Panera Bread — Restaurant in Florida

Hi, my name is Rob. It’s an open review of Panera, destin and the overbuilt commercial area which was dirt, swamp, trees and sand…I was gee in 1980 on, US Air Force and made it my home… I have been at this location quite a number of times in the last few weeks since visiting fort Walton/ Destin. This place reminds me of a Disney world, over built town, a lot of visitors and tourists with a bad attitude nit all but diversity and bad driving…Yeah I might as well just live back in New York City or LA again since all of them left to come to this place OK I have to say that the service is just OK depending on who you deal with. They really don’t get that busy. They do get a busy rush in the morning and a little afternoon and evening not like some odd been in the larger Cities, my biggest complaint is for this location not being that old does not have hardly any outlets for your PC or your phone and it is actually getting pretty worn out by looking at the seating. I think there’s this manager or who knows if he’s an owner that comes in looking kinda Strange with his flip-flops I mean the doors are not working properly here and the biggest complaints in the bathroom and I’ve let them know about it there’s no toilet paper paper towels on the toilets are not working and it’s not like a lot of people use this location. Yeah, there are a few homeless that come here a few God needs to take care of , or Destin okaloosa city dies nothing… but I just wanted to put a review since I travel so much as a retired Air Force veteran who has lived all over the United States and seen the changes in areas that no one would imagine living like this is just another concrete jungle of commercial markets remember the movie they live about your living obey, buy, consume. Kind of like in Georgia Orwells 1984 or Aiduos Huxleys “brave New World.” even with his shortcomings there has been some pretty good people here that work here and the service and they know who they are but them it’s just a job and most of these locations are young employees… I have no desire to pay over priced not worth it rent and other fees for a beach town which used to be pretty reasonably priced back in the 1980s until about now. And I see the same kind of corporate mentality here in a little beach city. It’ll be just like Vegas. This place will go bust within the year, if it’s mortgages and over built concrete jungle, God bless you all again…I’ll say it again. Say what you mean, mean...

Recently moved from Ft Walton Beach to Destin. Panera in FWB--consistently great service. This location--consistently horrible. As all the other 1-star reviewers have noted, it is mind-boggling how Panera corporate tolerates the abuse of their brand by the incompetence of this franchisee.

I will compare/contrast two recent visits. Ordered a coffee with cream at Destin drive-through. Instead of cream added to my coffee, I was handed small carry-out creamers with no word of explanation and no thank you. Not cool. Pulled into a parking space to add my cream. Took lid off and coffee spilled out due to being filled to the brim. (see paper towel in photo). If someone orders cream, why isn’t it added, or at least, why isn’t room left to add it?

Second photo--same order at FWB. Order handed to me by smiling employee who thanked me and wished me a blessed day. Coffee had cream added and a seal across the top--something I’ve never had at Destin.

This issue sounds very small--and it is, but there have been small service failures literally every single visit. I’ve never had a visit to this location that went well. Orders wrong, several times have had long waits at window for a coffee at non-peak times. If you think it will be faster inside, think again. No employees greet you. Literally nobody home. Signs on the counter direct you to use the kiosk. They force you to use the kiosk. Even for just a cup of coffee. Then you go to the window in the back and wait for your cup. Then go back to the front for your coffee, and they’re out of dark roast. Or out of half & half, or both. Happens Every. Single. Time.

As a retired senior manager of a customer-focused organization, I have little empathy or tolerance for the incompetent management at this location. I’ve cancelled my coffee subscription and will be a Starbucks...

This used to be a great Panera. Very close to my house, so I drive through several times per week for coffee in the mornings and lunch sometimes. Seems like things have changed over the last few weeks, and not for the better. Portions are noticeably smaller, several times the coffee is only filled halfway, and the wait in the drive through is just ridiculous (over 25 mins some times), and there is no way to exit the drive through, so you are stuck. Recently, I drove through and ordered the vegetable soup in a bread bowl. 15 min wait this time, which was much better than last, and I quickly drove off after receiving the bag as there were several cars behind me. After pulling out I noticed I only had soup. No bread bowl, not even bread. So I parked and went inside. I explained to the lady behind the counter that I had ordered a bread bowl but didn’t get any bread at all. She replied that they don’t offer bread bowls and only a piece of bread with the soups, despite the large sign overhead advertising a bread bowl with soup. She grabbed a piece of bread and put it in the bag. I pointed out the sign above about the bread bowl and she responded, oh you have to ask for it. Well, I’m pretty sure I did. Seems this Panera has had a changeover of staff and they need additional training. The people who used to operate the drive through were super efficient (Que, Jessica) and I never had a problem. Seems like an issue every time I go there now. Disappointing. Would recommend you go inside at this location, and not use the drive through unless you have...