Panera Bread — Restaurant in Bellevue

2025 Sorry, but I have to update my review.

I usually love my Sippy Cup Club, but my recent experience on Saturday, 8/30 around noon, was disappointing. The new manager on duty was not very friendly or helpful.

I explained that the Diet Coke tasted off and asked if it could be fixed. She said she had unscrewed and reattached the same CO₂, so it should be fine, but when I tried again, it still wasn’t right. Her response was simply that nothing could be done until the following Tuesday. Unfortunately, without proper CO₂, none of the sodas taste right, and lately, the consistency at this location has not been great. Additionally, the attitude from the manager was very disrespectful. She made it seem like we were being too much, and she just walked away after telling us that the entire store can't do anything until after Tuesday.

Most of the staff here are amazing and go above and beyond, but this particular experience left me disappointed. I really hope it’s not because I came in with the refillable “all-you-can-drink” Sippy Cup.

2025 I can't say enough good things about this Panera location! One of the managers, Miss Terri, was so kind and helpful when I couldn’t order my regular drink, Diet Pepsi. Her kindness truly made my day. It reminded me that my sippy cup isn’t just about saving money—it’s also about supporting a great company that genuinely cares for its customers. I'm so happy with all the staff at this location with their professionalism, kindness, cleanness, quick service, and most importantly, the amazing customer care. Thank you, Panera! 🥖🥪🥯 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

2023 I got a membership for Slip Club, not only because they have great service but also a wonderful deal. Mr. Sebastian is always helping people, big, small, old and new in the store. They have the best kitchen staff and friendly managers to help you with anything you need. Great curbside pickup, and wonderful consistent staff service every time I come in! Highly recommend this location to enjoy family outings, or simply a date...

My family ordered two breakfast sandwiches (sausage egg cheese on bangle) and dine in option. It took 20+ mins for the store manager and staff to make the sandwiches. 10 mins after the order was placed, they did not start preparing the food, my family order was the only one left on the dine in queue. I asked the manager when they would be able to prepare the food and I was going to be late for my company meeting. The manager told me to wait patiently and they would let me know when food was ready. 15 mins after the order placed, they still did not start preparing the food, one of the staffs started to walk to the front desk bakery area to grab two cheese bagels. 18mins passed, they started to heat the bagels and make the eggs. At 20mins, the manager told me that if I wanted to get food fast they need to do bacon instead of sausage. Here’s is her exact verbatim “Madam, you need to understand sausage takes time to cook, so if you need food fast you should consider changing the order to bacon.” She did not even say a single word of apology, the attitude was rude. It was totally unbelievable and unacceptable that after 20mins the store manager told me to understand sausage take time to cook and I should consider modifying my order, no apologies at all… My family has been a long time loyal customer of Panera, we love their food and customer service. We were extremely upset and disappointed about the new manager at the Bellevue location Panera store, I should have taken down the manager’s name and report to Panera...

You'll likely get the same Panera experience at this location as you would at any other location. Decent food and a generally pleasant atmosphere.. standard franchise. However if you go towards closing time at the Bellevue location and hang out for a bit, you may get a healthy dose of poor customer service and a bit of unprofessionalism too.

I was there late this evening about an hour and half before close. The staff was beginning some of there closing duties, and seemed to be unaware that they were still required to maintain customer service standards. I overheard a conversation one employee had with a dissatisfied customer. While I don't know what the customers complaint was, the employee treated the customer with arrogance and disrespect, laughing dismissively at the customer. The employee simply didn't have the humility and patience you need to have in customer service. Not only that, but the place was a mess and the staff was extremely loud, shouting frequently across the restaurant to one another. They seemed to have no idea that they were still opened for business. As another customer walked in, they lacked any urgency to take care of the customer and continued to shout until finally someone moseyed over to the register to take the customers order. Then they holler back and forth to see if they still had a silly beard bowl. Also it took 15 minutes before I got my food. So boo!

My conclusion: It seems to me like a poorly managed staff who doesn't represent the Panera brand well. Good luck with this...