Panera Bread — Restaurant in DeKalb Township

Trying to share the amazing Panera experience with a friend (long-distance) who hadn't had it before. Unfortunately, apparently delivery customers get crap service at this location.

There's a BIG difference between 'sandwich got compressed down during delivery' and 'we completely cheaped out on toppings.'

I've had Panera dozens of times at numerous locations. This sandwich is NOT up to Panera standards. Not even close. It is absolutely unacceptable. Paid $15 for asiago with scraps of chicken. Seeing the pictures of similar sandwiches in other reviews (which look AMAZING) makes me absolutely FURIOUS.

(To a lesser extent, but adding insult to injury, $8 for a 12oz smoothie. Says on corporate site it's 16oz. I was a barista for 5 years, I know a 12oz cup and a 16oz cup when I see one. No wonder they don't advertise the actual size on their official site or on Uber. Because they don't want to be held accountable. "Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining." But hey! Maybe their cup has a thicc bottom??? Whether or not I'm right about the cup size, I can forgive that. At least the smoothie was actually GOOD.)

Lucky for them I got this through Uber, or I'd be doing a chargeback.

Don't DISRESPECT your customers just because they ordered delivery - and you don't have to be embarrassed delivering this GARBAGE to their table and having them send it back. You should be happy to have delivery customers, you don't even have to give table service or clean up after us!!!

A little smoothie here and an avocado slice there shouldn't be worth losing a customer over. Needless to say, we...

I think this restaurant has improved quite a bit--for what it's worth, I have always thought they Paneras as a whole are over-rated and over-priced. That said, they do offer quality bagels (for a casual dine-in) and decent food in an atmosphere that is clean and well-kept (as well as cozy and warm). It has always been a popular hang-out spot for groups and friends meeting up and having coffee and thus can be sometimes louder than the quaint coffeeshop feel that Panera tries to maintain. I do think the service is better now--which I think is a compliment to management as it must be extremely difficult in 2023/2024 to recruit anyone willing to work in food service (given how awful they are treated by petulant American customers). On that note, the clientele at Panera for DeKalb are decently behaved---something that has to be taken into account in our area when reviewing businesses I think (they have to respond to the...

Pricey. A good place to meet a friend or client. A good place to study or work alone. Can be tough to find seating during peak hours. Since there is no table service, having food for “dine in” but no table to eat it can be problematic.

I don’t like having to pick up food in one spot and drinks in another (espresso beverages). I also think the food is really overpriced. You pay similarly at a full service restaurant.

Bread and baked good are yummy. Sandwiches, soups and salads are good too. I wish they had soup available earlier in the day (so I could pick it up in the morning for a lunchtime meal).

I like the idea of the coffee subscription (though I don’t participate), and the MyPanera rewards is nice though not as generous of a program as it used to be.

All in all, good quality—better than most “fast food” Restaurants, and despite the cost and nuisance of having to serve myself, I do keep...