Panera Bread — Restaurant in Nashville-Davidson

To illustrate everything you need to know about this place, I only need to summarize my last visit.

I ordered a pasta and half sandwich combo with a smoothie, then proceeded to wait by the pickup counter. After waiting for exactly 20 minutes without hearing a single person's name get called once, I decided to check the counter itself and found half a dozen orders, including my own, just sitting there ready to go, with everyone's names on them. I grabbed mine, but the smoothie wasn't there, so I got the guy on the other side of the counter's attention and asked about it. He both rolled his eyes and looked angry at the same time (it was a sight to see, really) then wordlessly grabbed my smoothie from behind the counter and shoved it in my face (by the way, Panera, I know you think you're being smart by using a massive, giant straw with smoothies, but in real world fluid dynamics the larger a straw is the harder it is to drink through it).

Anyway, so my food was not bad. I mean, it wasn't anything I couldn't easily throw together myself at home for a fraction of the insanely-overhigh (easily twice what any less-pretentious restaurant would charge for the same food) price (and with more flavor to boot, more on this in a moment), but it was made well, and I had no problem enjoying the eating of it. Now, knowing what I know about how these self-important bread company places that like to try to pretend they aren't fast food when they clearly are to know they don't believe in adding anything more than a very mild flavor to their food, I asked for extra sauce on my sandwich. And if that is extra, I would hate to see the normal amount. I mean, I got a couple drops.

Oh, and the tables in the dining room are pretty much all pretty much always dirty. Which is pretty typical of fast food joints around here. Slightly less typical of fast food joints is that it is not at all unusual for the wait times after ordering to be 30...

Funny that you should ask me for a review of Panera Bread.. I have been going to Panera Bread since its inception in Nashville Tennessee. I am a card carrying member for Panera Bread. I am very partial to their Thai Chicken Salad Pick-2 Combo with French Onion soup. Recently they have offered the option to upgrade from a cup of soup to a bowl of soup. Since I love that French Onion Soup so much which they discontinued for a little while but then brought back by popular demand, obviously. I decided today, to upgrade to a bowl of soup. So, when I received my order I had my spicy Thai Chicken Salad and a bowl of soup. Except that the bowl of soup was exactly half full. So I looked at it and pondered for a second and said to the cashier I would like to speak with Manager. When I explained to the manager at the White Bridge Rd location, that I upgraded to a bowl instead of a cup of soup she immediately started rattling off the policy that they have measurements. I said well really measurements don't matter much to me because if I ordered a bowl of soup. I would like it to be either a bowl of soup or at the very least 3/4 a bowl of soup and not just a 1/2 a bowl of soup. She was not very sympathetic to my argument even after I told her I'm a card carrying member of Panera Bread. So, I walked away with my soup and salad still dissatisfied with the outcome. And the more I thought about it the angrier I got. After paying $12 for my upgraded bowl of soup I returned the tray with the untouched bowl of soup and salad and set it on the counter and said, you know what, you can just keep your bowl of soup. I am never going to return to Panera Bread ever again, ever! White Bridge Road, Nashville TN. I'm done!...

This Panera has dilapidated into a depressing, cold environment with dissociative staff that obviously hates their lives. I walked in and the first thing some lady says across the bakery display is, "We are out of soup!" I glance over but she looks away back to her pastry organizing. Insufficient stock.. -1 Star. A couple parties file in behind me, so I advance to the register in hopes that the same lady who reluctantly told us there was no soup would spare me some service. Of course not. I wait awkwardly looking around to see if she'll stop ignoring me. She retreats further into her pastries. Refusal of service.. -1 Star. In defeat, I walk over to the self-serve kiosk and order two chicken sandwiches. They're like, 12 dollars each. So they should be delicious and cohesive, right? Wrong. My name is called in a timely manner so I collect the two sandwiches, balancing the tiny apples on my way to a table. There are mostly Wifi gargoyles rattling away on their laptops with a demure coffee cup or pastry warranting their extensive stay. Internet sweatshop vibes.. -1 Star. But I find a table for me and my chicken sandwich partner. The bun is the recipient of no love and was obviously slapped onto the Frozen Twice Cooked Once chicken patty straight out of the package. So much for 12 dollars! Lugubrious chicken sandwich.. -1 Star. Next time, I'll just go to Popeyes for a chicken sandwich. At least their bun is warm and soft. And half the price. Ridiculous! I'll leave them One-Star because my love for their discontinued Chicken Chipotle Avocado club but never again will Whitebridge Panera...