Panera Bread — Restaurant in Charleston

Atmosphere: 5/5 This Panera Bread looks either new or recently remodeled, and it’s one of the nicer ones I’ve been to. The exterior is clean and attractive, with a good amount of outdoor seating along the sidewalk—complete with umbrellas and patio furniture for those wanting to enjoy a meal outside. There’s also a drive-thru, which adds extra convenience.

Inside, the layout is spacious, modern, and thoughtfully arranged. It has plenty of booth seating, a clean and stylish mix of tile and carpet, and soft lighting from contemporary hanging fixtures. One corner features a gas fireplace, which adds a warm, cozy touch to the dining space. There’s also a private community room with a flat-screen TV—perfect for meetings or quiet group gatherings. Everything was clean, inviting, and well-maintained.

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Service: 3/5 Service was just okay during our visit. We placed our order using the self-serve kiosk (which was easy to use), but none of the staff greeted us or made any effort to interact. It was close to closing time, and you could tell the employees were winding down and not particularly thrilled to still be serving guests. Our food came out correctly and in a timely manner, but the lack of a friendly greeting or acknowledgment made the experience feel a bit impersonal.

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Food: 4/5 We didn’t order a full meal this time, but we did try a bowl of mac & cheese with a side baguette. The mac & cheese was creamy, rich, and satisfying—classic Panera quality. The baguette had a nicely crusted exterior with a chewy center, lightly dusted with flour. It wasn’t the most refined presentation (looked a little like it was hand-torn from a larger loaf), but it was still fresh and great for dipping. A simple combo that hit the spot.

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Final Thoughts: This Panera Bread stands out for its atmosphere and layout—it’s clean, cozy, and welcoming. While the service could be friendlier, especially during evening hours, the food and setting make it worth a visit. With a drive-thru, plenty of seating, and a peaceful indoor environment, it’s a great spot for a quick bite, a casual meeting, or even a place to work...

This has been my go-to dinner spot for grab & go days.. and honestly I'm disappointed in the quality and service my family has received on our last 3 visits. The portion of salad they are giving now is 1/3 of what it always had been. Management experience regarding customer service was astounding.. like pitiful horrible. But Brandon who usually works at the front register is the sweetest, most polite young man in there. He truly deserves employee of the year.. while others stand around doing nothing, talking, shouting, gossiping. And other Management is right there participating. There shouldn't be 50% airspace in your salad container. When you order a half Greek salad w/ chicken, you get a quarter salad now. I was checking my bag on the way out recently and a GM got up from his table, came over to me and asked if there was a problem. I politely told him I was just surprised by how small my salad was. He said staff has been over compensating, I told him we had been coming in 2x weekly for months ordering the same thing, so that doesn't make sense. I asked if I could possibly have some more lettuce added to my salad, and he goes behind the counter and grabbed a small container, then proceeded to place 3 tiny shreds of lettuce in it and hand it to me. Needless to say my husband, daughter, and I were shocked. Quite dumbfounded. We, like many other families.. spend hundreds of dollars per month bringing our business to this restaurant, and to be treated in such a way was imo unacceptable. I love the food, the ambience is great, but quality has dropped and when you're a regular you notice it. Even my bread was just hollow...

When Panera first opened it was great. Cost saving to make more money has ruined the restaurant. Sandwiches are half the size of what they were originally, even the sandwich bread slices are tiny compared to original size. The bread no longer has the appeal it had before. Sandwhiches like the turkey bacon bravo, which has been there from the start are more grocery tomatoes, sauce and lettece than actual turkey. My last sandwich had so much sauce, that it was dripping tablespoons of it as I tried to eat it. The soup portions are a third of your bowl, and anything that says new recipe has been ruined by cheaping out. The chili no longer has garbanzo beans etc. and tastes more like soup than chili. The fruit cups still show pictures of strawberries, grapes, and blueberries when you order, but all you ever get now is cantelope, honeydew, and pineapple. Disappointing every single time I give in and take my son to panera, which really is only because he wants a smoothie with some soup. Thank you to whomever is the idiot that thinks they are doing a great service to the bottom line, by cheaping out in every possible way. I hope some other company figures it out, and delivers what Panera used to be before they started this race to the bottom of quality and value...