Panera Bread — Restaurant in Madison

This is the review I wrote for a High School class and is not for any Panera in particular: For years, Panera has been my favorite coffee shop. The relaxing environment is what sets Panera apart from the rest. The woodsy aesthetic of the building provides an ideal location to spend a morning studying, especially when accompanied by a cup of freshly ground coffee and a cinnamon roll glazed translucent icing. The Panera staff are consistently friendly and create a very welcoming environment. They are always ready to help you with whatever you need. The warm wood tones and faux leather booths add a sense of coziness. When I was about five years old, I would visit Panera with my mom as a reward for going to the doctor. My favorite thing to get was a pink tulip sugar cookie. The silky-smooth icing layered on top of a buttery dough would last my toddler self through a morning of errands. While I was munching on my cookie, my mother would be enjoying her usual: either an airy bear claw or a blueberry muffin. Back in the day, when my mom was in college, she would try to swing by Panera between her late-morning classes and early-afternoon classes to snack on a delicious pastry while sipping on a dark roast coffee. She always made sure to snap a picture of her appetizing food, so she would post it on Facebook to encourage her friend to also visit Panera. That’s as much as I ever listened to, my ears would tend to tune out her brittle voice whenever she would mention the word “coffee.” Anyway, when I got a bit older, around age nine or ten, I would want chicken noodle soup. The meal consists of a steaming bowl filled to the brim with a filling chicken broth, scattered with peas, celery, carrots, and, of course, chicken and noodles. This dish, like all others, comes with a side of their delicious, airy baguette, peeled apple slices, or a bag of thinly cut potato chips. I would always get the baguette, because its taste was, and still is, divine, especially when submerged in the green-tinted broth that I conveniently left over after picking out the chunks of chicken and vegetables. I lost my first tooth at Panera while viscously devouring my pink tulip cookie. It had been hanging by a thread for months, so I was ecstatic to finally have it be gone. My mom captured the memory on her phone, and I was very excited to show all my daycare friends. But when I was thirteen, I discovered Panera's life-changing macaroni. The soft warmth would burn my mouth and then soothe my throat, and every scoop filled my spoon with rich, cheesy delight. The soft-shell pasta served in a mix of melted cheeses, is all I needed. Recently, my family has been especially enjoying Panera’s bakery items. The longing that fills my heart and grows every second my eyes see the three sets of wooden shelves displaying the bagel selection, yet my mouth does not taste, it is unmeasurable. Whether you prefer a cheesy asiago or the stunting scent of crunchy cinnamon, you can never go wrong with a Panera bagel. What is even better is that all the bakery items are made fresh every morning, so if you feel like swinging by Panera for breakfast, you're guaranteed to receive a hot meal. And I recommend you do so because, in the words of my wise mother, “A life without Panera would be quite a sad, sad life.” Treat yourself, your family, and your friends to a delicious breakfast or...

I can usually find something positive even in the worst-case scenario. This time, I'm telling you to find somewhere else to go. Pros: 0 Cons: ordered the new Italian Steak waited almost 15 minutes with 3 visible employees and no other dinners, My sandwich came with NO MEAT! Went back to the counter, got an OH from employee, he proceeded to grab and heat a minuscule amount of meat (literally a pinch, no weighing) on a piece of parchment paper then used his same gloved hand to remove from paper and put 5 miniscule pieces on the sandwich I returned. No apology, nothing. Never changed his gloves.

No glove change in the half hour we were there and no visible hand washing, no hair, no beard nets.

Tables were not clean, and the ones that were had been wiped with a dirty rag( sticky, greasy swirls visible on tables)

Floor by soda dispenser was sticky, and floors in dining area had visible food waste. Racks of bread sitting uncovered and flies in the food prep area.

Smaller than normal portions if that's even possible. 0 customer service, wasn't greeted or thanked or even spoken with. Obviously, we will not be returning to this store and highly recommend you pass also. There's a good reason there were only 3 other people in this store at 6:15 pm, and none of them...

Blueberry Muffin: Panera is not exactly a go to dessert spot for me. In fact, I only really go when they send me coupons for free bakery items, which brings us to this muffin review. I can’t say I’m the biggest muffin connoisseur (they're like a boring cupcake!), but from time to time I get a craving. Now, those of you that follow me closely and actually read my reviews know that I’m not a fan of fruit being mixed with dessert (other than some rare banana and blueberry treats), so it may come as a surprise to you that I rather enjoyed this muffin. With desserts I prefer artificial blueberries, but even though I believe these were not, I still enjoyed it. The numerous blueberries didn’t ruin the pleasantly moist texture of the muffin in any way. The exterior of the muffin was dryer than I prefer, but as I previously mentioned, the interior was soft and moist. My biggest complaint is that Panera uses a streusel topping and personally I find that sugar crystals work better. Not the best blueberry muffin I've had, but it is one of the best dessert items I've gotten from Panera. Doughboy approved My top dessert items from Panera: Chocolate Croissant Blueberry Muffin Cinnamon...