Panera Bread — Restaurant in Crystal Lake

Wow. Been coming here for over a year, and today’s experience was one of the worst I have ever had from a business in all my 45+ adult years. I used MyPanera to order dinner for my husband and myself, which he picked up and brought home. I noticed immediately that the two cookies I ordered were not there. Checked the receipt and confirmed I had paid for them. I called the Panera right away, and a counter person answered, after I was on hold for about 5 minutes. I explained that I didn’t get my cookies, and he left the phone to ask someone a question, then came back and said the manager would process a refund. I asked if I would receive an email or a text confirming this (we were talking about almost $6 of food), he paused again, then came back and said it would show at my bank in a few days. I told him that really wasn’t good enough, could I speak with the manager. He said yes and put me on hold. I was on hold the entire time we ate our dinner. I was on hold the entire time I drove back to the restaurant after I finished my dinner. As I walked in the door, I had been on hold waiting for her to pick up for 34 minutes. I asked to speak with her and she came out of the back room. The restaurant was not busy at all, there was plenty of counter help. I pulled her aside and asked her if she would like to be treated like this if a restaurant at had robbed her of $6 in food and showed her my phone, which was still on hold. She gave me a cursory “sorry”, and immediately blamed the counter person, saying he hadn’t told her. She did say he told her someone had been shorted cookies. I have been in retail management for most of my 43 year career. First of all, to try to lay blame on a counter person is not only unprofessional, is smacks of a total lack of accountability to her position. The minute she heard someone had been shorted food, she should have spoken with me personally, and not pushed her job onto a part time worker. Shame on her. She told me she couldn’t do a refund, the general manager had to do it on Monday. When I told her that wasn’t good enough (she had lost any credibility with me), and that since she had ruined our dinner, I wanted a full refund. She told me she couldn’t do that either, so I asked for the name of the general manager and that she write it down on my receipt. At that point she went to the computer and cancelled my whole order. So I guess she could give me a refund. Needless to say, I will be checking my credit card in a few days to see if she actually did cancel the order. It doesn’t let her off the hook, I will still be paying the general manager a visit on Monday, to see if that person can convince me to continue to give them my business. In my professional world, I would have had a final warning for doing what...

The people in this location treat their customers badly. My wife went into the store to get drinks cause we are in the sip club and as she was leaving one of the young ladies working there asked her in front of a full restaurant if she paid for the drinks embarrassing her so when she got back in our van she told me what just happened and I told her to call the store and ask for the store manager and voice her concerns to which the store manager responded back to my wife that she was told about the incident from the employee that she thought she had made a customer upset by what she did ( you basically call people a thief yes they will be upset ) and the manager then told my wife that she didn’t think she meant it to upset her and then my wife asked for the persons name so she could report it to corporate and the manager responded by telling her she will not give the persons name so than my wife said to the manager that she could just walk into the store and look at her name tag and then the store manager said that she was talking that as a threat and if my wife went back to the store they will have her removed which is a threat….. so people please watch that location they think they can treat people poorly and nothing will happen the manager should be fired along with the girl that is questioning paying customers. My wife just wanted the girls name so she could report the incident to corporate and the rude manager that definitely has let her position of manager get to her head and she threatened to have my wife removed from the store if we go back because she is trying to cover up an incident that happened at the restaurant. WOW she is a real professional (NOT) the manager was trying to justify their actions because they said some kids were in the restaurant earlier trying to get free drinks and that is why the lady was yelling out to my wife in front of a full restaurant about did she pay for the drinks she had, and my wife said hey I ain’t no kid and I gave my numbers for the sip club so that’s a lie and the manager responded by threatening to have my wife removed if we go back. We called corporate hopefully there will be a new manager and employee next time we go. Hopefully Corporate Panera will...

I’ve never felt so humiliated in my life being a long time customer of many years and because I called asks asked for a employees name to report to corporate company customer service management I was told I was the one being threatening and not to come into the store because I said all I have to do is get a name off of the name tag and that’s all I said. And the store manager of the Crystal Lake location said she took that as a threat and was right next to another manager over hearing this and saying I’m no longer allowed in the store and I really hope this backfires because I was being very polite when asking for the information i’ve said employee because I don’t like being accused of stealing and because you’re having problems with teenagers coming in and going over-the-counter and grabbing cups, how is that my fault and how am I to react? I was actually the adult and went to call the manager on this young lady and this is how it all started so buyers beware stay away from the crystal Lake location and I’m hoping when I hear back from corporate because I told them not only what happened with the young lady who accused me, but now the manager who’s trying to take The employees back over the correct customers fact that did nothing wrong. Explain to me how that is fair. and explain to me how someone like that should be running a store when they are the one threatening customers and playing games. It’s all on videotape and I really wish I would’ve voice recorded our phone call so the whole world could see how bad the lady manager with the blonde hair and the young lady with red hair and piercings treat people in that place please stay away!!! I would’ve given zero stars, but you have to put something to be able to put a review And this is a location that I know new face or teenager that’s going in and snagging up people‘s orders and cups I’m in my 40s and they know my face I go into that location sometimes in the summer 2 to 4 times a day and the employees both know me so I don’t know what is the problem but I do know they need to act fast on a new manager ASAP and need to retrain the young people on how to...