Panera Bread — Restaurant in High Point

I had the worst customer service experience I have ever had to date here. I had been coming to this Panera(68 and penny) for more than three years, sometimes twice a week. I ordered the same thing almost everytime, since I would come in the morning, an iced coffee with three pumps of caramel. I walked in one day after trying to call ahead, so it would be ready when I got there. Peter was the manager who had answered the phone. He had been irritable, inconsiderate and tried to hurry me off the phone(all I wanted was ONE drink). When I arrived, my drink was not ready and my total was twice as much as it normally would be. I asked why and Crystal(lady at register) said that Peter had put the order in and he had charged me .75 x 3, for each pump of caramel! I had never been charged for caramel before. I asked to speak to Peter. As I knew from our previous phone call, he was already in an awful mood. I let him know I had never been charged for caramel before and now since I was aware it was seventy-five cents a pump I would not be ordering it anymore but since my drink was ready I would like the charges removed just this once since I would be informed in the future. Peter's answer to me was, "that stuff is expensive!" I couldn't believe it. He continued to be argumentative and belligerent when I explained to him the best route of customer service here would be to comp this caramel since I had never been charged before and I would now know for future visits. He absolutely refused to do it and so I left without anything that day. I let him know that I would not return while he was there and all he said was "sorry you feel that way". I felt like he took that opportunity to try and belittle me in front of his employees which is never ok. I called the general manager, Chris, that day. He said that he was very sorry but never offered to retrieve an apology from Peter or any sort of monetary compensation. He did say that Peter was to go through counseling with the company but I have never heard since or been informed of that. Customers are not always right, but neither are employees. Peter did not win anyone over that day and therefore has lost A LOT of customers through my friends and family. I have returned very few times, sometimes calling and making sure he isn't there before I would go. Otherwise, I drive 10 minutes farther to the Panera on Wendover. That is an awful feeling to have to deal with before going to one of my favorite...

Full disclosure: This is only the SECOND negative review I have ever written on Google Maps. As my profile says I tend to only review places I like but.....

My elderly mom wanted some good soup so we drove quite a distance to come here. Hey I get it; Panera Bread is known for quality food at not inexpensive prices. I dont have the app so I went in. I asked the lady taking orders if the soup came with bread. [In the middle of my order another customer came to the pickup spot and said her order was incorrect. The lady helping me.... quit helping me and seemed determined to tell all of her fellow employees that the customer made the mistake.] She came back and she nodded and muttered something close to a yes about said bread and made no eye contact. I ordered the autumn squash soup. I waited. It was not busy. When I got my order I looked in my bag and I had what looked more like a crouton than a piece of bread. I took it out and went back to the lady and asked if this was the 'bread'. I then nicely asked if this was a typical serving. Both she and the lady who seemed to be the manager said it was. No offer to get me another piece or to see if I was satisfied. Not even a "is there a problem" If you charge nearly $8.00 for a 'bowl' of soup I would expect more than two bird bites of bread. Plus the piece looked horrible. I have attached a pic of the bread. It was the size of a lemon and I have a lemon in pic to prove it. I won't darken the doorway of this location for quite awhile if ever again and I like most Paneras I have ever frequented.

Full disclosure: I had some of the soup and it was really good. The bread went in the trash. I dont care how good your food is when you act like you really dont care and you act like you [the business] are doing me [the customer] a favor by allowing me to come in and give you my money for...

I visited the Penny Road location in High Point today, and was reminded that excellent customer service is still alive and flourishing, even amidst the pandemic we are experiencing. Trista Kitchen exemplified this to be true, as she went above and beyond the expectations of what I had encountered during my visit while trying to validate and use a VISA gift card. Trista approached the me with care and concern, and after discovering that my attempt to validate the gift card had been hacked while I was using the Panera WiFi, she directed another team member to "make this sweet lady a frozen mocha coffee and be sure to add whipped cream and caramel drizzle on it. Since she has been trying her darndest for the past 2 hours to give us more of her business, the drink is 'on the house' !" I nearly wept with gratitude, as I had spent considerable time in frustration trying to validate my "virtual gift card", and had missed not only breakfast, but also missed out on meeting my daughter and grandson for lunch. I appreciated her showing the compassion I often gave my clients as an RN, prior to retiring before I was ready to "hang up my hat and stethoscope". As she gently handed me my drink, she asked me if I needed help with anything else, and wished me a better ending to my day as I departed. I appreciated the way Trista approached me and talked to me; this exemplifies the meaning of "great customer service", in my humble opinion. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, kindness...