Panera Bread — Restaurant in Lake Forest

Panera definitely impressed me as a first time dine-in guest. This location had a slow afternoon so when I showed up, I used the kiosk to order and the staff there were so helpful to find my order when I was confused where to find it and how to retrieve it. The staff even took my order to my table and I ordered a soup, sandwich, frozen beverage and a bakery item to get a good idea of what Panera had to offer. No downsides to the experience! It was such a classic meal, modest in flavor and pleasant to enjoy. I do lament a little the pricing but I can't complain too much since the meal was satisfying and the experience was positive. I first tried the classic chicken noodle soup and it was even better than those Campbell's options you find in a can without the saturation of sodium in them. Pleasant to eat and consume even the broth. I then began to eat my Turkey Sandwich (a basic order) which was also a lovely satisfying bite. I had to save the 2nd half for later since the first half with the soup already had me full (I hold less food in one sitting). I did also drink a frozen strawberry lemonade and I'm sorry @JambaJuice, but this is my new favorite thing. The smoothie like consistency of it at least made it worth it's price and I definitely tasted the fruit and it was ALIVE. (Jamba Juice lately has been lacking in flavor). Lastly the basic chocolate chip cookie was simply good. I wish it was a little softer but if it was I probably would have ate it so fast, it would have been too tempted to take my time with it. In total, I paid about $25 for the items (got a free apple with it too) and ate it in the space - it was a lovely inside set up. Well managed and free wifi available to do some work while you enjoy a meal. I will definitely be a Panera regular and while I'm not in the area often, I will be visiting my local Panera back at...

Don't come here if you want to be solicited while you eat inside the restaurant, My husband and I where enjoying a Meal on Thursday december 23th, right before closing time and we noticed a homeless person inside the restaurant with white hair and wearing earmuffs, we didn't mind her but we notice her staring at the customers in a strange way. Then in the middle of our conversation while eating our dinner, this individual comes to our table and ask us for a ride, we told her that is something we can't do and she insisted again, she said that it will be just 5 minutes and that she really need it, and she just kept insisting until we handed her some cash, then she left and went to the next customer. The ambience and the staff are very friendly but we felt very uncomfortable after that experience, is okay if the restaurant wants to give food to a homeless person in need, but soliciting customers while they eat inside the establishment should not be tolerated or allowed. We report this next morning to the manager and hoped something will be done about it , but we went back a week later at a different time and we saw the same person in the same table she usually is. Sadly we had to u-turn and eat in another place since nothing was done about it, and this person seems to be there the whole day for several weeks bothering and soliciting customers who are...

As a whole my bestie n I love Panera. A bit pricier than other 1/2 n 1/2 Sammy n soup/salad places. But the quality is really there. I love their juice/tea/ lemonade section. Real sugar or agave and fresh flavors. Black tea never old or bitter and the lemonade for me. Yup, Arnald Palmer style. Most Paneras run a busy lunch, this one was no exception. The staff was super nice from order taking to sit down. As always with premade food for the chain, the freshness was there. My one wish, about 4 more ounces for a large soup or Mac n cheese. This isn't a local store issue but a chain issue the way the food is prepared. If the customer is willing to pay a premium for large the size difference should be noticable, IMHO. Lots of flavors here AND flatbread if you're feeling protein n carby. As usual found the dining room clean. Bathroom for men/women, men's was clean n stocked. Would return here, yes. Might suggest outside of 12N-1pm due to lunch crowd. They also deliver or have...