Panera Bread — Restaurant in Menifee

I used to love Panera Bread, but I have had several bad experiences there since Covid, and I now think it’s a much better option to eat lunch at home or at another restaurant.

First we tried take out. By the time we got home, the sandwiches were soggy. The quality of the salads seemed to go down; we were getting brown lettuce.

When Panera reopened with patio dining, I tried that, but it was horrible. It was over 100 degrees, and too uncomfortable to eat outdoors, even though I had a shaded table. The patio was surrounded by idling vehicles on three sides: the In-N-Out drive-thru on one side, the Panera drive-thru on another side, and Panera’s curbside pickup on the third side. The idling vehicles made the temperature on the patio even hotter, and who wants to breathe in all of that car exhaust while eating? I tried the patio again on a cooler day, with temps in the 90’s, it was still too uncomfortable to eat.

When Panera reopened for indoor dining, I was delighted and decided to try again. When I went to find a seat, all of the dine-in customers were crowded together in the center of the dining room, so social distancing was impossible. This completely defeats the purpose of the low-capacity indoor dining edicts. The whole point of being at low capacity is to spread the customers out throughout the dining rooms, so they will be far enough away from each other that they are less likely to contract the virus from each other. I moved a chair aside and sat at a table in the back, more than 12 feet away from the nearest person. An employee came over and told me that I had to leave. I told them that it doesn’t matter sense to seat everyone so close together and that I was trying to social distance. I asked for a manager. They not only made me leave the section but the manager tried to take my tray of food away, food I had already purchased. We actually got into a pulling match over my tray of food. They told me there was no more room to eat inside and that the dining room was at capacity, but no one told me it was at capacity before I ordered my food. I specifically went there to dine-in, and I would have left without ordering if I had been told there were no tables for dine in. I was forced to bring my food outside to the patio or the manager would have pulled my tray away from me. I sat outside sobbing because it was 98 degrees outside and too uncomfortable to eat. I finally went back inside, and the manager said that a table just became available so I sat down. I spent the rest of my meal writing this negative right because I am so disappointed with how I was treated at Panera, which used to be one of my favorite lunch spots. What would have been the harm if they had simply let me eat at the table at the far end of the restaurant? Instead they forced me outside int the 98-degree heat for two minutes. Why not let me sit 12+ feet away from other customers in the A/C, instead of chasing me into a hot polluted patio? Btw, they knew that I was there to dine in, and they did not come outside to inform me that there was an indoor table available. I came back in and found it myself, because I couldn’t stand eating inside. Now, I have a very bad memory of being treated badly by Panera staff.

Let’s talk about the FOOD. I still had pieces of brown lettuce in my salad. Something that I used to love about Panera was the Asiago cheese flakes that they put in the Caesar salad and French Onion soup. Now, they just sprinkle on cheap grated Parmesan. The quality of the food is going downhill.

Panera used to give out free cookies if the lines to order were too long. Now they fight with you if you try to sit down and have a meal. I’m sad that one of my favorite low-price restaurants is just not a comfortable place to...

This review pertains only to my visit today, around 5:45 PM, to procure bread 🥖 🍞 for my always starving family. Yes, I know the word starving should not be used in our case, for we all are in dire need of diminishing our food intake, but my sweet Big Mama (a pain in the arse of sorts, but meant in the gentlest of terms), every time I ask her if she is hungry, she comes at me with: “I am starving”. I tried to explain the difference between starvation and light hunger, if that, to no avail. She is undoubtedly the nicest senior, this side of the Pacific Ocean, most of times, but do not mention food in front of her. Service at the Panera was cordial, and accommodating, to a degree I simply was not prepared for, so it came as a very pleasant surprise. Being Tuesday, Bagels (variety) were being sold at $6.98 for a Baker’s dozen, which for the uninitiated equals lucky 13. Very enticing price for the kind of voracious appetites I encounter at home. Selection had somewhat decreased, but I got Asiago, Cinnamon, Blueberry, and French something, or the other. Also picked a Baguette, requesting the lightest in tone, for too dark is not a first choice. As well, a loaf of Sourdough, which was posing there, all by its lonesome self, and in a second a mental picture of creamy cheese, even a Brie, sealed the deal for me. Butter, cheese, tasty ham, even green olives, etc. All these breads were a little under $4, and yes, they had been baked today. Leanna? the young cashier, was cute as a button (hey, no harm in admiring from a distance!), but requested the assistance of Vanessa, to accomplish some minor details which I couldn’t care less, as long as the numbers paid match in the end. Vanessa offered to slice everything with the very fine machinery to do just that, and she did it with the nicest of attitudes, and that is what I called great service, for sliced bread is ready for anything. Nice smiles, fine service, quality bread. I guess I was lucky, seeing the many negative reviews this location has. Way to treat customers, Vanessa, and fine cashiering...

Placed what I thought was a to go order for a sandwhich. When they called my name to the pick up counter, the sandwhich was not wrapped. I told the young lady behind the counter that my order was to go. She then proceeded to hand me some paper and a to-go bag and stated she could not wrap it because once it leaves her hands they cannot take food back. She said it was their strict Covid policy.

Mind you—-she just placed the sandwhich on the counter. I had not touched the sandwhich or the plate for that matter. I asked her to please just wrap the sandwhich because I didn’t want my hands touching it especially since I was already holding my keys purse and other items. She came around the counter and wrapped it and when I thanked her she said nothing. Her funky attitude was really off putting and unprofessional.

After I left I called the store immediately to provide feedback to their manager. When the manager first answered she didn’t identify herself by name, which I later clarified, and said she would talk to her employee but stated it was Panera’s corporate policy. I explained to her I had NOT touched the food and I couldn’t understand how this supported their Covid policy when their employee literally just her hands on my sandwhich. We went back n forth for a minute and after a certain point I just hung up because I felt like she was wanting to justify the response of her employee & at that point I realized I wasn’t being heard. Judging from some of the reviews I see the management here is poor and I’ve decided to follow-up with their...