Panera Bread — Restaurant in Florida

It's been several years since my last Panera visit. This was my first dining experience at the Wickham location. A lot has changed--all (as far as I'm concerned), for the better.

While the menu still retained old favorites, I found many "new" options listed (I am especially excited to see the inclusion of rice bowls!). My go-to, You Pick 2 order remained intact, but I was surprised to see that the Frontega Chicken Panini now held "off menu" status, meaning you had to know of its existence to specially request it. Upon hearing this, I was a bit hesitant to order, wondering if a lack of regular preparation experience would make it less palatable than I remembered. My fears, however, were unfounded. My Frontega Chicken Panini sandwich had more meat, more chipotle mayonnaise, more everything, than ever. Fork-tender chicken, sizzling-sweet mayo, juicy tomato, garden-fresh basil, and zesty onions combined between two toasted slices of panini bread for the best take on the sandwich I have ever had. (I have to give kudos to the staff for being so helpful throughout the process.)

Being a big fan of Asian-inspired dishes, I gave the Thai Soup a try for the first time. Piping-hot, with just a hint of yellow curry for full-bodied warmth, the broth boasted a bouquet of savory and sweet, vegetal and spicy (shiitake mushrooms, red bell peppers, edamame, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, and lime peel, to name a few ingredients). Served with a soft, crispy-baked baguette for dipping, the soup could be enjoyed long before it was cool enough for a spoonful.

Last, but certainly not least, the Orange Cream Scone provided the final flourish on my warm, savory meal. Just as mouthwatering as I remembered, this hand-crafted confection tasted like a creamsicle in baked form--floury-soft within, candied-shelled without, and melded with shaved orange rind for extra bursts of citrus on the palate.

My dining experience here restored my faith in Panera Bread, and a quick glance at the untasted menu items made me eager to return. I look forward to another delicious luncheon! Thank you for the...

Never have I ever experienced such incredible customer service. I honestly don’t even want to call it customer service- I genuinely felt that Kim- the general manager did absolutely everything she could to make sure I was taken care of! I used to be a very regular (I mean almost every day) Panera customer but was so bummed when they discontinued a dressing I loved! (Balsamic) I saw it was nearby so I stopped by for the first time in a while to pick up a soup and sand which for my boyfriend and I... I briefly mentioned to Kim why I hadn’t visited the franchise in so long due to not having the dressing and because I always ordered the same thing as I had food allergies- she offered to find the ingredients out for me and to try some new dressing to see if I liked them. Not wanting to have her take her time to simply check ingredients thinking she had other things to do I said don’t worry about it... not even two minutes later as I was waiting for me order, Kim sat down with me and brought the binder out of ingredients in the different dressings. We settled in one that accommodated my food allergies... and she threw a few extra in there in case I liked them (she suggested I might) well sitting here a few hours later wanting to go back for another salad!!!! I absolutely will be back! As a past regular everyday customer I would never have come back if someone didn’t take the time to help acknowledge my food allergies and give me a reason to keep coming back! Absolutely incredible experience. If every franchise ran with Kim as the face of it- I can guarantee there would be an overwhelming number of satisfied, impressed, and grateful customers!!! Thank you so much Kim! You made my day- will...

Went in today with my daughter to get bagels and coffee. She got iced coffee, but there was no cream available. I ordered, ordered being the key word, hot coffee. The coffee in the dispenser was lukewarm. I asked the cashier if they had any hot coffee in the back. I was greeted with a blank stare. She finally said no and yelled over to someone and asked them to brew some more coffee. I gave her my half filled cup of lukewarm coffee. (This is the second time I’ve gotten lukewarm coffee at this location. Last time I was rudely told that I could use the microwave to warm it up. Wasn’t going to do that this time.) I proceeded to eat my bagel with some water. I was done and still no hot coffee. I went to the register and asked for my money back. The cashier didn’t know what to do. Another employee was there and offered to get me some hot coffee from back, but I declined. I wanted to have I have it with my bagel. The service here is unacceptable. I won’t go back to this location. And the prices at Panera in general are too much for the amount and quality that...