Panera Bread — Restaurant in Florida

I never write reviews. And I'm starting to realize that I should. I cannot stand this place anymore. We were excited to have this Panera open by us. Having a drive thru and being able to avoid the headache of parking at Wiregrass mall was very exciting.

Our excitement didn't last long. Into our second visit there, we were already picking up on a pattern. A high percentage of our orders were wrong. Not complicated orders either (we are very basic in what we order from there). I have complained to management before and even contacted Corporate to complain about their inconsistency. In one instance they gave me bacon on my breakfast sandwich when I had simply asked for egg and cheese. Sure, maybe they heard me wrong. However, they repeated my order to me and even had it correct on the receipt. Being vegetarian I was certainly surprised taking that first bite of my sandwich. I went back to the store and complained to the manager but he didn't really seem to care. Calling corporate did absolutely nothing. I wish this was an isolated incident because I understand things happen. Unfortunately, it is more of a regular occurrence. And it doesn't just happen in the drive thru. Almost every time they figure out a way of making some mistake with the order. And management doesn't seem to really care.

Why do I keep going back if it is so horrible? It still is conveniently close and the alternative, when we are in a bind, is fighting traffic elsewhere. So we started checking everything before even pulling away from the drive thru. If there are any issues we have it fixed. We haven't had an issue the last couple of times we went there so I didn't think much of it when surprising my wife with her favorite meal (a you pick 2) this afternoon. I get home and sure enough they gave her tomato soup instead of chicken noodle. I don't understand how that even happens. We didn't have time to go back and neither of us like that soup so that was about a 9 dollar chicken salad. A complete waste of time and money.

The stories like this are numerous and I feel like a fool for thinking that something will change. When they closed the store early the other week and had a sign of "exciting changes coming" I was hoping it would be some basic training on preparing orders correctly but I guess that is not a high priority.

So this is one of my first reviews ever. We have given this Panera location it's last shot. The entire store is careless and does not seem to care in the least about the customers experience. I will never go back to this store. I would rather go out of my way from now on than bother with them. It's really unfortunate because other locations can get it right 99% of the time and we do really like...

First time ever customer to Panera. Preferred delivery to Best Western, 5639 Oakley Blvd, Wesley Chapel, Fl 33544 which was not available so completed rapid pick up. Confirmed all items present prior to leaving; upon arrival destination and further examination order, not impressed with the salads at all - VERY SKIMPY!! Particularly with the Half Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken. (literally TWO) Mandarin Oranges; (equivalent TWO VERY SMALL pineapple pieces shaved into tiny slivers) Fresh Pineapple; Chicken; (literally FOUR) Fresh Blueberries; Pecans; Strawberries; Extra Fat-Free Poppyseed; Extra Romaine Lettuce; (paid extra $.49 for 5 crumble pieces) Feta. The baguette was hard as a rock. Half Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken. Chicken; Avocado; Extra Arugula, Romaine, Kale & Radicchio; (paid extra $.79 for) Extra Chopped Bacon (which extra was not included); Extra Green Goddess Dressing; (paid extra $.49 for what amounted to an extra half of a boiled egg) Extra Hard Boiled Egg. Again the baguette was as hard as a rock. The remaining order consisting of Whole Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT was "OK." Definitely won't get again for $10.18. The Tortellini Alfredo Pasta, Cup Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Chocolate Chipper Cookie, and Coconut Macaroon did meet expectations. These were enjoyed. For paying $36.41 do not expect HALF the order to be a complete disappointment. YOU DEFINITELY NEED TO UPDATE THE PICTURE OF THE HALF STRAWBERRY POPPYSEED SALAD WITH CHICKEN WEBSITE PHOTO or actually include the big pieces of pineapple, big pieces of almonds, and more blueberries. The added feta was a joke. Considering I paid for the extras and omitted things like tomatoes and onions (that were still included in price) you would think they wouldn't be prepared so skimpy....

This group just can’t get it together! I try to give businesses the benefit of the doubt but this location screws up my food EVERY SINGLE TIME! Case in point…I just went through the drive thru and asked for my sandwiches to be made on croissants. I have learned to check to make sure the number of items I ordered is in the bag before leaving…all pieces were accounted for so I drove home. When I unwrapped the sandwiches, I discovered that they were on focaccia bread. I don’t like focaccia so I called and asked for my sandwiches to be remade. I drive 15 minutes back to the location, walk inside, meet the on-duty manager at the counter. He attempted to place the blame on me and I made it clear that I don’t like focaccia and would never order it for my sandwiches. He enter the order wrong and he needed to own it. When I picked up the new, correct sandwiches they were so light on meat that they weren’t worth eating! No consideration for the 45 minutes I wasted. No consideration for their error. No attempt to ensure that I was happy and would continue to patronize their establishment. Nothing. The managers attitude was “don’t let the door hit you on the way out”. Well my friend, I can confirm that the door didn’t hit me and I won’t be crossing your threshold again. There are plenty of restaurants in the Lutz area that are more than willing to provide great service, great products, and great value. Long story short, this Panera location stinks...