police cannot do much to recover what you have lost.
So overall, the experience as a study location is superb, but watch your stuff and ask other patrons to watch your belongings (I've been fine, the employees actually are watching and have on multiple occasions stopped people from soliciting for money or just kept a close eye). The employees and managers provided me with drinks and food since I got to know them. As a visiting spot, it's the busiest panera I have ever been in making it an exciting place to see a hodgepodge of unique people from local workers coming during lunch rush hour to tourists from around the world.
As far as food, I recommend Thai Salad, Asian Salad, breadbowls with broccoli cheddar (although calorie count can go up really high with the breadbowl if you eat all of it), creamy tomato soup. Prices for soups after tax are about 5.53. Salads are about 8 depending on what you get. Salads do come in very large bowls and can be healthy and filling if you get some with meat.
Get a loyalty card and you can randomly get discounts and free pastries. It tracks what you generally buy. They also keep upgrading my cup size from small to medium when I buy coffee or tea.
In general, depends what you are looking for from a Panera, but key words for this place are large space, very busy during lunch hour during mid week and saturdays, nice fire keeping backspace warm, touristy, unique, healthy food, and free refills on coffee and teas.
I'm a fan of Panera Bread so I can't believe that I'm giving this location a 1-star either. But this is based on the chicken noodle soup I ordered.
I came back to the office, opened up my bowl of chicken noodle soup and then realized with my spoon that it was 90% broth and 10% noodle and chicken. There were literally only a few slivers of noodle in the entire bowl of broth as if the noodle was only meant for garnishing the broth. The chicken was almost non-existent. Are they kidding? $5 for a bowl of broth that is supposedly called chicken noodle soup? Come on.
I chose an apple instead of a bag of chips for my side. I cut open the apple and it was rotten and black inside.
Totally unacceptable. I want my $5 back.
I usually love Panera Bread, so when we stopped by here in Chicago, I was hoping to get great food and service.
It's across the street from the Millennial Park. And I bet many lunch hour people and visitors stop by this location.
The cashier was training that day and we had a huge order for 7 people. She was working along side her trainer and they were nice.
The food, however, was not to par. My soup was half cold and my sandwich looked thrown together carelessly.
Disappointing. Wish they could step it up a notch.
We stopped here for a refreshing lunch in the middle of a hot Chicago day, after visiting the Art Institute of Chicago. I ordered the strawberry poppyseed chicken salad, which I think is a special for this time of year, along with a whole wheat roll, and my partner got the asiago roast beef with potato chips. My salad was big and very tasty, with strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, pecans, and large strips of peppered chicken on a bed of greens with a light fat-free poppyseed dressing. The combination of sweet and savory was very pleasant. The roast beef sandwich had good chunks of roast beef and a cheesy bread--it was a good sandwich. The ambienace was normal for a Panera, somewhat crowded because of its location and the fact that it was prime lunch hour on Memorial Day, but we were still able to relax and enjoy our meal.
There was a man who came in asking for money, but the manager promptly escorted him out without creating a ruckus. Other than that, the clientele was mostly young students, some of whom seemed to be cramming for a pathology exam with large bags of Ghiarardelli chocolates. Which has nothing to do with anything.
We like coming here for the pick-two menu deals, combined with the loyalty card, can sometimes give a dollar or two discount. Â The restaurant looks new, is kind of a big space for a downtown location, and unlike other Panera Bread locations this one provides table service (instead of you waiting to pick up your order at the counter). Â
Here's a hint: Â even with the pick-two menu selections if you get a salad it always seems to show up in a large bowl instead of half-size. Â Also I love coming here for the free and dependable wifi.
The Manager Rick is a dick.
I recently went into Panera to purchase bagels for my office. I was overcharged 35.00 that wasn't present on the receipt and only found out because I regularly check my statement. I called the location after checking to see if we could resolve the situation. The manger, Rick, told me he would look into to call back later because he was busy. He didn't take down my number or even ask for my name.
I decided that this was ridiculous and went to the location only to wait on RICK for 15 minutes. He then called me miss seven million times explaining that his acct. manager left on a delivery and he didn't know what to tell me.
I then proceeded to ask for the number to corporate at which point Rick's attitude changed substantially.
He has no people skills and should really choose another line of work. The front end manager hates her job and it exudes in the way she handles customers. It is not my fault that this is what your life turned out to be.
The only thing that saved the experience here is Carlos the acct. manager at the location. They should promote him and get rid of Rick. He was considerate and professional. Panera is a stepping stone for him. I wish him all the best.
Standard Panera. Â I paid extra to get a bread bowl with my soup & sandwich, and they gave me soup in a cup. Â It's annoying that I will have to check my order at the counter from now on. Â Honestly, I really do not like places I can't trust to get my order right for take out, especially something that simple. Â Not a good first experience.
Review Source:This Panera is huge, and the table tracker system is awesome- they bring you your food! The food is what you'd expect from a Panera- reasonable prices, typical sandwich/salad fare, and delicious, creamy mac and cheese. It's a good place to study all day, though it seems that some groups of teenagers with nothing to do have decided to make Panera their hang out, which can make it a bit loud at times.
Review Source:The grand daddy of Paneras.
It's spacious, and I mean really, really spacious. So spacious I thought it was a library of some sort when I first walked past the huge windows and peered in to see tables upon tables of people on laptops drinking coffee.
Super love! It was hopping at lunchtime but I still managed to find a nice booth.
P.S. Try the Thai chicken salad with chicken noodle soup for a healthy satisfying lunch! Yum!
Assembly line for take out. Â I ordered the Chicken Cobb salad to go and when I opened it I found two ingredients had been left off. Â A Cobb without gorgonzola and tomatoes isn't too appealing. Â They are new so I will give them another shot, but I am not impressed. Â Much better salad at Corner Bakery.
Review Source:Freshly opened Panera in the loop: unusually big and spacious interior compared to the others that I have seen. Â Of course the food is the same standard as other places, these things tend to be standardized right? Â Lucky for me this is right in my building! Â Increasing the number of coffee options within 100 ft of my front door to 4 (2 Starbucks, Caribou, and now this....who will win?). Â Perfect location right across from Millenium Park, they will likely be very hopping soon. Â The manager is very nice and seems to be very involved in getting things going the right way. Â Excellent 200 degree Hazelnut coffee and my favorite: the cinnamon scone. Â Open 6am which is great.
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