I know Panera is a chain, and I don't care. I've never had anything to eat that wasn't tasty there. I love their bagels. The sun-dried tomato cream cheese spread is one of my favorite things in the universe. The Greek salad dressing is another favorite. I sometimes ask them to put every kind of cheese they have on a sandwich, and they actually do it! That's one of the most tasty piles of cholesterol I've ever had.
The free wi-fi is excellent for getting stuff done. I've only been there a couple times when it's been down or slow, so it's up more often than not. They do seem to block torrent traffic, though, so if you've got something of that nature running in the background--no can haz. The layout of the restaurant gives you lots of nooks, crannies and booths to hide in with a pile of homework. It's comfortable. The music isn't terribly annoying or too loud to overpower a set of headphones. All in all, this place kicks the crap out of Club Moody if you've got homework to do.
There have only been a few things I've been less than happy with from Panera. One was the frozen mocha, which was a bit more like a chocolate milkshake than I like from my coffee drinks. It was just a bit too sweet for my liking and left me questioning the amount of caffeine that actually made it in there.
The other thing that irks me are those darn packets of Tabasco. Panera serves soup. It's delicious soup. Sometimes delicious soup needs a little extra heat--hence the Tabasco. In order for me to turn my clam chowder into my desired shade of spicy light pink, I have to grab a whole bunch of Tabasco packets from the jar. Then I feel like a turd who's hogging the Tabasco. Just give me a bottle, guys.
When there's only two tiny half-complaints that I can think of, you're doing something right.
I seriously have never seen a Panera with a drive thru, nor any other restaurant that may be similar (i.e. La Madeleine). There's nothing I love more than getting off work, grabbing my pup for a ride to grab a bite to eat. Thanks Panera for understanding that some people really just need to stay in their car to grab food. (Yes, I'm that lazy.)
I feel at times Panera can be overpriced, but I just love me some soup and sandwiches. Occasionally a salad when I'm feeling guilty about eating awful foods.
If you join the rewards program, they really do give you rewards. Usually a free pastry item or drink, but hey, every little thing counts.
Love Panera, and this one is great. Maybe somewhat little disorganized because my order is often wrong, but super nice workers who are happy to correct anything asap. Also, I've never seen a drive-thru panera bread, which is so helpful when I have little ones but want something healthy to eat.
