Panera Bread — Restaurant in Corvallis

I'm a big fan of Panera's healthy food options, and really like how Jessica runs the Corvallis location. She is awesome! However, I had a bad experience there this evening (Jess was not working).

I walked in to pick up my order and there was a homeless man sleeping in the front seating area, with garments draped over all the raised window bar seating to dry. There was a gallon jug, with what I hope was a little bit of apple juice in it sitting on the floor next to him. The senior employee responded with dismissal (like, how dare I think that's not ok) when I mentioned it to her. I try to be very compassionate for those less fortunate, but I'm sure many of Panera's patrons don't care for that ambiance (they were busy and nobody was anywhere near him).

As I waited for my meal by the prep counter, two other homeless people walked in and asked where the water cups were. They then sipped water and stood by the take-out shelf as if they were waiting for a meal to take (I know this has been an issue in the past, which is why the shelf is no longer in the front of the store). One of them had a nasty sounding cough, standing there, right next to where everyone gets their food. COVID, RSV, Influenza - take your pick, they're all going around.

Panera is not a homeless shelter. For the sake of your paying customer's health and your future business, please ask them to leave. If they won't leave, call the police. The police can do nothing unless they are reported for trespassing. Jessica, please talk with your employees about this.

Its very sad to see our once beautiful community going the way of Eugene and Portland. I know I'll catch flack for this, but it...

QUALITY INGREDIENTS, TASTY MEALS, FRIENDLY STAFF and GREAT VALUE makes it easy for me to enjoy my three square meals! I discovered Panera as the result of a serious accident which rendered me unable to drive, shop or prepare my own meals during a several month recovery period. Since I live alone and have no real support group, I have been ordering my three daily meals for delivery to my home.

I am a retired pastry chef and owned a bakery in San Francisco. That said, I admit to being a bit of a “food snob”. However, in my defense, I don’t think my local Panera Cafe has its “A Team” on duty for breakfasts. I’m not a fan of the breakfast items I have tried. The cinnamon rolls, bear claws and other glazed pastries are OK, but should not all be glazed with the same orange flavored glaze as it is bitter, giving all the pastries a bitter as well as redundant flavor. The Pumpkin Muffies need raisins, cranberries or apples to enhance and maintain moisture. The soufflés in my local Cafe were over baked. A soufflé should be tender and light ... not difficult to chew or dark brown/black. I enjoyed the oatmeal, fresh fruits, coffee beverages and smoothies.

The lunch and dinner items have all exceeded my expectations! This is wholesome, healthy gourmet food products and have been prepared and presented for the benefit of a wide variety of clientele. Overall, I am VERY pleased with the quality, quantity and value of the foods. I am equally impressed with the efficiency and cheerful attitudes...

Panera was once a weekly+ staple in our household! ☕️🥙🥗 Unfortunately, the quality & service has gone waaay down over the past 10 years while prices have continued to rise.

I would always hesitate to recommend 🧜🏼‍♀️ “a different, well known coffee chain” given the political status, but if you want more consistent service, I would say go there instead of Panera.

The staff helped me with some disdain & I figured it might just be their demeanor (I know many folks don’t present outwardly friendly due to neurodivergence or rbf, including many of my friends) but after I was serviced and leaving feeling like a nuisance, the same staff member was VERY enthusiastically & loudly engaged in telling another coworker a story.

Given that Corvallis is a college town, it could be that the staff might be younger and not as experienced on how their lack of friendliness affects business. However, with the rise of online ordering, there unfortunately may not be a need of counter staff in the future anyway. 🤷🏻 I would prefer to speak to a human vs. a computer any day! 🙌🏽

Thank you for considering this...