Panera Bread

Pretty standard, I get lunch here several times a week. Always around $15, food is good but the cleanliness of the cafe could definitely be improved. I usually order ahead using the app and dine-in at the cafe. It helps avoid any wait time and maximizes the amount of time I get to spend eating instead of eating for food. Food is usually ready within 10 minutes of ordering, which is very convenient. Unfortunately many customers are not very courteous, ignoring the bus bins and leaving their dirty dishes and mess all over the cafe for staff to come clean up.

After a long day's drive, I was pleased to be greeted by the friendly staff at Panera Bread. It made the experience all the better. I ordered the broccoli mac & cheese and a chocolate croissant, both of which were very tasty. I also tried the passion papaya iced green tea. A weird color, but actually very good! I definitely recommend this location.

A busy place for sure...especially around the typical meal times! Love that I can find a quiet corner here or there in the place! The staff are always pleasant, engaging, ready to serve, and food is ready within minutes of ordering. Waiting for it to be ready has never been an issue, for me at least. The Panera I visited recently, I was impressed that clean-up was taken care of on a regular basis, especially around the "drop off/trash" area. And that's typically near the entries/exits. [There's nothing more aggravating as one enters a Panera to see trash around the drop-off area by the entry.] At one of the Panera's I go to, the former manager/owner since it's opening, would tour the place to catch things that needed doing/pick up trash [& do it himself!], greeting, &/or engage w/customers, etc. I miss that when I go there now.

This Panera Bread is always busy, mostly because it is the shopping area of The Shops at Briargate. They have upgraded to self order kiosks but still have a counter to order from if you want to order with someone. The kiosks are nice, easy and fast. They allow you not to feel pressured when ordering and to know what your options are on the menu. The only downfall is that as a first time user of the kiosks we did not know that the drinks we ordered were self serve rather than picking them up (since they were specialty rather than just fountain drinks). When we inquired about the drinks we were rudely instructed that the drinks were self serve and then turned away from. I believe that if this is the human interaction that I am going to get when doing most of the process myself, then do away with all of the team members except for those that prepare food. It is sad that a screen can give better customer service and explanation of options than a team member can. The food was very good and looked and tasted fresh. The tables were clean and the trash was not full. I would go back since I dont have to interact with the rude employees and can do most of the ordering and delivery myself.