Panera Bread — Restaurant in Portsmouth

Monday 5/12 : Got in, got greeted and taken care of just fine, around 10 am. This was Zach. Saw Val. Went to get coffee and Light roast was out. Took Hazlenut instead. The catch area for garbage had plates stacked to the top of the wood. Box below was i/2 full. Cups placed in the utencil area. About 20 plates stacked. Stayed that way for at least 40 minutes until I left.

Regular named Al stopped in and waited patiently for Zach to finish whatever he was doing... putting up menu boards, changing stock. He apologized to Al. Al places order, goes over to coffee, discovers same coffee out. He takes something different. Woman had been in line... Al left and this Asian gentleman came in from side and cut in line and was taken. Finally woman is greeted and taken care of. Nobody else around.

Where are the supervisors.... why isn't Zach recognizing coffee out dishes stacked and telling someone. Where's Val ??

This is NOT customer service. Total of 12 people in restaurant. I spoke to an asst GM the other night about the kids in behind the line screwing around. Talk to Suzanne about that. She knows and had gone up to the same mgr to point out these folks. I spoke to the asst GM to simply explain and amplify that this IS an ongoing issue. Responsibility.

I do not wish to have my name associated with these complaints. I just want them changed. I come in to enjoy coffee read. Lately, I leave with stress, because for God's sake.... you guys CAN DO soooo much better. A couple of names that come to mind as leaders are Kelli, Suzanne, Zehlia, and at least 2 others on the morning team together with so many that have left.

What can be done ? GM's etc should be up front every 20 minutes. They can see what's happening and why. They can walk in on what's not happening. Break times, garbage times, unhappiness times by employees. GM's could come in on off times or days and observe quality of their unit - quietly @ table - no announcement.... then disappear.

What would be good ? Recognition would be good. More $, free food, a gift cert to another type of rest or retail in recognition of those excellent people you have...

First time I tried Penera for Breakfast. I love lunch or a dinner here. But the breakfast was just average. I was unfamilar with the morning menu so I asked questions, the staff did not appeciate my questions and gave less then satifactory answers.

To start all the egg options said over easy... not sure what that means as some resturants will not serve egg that is not cooked. So I asked if they had some kind of egg like dunkins. They replied "I have never got the eggs at dunkins", but I did manage to get out of the counter clerk that they had scrambled eggs. OK, I will try that on a Everything bagle with bacon to go.

I watched as they put my bagle and bacon in the oven to toast it. They slaped on some kind of egg, that did not look scrambled it was more like an omelet as one large egg. And they served it to me on a plate. So much for to go, I had to ask for it to go. I got it in a box with no napkins, big mistake as the everything got all over my lap.

The sandwich was filling but nothing spoecial, the egg could have also been heated in the oven to make it hoter. Also, it was kinda dry with out cheese, but that was my choice. Anyway, a so-so experince for my first breakfast vist...

Cold Soup! I visited this location a while ago and ordered a tomato soup and sandwich my soup came out room-temperature at best... sandwich was fine. I asked them for hot soup and they ran my bowl in the microwave for a bit and it came out lukewarm.

Last night I returnedafter a couple months, it was 8'o'clock and I wanted something more wholesome than Wendy''s. I ordered the squash soup and a turkey walnut something-or-other sandwich and the food took a while to come out and my soup was cold again... not "cooled-off" cold but like it just came out from the refrigerator and given 30 seconds in a microwave...

Food at Panera is generally yummy and at just about any other location, the soup comes out hot and steaming. What is the problem with the Woodbury Ave location? Is there someone in the food prep area who cannot use hot things? This stuff isn't cheap, and yet if I had spent half the money at the Wendy's across the parking lot I am reasonably confident that my burger and chili would...