Panera Bread — Restaurant in Hoover

We recently stopped in at Panera Bread and decided to try the Asiago Spicy Steak Bagal Stack—and let me just say, wow. The sandwich was a knockout. The bread was perfectly crisp, the steak seasoned just right, and the spice gave it that satisfying kick. It was one of those meals where you instantly know you’ll be thinking about it later.

But as great as the food was, the experience started on a sour note. When we walked in, we expected a warm welcome, especially since this was only our second visit to Panera. Instead, we were greeted—well, we weren’t. The attendant, a young man named Cody, was physically there but completely disengaged. No smile. No greeting. Just a blank stare from behind the register.

We asked about the new sandwich and had to basically poke a response out of him. It felt like we were interrupting him rather than walking into a place that values hospitality. We told him it was only our second time dining at Panera—another opportunity for some friendly connection—but again, just that same cold expression.

We eventually found the sandwich on the menu board and placed our order. Not knowing it came with a side, we started looking for options. Finally, Cody told us it came with chips—short, abrupt, and without so much as a “thank you” or “enjoy your meal.”

Thankfully, the team behind the scenes—the ones preparing the food—absolutely delivered. Every bite of that sandwich made us feel like maybe, just maybe, the visit was worth it. If it weren’t for their work, we likely wouldn’t have felt any desire to return. But credit where it’s due—the food was exceptional.

So here’s the bottom line: Panera Bread, your kitchen staff is knocking it out of the park. But your front-line service, at least in Cody’s case, needs serious attention. A smile and a simple hello go a long way. When customers feel ignored or unwelcome, even the best meal can be soured.

We’ll be back—for the sandwich. But we sincerely hope the service matches the quality of the...

My wife and I ate lunch here today (4/15/23). The Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad, a seasonal dish at Panera, is my wife’s favorite. It was back on the menu today so that is what ordered. She said it was great as usual and if she was writing this review she would give it 5 stars all the way. I ordered the Green Goddess sandwich and salad (what they called a Pick 2 - essentially a veggie sandwich and salad.) It was a lot of food so I decided to eat the sandwich and bring the salad home to eat later. My first few bites of the sandwich were delicious. The bread crust was a perfectly crispy and the ingredients verty tasty. However, after a few bites i had a bit of a burning sensation in my mouth. (I have to admit a that I am a weeny when it comes to food that is spicy hot, I am just not a fan and always try my best to avoid it.). By the time I finished the sandwich my mouth was burning. Who would thought something called Green Goddess anything would be spicy hot. I was curious so I as the guy who had prepared the order what made the sandwich hot thinking that maybe I could just omit that ingredient next time. He couldn’t think of any ingredient that would make the sandwich spicy hot, except may it was in the Green Goddess dressing. I just ate the salad which had plenty of the dressing in it; it wasn’t in the dressing. I suspect that the sandwich had some peppers in it that aren’t supposed be hot. Now keep in mind I have a weary mouth and people who like a bit of heat in their food would have ...

Really didn't wanna leave a review but hoooooly crap

Been sick in bed so I ordered a soup and sandwich. Never arrived so I called the store and they said they couldn't help me but they could refund it. Which would be fine but I had used all of my discount codes and Panera points.. which she said they could do nothing about and that was gone. She was very nice and threw in some pastries and upgraded my drink to a large, but I still had to pay a lot more.

Well I reordered and the food came completely inedible AND incorrect. Like the whole order was nasty and had to be thrown away. Everything was ice cold and seemed like it hasn't even been heated up, which is crazy because it's 5 minutes away.

So I called customer service and was told they could not refund me but would put a credit on my account. Ok... I was going to try ordering from somewhere else but can't do that now.

So I specifically went to the website and put in a DIFFERENT Panera location and requested delivery from them hoping it was just that location. They approved it.. then sent my order to the first store anyway 🙄

I used my credit but now had no codes left so it was even more money, and it came WRONG, cold and inedible again. Also my soup was barely half full this time 😭 like y'all please

Customer service gave me a store credit and said they would be in touch with the cafe which is awesome. Just sucks because I can't go to the store and...