Panera Bread — Restaurant in Mentor

This newly opened location needs to re-think its drive-thru. I placed an online order using the app and for convenience I elected to collect it at the drive-through. I arrived at the exact time it said my order would be ready for collection, the app said I just had to speak my last name into the mic and then go to the pick-up window to collect it.

However, there was a woman in front of me who spent about five minutes, looking at the menu before she placed her order, and then she pulled up to the food window and of course I was stuck right behind her. We both sat there literally for 20 minutes while her order was made.

Meanwhile my food was sitting in a bag doing nothing and I couldn’t get to the window because she was blocking it with her car.

There are three spots over to the right, that you can see in the photos I attached, for people using the drive-through to pull into and wait, but the server didn’t ask her to wait there. She just dat at the window blocking it for twenty minutes and I sat behind her as my food got cold.

When I eventually got to the window, I asked the girl that handed me my food (no apology for the wait) why she didn’t ask the previous customer to pull up and wait in the waiting spots, and she looked confused. I pointed over to the three waiting spots and said “what are those for over there?”, she gave me a quizzical look and said “I don’t know”.

I explained their purpose and she said there wasn’t enough staff for people to run food out to people in cars. That made no sense to me because it only takes 30 seconds to bring an order out. She could’ve done it herself and saved me a 20 minute wait. Nobody else at the drive-through was getting served for that 20 minutes either as we all waited.

Until they can get the drive-through running a little smoother, I think they should close it.

Incidentally, when I did get my salad, the bowl was only half full! It was like they gave me a half salad, of course I paid for a full...

I have gotten bagels from the other Panera in mentor which is always great so I thought we try this new location with drive thru out. I did order on line to pick up a dozen and half bagels and said it would be ready in 15 min. Got there on time and pulled up to drive thru and they said any order has a 15 minute wait before ordering. Told them I had an order to pick up ordered prior and Lexi said “oh I was going to call you, but we don’t have all the bagels.” She then said if I want a dozen vs 18 it would be another 15 minutes to wait! Mind you when we pulled up to the window there was no one in line, saw no one in the store, and one couple walking in the door. So now I wasted my time driving there, had to pick up my son so I could not wait more then the 25 minutes that I took to get there and already sitting there to just talk to her. So if I waited more it would be 40 min just to get dozen bagels. She was not understanding my frustration and did not want to give me her name , but I saw it on her name badge. I explained the 18 is cheaper than 12 and she did not seem to care nor understand what I was saying. She then said it will take 7 to 10 days to get my money back despite me never getting anything. So I wasted my time on my one day off of the week since I live 25 min from there and they have my money now the 7 to 10 days before I can get it back. They should have called right away like the other location does before charging my card!!! I am so frustrated at something that is so little that they made such a big deal. They were in no way accommodating and who would wait 15 minutes just to order in a drive...

The old Panera at the end of the Points East strip mall was quiet. I never had an issue there. Fresh bagels right in front of you. People eager and happy to take your order at the register. "Would you like them sliced?" Happiness and welcoming all around. I was surprised by the new place located in the parking lot. As I've had to wait a long time in the drive through line here before (for an order of one bagel), I decided to go inside to order. To my ignorance, I did not not know they had shifted to Kiosk ordering, even though there are two registers seemingly ready to ring people up. I noticed that the visible trays of bagels are gone, and I actually did not see any bagels listed on the overhead menu above the registers (again, suggesting at least a few people still prefer to order at the register). No one caught my confused but "ready to order" vibe ( I was the only one standing at the register), or asked if I needed help, or (from a good business model) took my order. Employees were milling about. I agree with other reviewers that the corporateness of this newer store is off-putting. By de-personalizing the experience, reducing customer contact, and by cutting labor costs, Panera management could discover they have lost business. After ten minutes, I left and decided to visit their chief competitor on the other side of town where I had an altogether different and more...