Panera Bread — Restaurant in Clark

I was trying to give this location a chance since it's closer to my house than the one in Woodbridge, but after about three or four visits, I'll drive a few extra minutes to Woodbridge. During one of my visits, as I was waiting for my food, I noticed the girl who was supposed to be bringing us our food walk past the counter where the food is to be picked up by the staff SEVERAL times. Our food was sitting there, and she kept walking by it or picking up other orders and bringing it to other customers. Finally, after about 15 or 20 minutes, I simply walked over and picked up my own food. That could've been a miscommunication between her and the staff behind the counter - I don't know, but if you're responsible for bringing customers their order then maybe you should inquire, especially if the food has been sitting there for a while.

During all of my visits, I noticed that the floors are filthy, there are always stacks of dishes on top of the trash (almost to the point where you can't fit any more), and the tables are never wiped down. I had to wipe down my own table before we sat down the last two times we were there. I also noticed that the person who was supposed to be cleaning, was eating from an open bag of chips located underneath the area where food for customers are picked up and where there are a bunch of to-go containers. She kept walking by and eating from that bag. There was a drink waiting for her in that area too.

The staff are not that friendly as compared to the staff in Woodbridge. Last time I went to the Woodbridge location, a young kid (probably in high school or college) was the absolute sweetest when interacting with us. He took our order, and then later I saw him cleaning up and he just seemed so thoughtful when interacting with the customers. The staff at Clark are on the other side of the spectrum. They're not very friendly. They're not quick.

Finally - the last time I went, the bread tasted stale! I mean, that's why people go to Panera - for the delicious bread! If it's less than fresh, then I don't want it.

Too bad since this one is in the same center as Whole Foods and we're there a lot.

P.S. I visited this location after work hours around 6-7pm on weeknights so the staff may be completely different on...

I love Panera Bread. I have been a faithful rewards member for more than 6 years. I have never had a problem with any location from NJ, to CT until now. On Monday, January 8th, 2018, (my birthday) I ordered a Southwest salad. In the order I substituted the feta for extra Gorgonzola which ended up costing almost $2 extra. The extra cost was no problem, but when I got my salad there was absolutely no cheese in at all. I called the restaurant three times to try and resolve the matter. I had the food delivered to my job and could not leave to go to the store. I also worked late, which meant that I could not go to the store before it closed. There was no option to leave a message. I tried different phone prompts to see if I could reach someone, anyone! I had no choice but to let it go. Today some coworkers and I ordered. I told them about my experience on Monday, but we thought it may have been a one time mishap. Well today the delivery person forgot my $5 chai latte. He told me that he did not see that in my order. I pointed it out on my receipt and he apologized and said that he would bring it right back. I waited an hour and a half, before deciding to call the restaurant. Keep in mind, my job is only 5 minutes away. Again, no one answered the phone. There is no way to get in contact with the driver, and I tried multiple phone prompts to try to get to someone, anyone! Nothing! Radio silence. So now, I am on here because I am sure that one way or another, this will get to someone. I will never order from this location again! If I could have gone to get the order myself, I would have, but I cannot leave my job. It shouldn't matter how close I am. I paid for delivery, and I should have what I ordered. I will be going into the restaurant after work today to get this resolved. Stay tuned for part two.... Oh and I am sending this...

UPDATE: They say the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. Once again, I placed an order on the app for curbside delivery, checked in on the app when I was there and waited and waited and waited but no one ever brought my order out. I also called the store again, nobody answered. So I went inside to pick up my order, there were no customers waiting and they were not busy. I spoke to the manager. She remembered me from the last time this happened and kept apologizing and blaming her malfunctioning equipment for not bringing out my curbside order and not answering the phone. She did refund me for my order and gave me two additional pastries, but I won't be coming back here. Three strikes and you're out.

UPDATE: Panera in Clark continues to have poor service. I placed a breakfast order on the app for curbside delivery, received notification that my order was ready, checked in on the app that I was there, and waited 15 minutes but no one came out with my order. I called the restaurant and no one answered so I went inside. There were no customers waiting. 2 employees were talking amongst themselves at the counter, I told them I checked in for my app order 15 minutes ago and one of them went to the back to bag my order. They apologized and gave me a free blueberry scone. I also told them I tried to call but no one picked up the phone, I don't think they really care. My intention was to tip in cash when my order was brought to my car. I'm very glad I didn't tip on the app due to the poor service. It's not like they were busy and could use that as an excuse.

I would give zero stars if I could. The sign on the door said they would open at 10am. Really? Guess they don't want those...