Panera Bread — Restaurant in Fayetteville

The manager, Bryan with a y, at the Panera on Skibo Rd. in Fayetteville, N.C. does not understand the first thing about customer service.

I ordered a rapid pick-up order through the Panera app. My son also ordered a rapid pick-up order through the app. When the app alerted me the order was ready to be picked up, I went to the drive-thru. I announced I was there to pick up two mobile orders. The lady said I had to come in. I told her I know others have gone through the drive-thru to pick up their rapid pick-up order, my son being one. (He regularly gets his rapid-pick up through the drive-thru, albeit at a different Panera.)

Another gentleman got on and repeated what the lady had said, that rapid pick-up orders had to go in, to pick-up.

Then I asked to speak to the manager. The manager then took it further and said it is "company policy" that rapid pick-up orders made through the app have to be picked up inside. I asked his name and told him I would be contacting the corporate office. He said his name is Bryan with a y, and essentially indicated he did not care that I would be contacting the corporate office.

I parked and contacted Panera customer service. The first gentleman listened carefully, apologized, and sympathized with my experience. I asked to speak to a supervisor and he got one on the line in a reasonable amount of time.

Emily, the supervisor listened carefully to my complaint. She explained there is no company policy that states the store cannot deliver a rapid pick-up order through the drive-thru. She said she would pass my complaint on to the Area Operating Partner who would handle my complaint with the manager. She also gave me a $15 credit to be applied on a future purchase. While I appreciate Emily's ability to have empathy and her response, I would like to know what actions were taken against the incompetent manager.

I am getting tired of managers who act more like dictators instead of acting like they own the business and want you to come back. Read this review at https://boz.li/panera.

*edit 9/11/23 They now have an option in the app for pick-up through the drive-thru. I guess Corporate listened to the customer. Too bad they lost some revenue from me while fixing the problem instead of the manager being customer service oriented. But I am giving them another try...

The food is great the service not so much. I struggled to place an order online because it wouldn't permit me to use my panera gift card. I then called my ordcalledand paid over the phone with gift card. Upon arriving to pick up my order there was a car still ordering at the drive thru order screen, so I was able to pull up to the pick up window. In doing so I find my 1 phone preordered sandwich was not only still NOT ready but as I waited at the window the other vehicle finally pulled up behind me finishing their order. The pick up window lady says, your turkey sandwich still isn't ready may I please have you drive up some as we ready it. I pull up, upset as I phone preordered 1 single sandwich and it was not ready even still after arriving and sitting there waiting. The car having completed their order behind me then, receives, pays, gets her receipt and food and pulls away, meanwhile I was still waiting. I had bought the sandwich for my daughter. 12mins later a very fair skinned, slender, but slightly taller than average female WITH a light BLUE shirt (meanwhile, the other window employees had black shirts) and an apron walks out with my order, hands me my order and says nothing but shows a very bothered face expression like, "here have your order and leave." Meanwhile, Im feeling so annoyed and disappointed. Then she stands at the open door of Panera watching looking bothered as we pulled away, my daughter says, mom, whoa look at her face and her standing there. I then said, "Im the one with the right to be upset by the service, not you." It was just a single sandwich and it took them 23min to complete, meanwhile the parking lot wasnt packed with visitors but just a few. Pre-orders are suppose to be quicker and employees aren't suppose to be snobby but super pleasant as they normally are. Want to work at Panera, leave your problems at home. If you can't handle 📞 orders, say so, rather than get ones hopes up by taking the order and leaving them hanging when they arrive. A phone order should make thgs simple and quick for when one arrives for pick up, not lengthy a complicated. Really really upset at the drive-thru service Saturday, August 3rd, 2019 between the hours of 5p-630p @ the Skibo Road, Fayetteville...

Not only the Chicken Noddle soup was more of a brooth, missing everything, chicken, carrots and noodles. I usually order online and it's usually just a broth and the bread is placed on the same bag without a paper bag. Also, every time I go to order through the drive through they ask for my number to add the order to My Panera so I could get the Rewards I rightfully earn, but they never show up in My Panera app. Today, Sunday, October 24, I ordered through the window but again it wasn't added to My Panera, so I asked the cashier we paid for the food about it. She gave me a copy of the receipt and ask me to add it myself, but there is supposed to be a 3-section code that you have to enter from the receipt in the app but there was no such code, only the order number. I called and after a long wait (it was 2:15pm) a Kim answered the phone, who, to my surprise I later on the conversation learned that she was a manager. She didn't know a single thing about the app, the receipts, the codes, the rewards, not a single thing about anything. She said to call back when the next manager arrives. You need managers that know their job and beyond, like hello, helping customers, not just certain things about the menu and perhaps scheduling employees. You should now that customer service is paramount. Please have people that can help! What good it does to have an app that you put there yourselves for rewards but can't service issues with it, and I don't mean technical issues. I just needed to know where in the receipt is the code so I could add that drive thru order to My Panera app. Everytime I order drive through none of my orders go to My Panera app and it's frustrating because I'm missing on so many rewards that I should have earned. And then, the Manager can't help. There's something...