Panera Bread — Restaurant in San Marcos

Since their menu "update" the quality has taken a nosedive. The French Onion soup now tastes like it came out of a can. It's salty to the point of almost inedible. The flavor isn't nearly what it used to be and the bread with cheese has been replaced with stale croutons and a dusting of truly unpleasant parmesan-like powder is just tossed into it. I used to sometimes come for just this in a bread bowl. It was warm, soothing and delicious comfort food. What they've done to it ensures I won't be buying it again. Pastry quality is also in sharp decline and almost always tastes stale now. I'm not sure if it's because they're doing "holdovers" from one day to the next or if they're cost cutting measures employ ingredients so inferior that they yield these results. The end result is that the new versions are not even worth the "new lower" price. Their idea was to be more budget friendly in a turbulent economy. Unfortunately, the actually achieved result was a complete "dumpster dive" on quality. I'll miss the old Panera as I have no place for the new one. I would have preferred they simply add options that are lower cost such as pizzas that could be sold by the slice and done in their own inventive, quirky way. Offered simple fare like egg salad or stews, because paired with their classic breads, those would have been amazing without any frills. Lower cost didn't need to mean compromise everything that made...

Normally, I'm a HUGE fan of Panera Bread and this incident probably won't deter me from returning in the far future, but I feel like the management and customers need to be made of aware. I went in to order my lunch to go. I waited patiently by the bar where they put the prepared food when it's ready. I was waiting there for quite some time watching order after order be made. Finally, some random lady came back through the door and told them that she was given the wrong order... it was my order... so one of the employees just took the bag from her and gave it to me. My FOOD was not only in the hands of some random stranger, but it was in the hands of some random stranger OUTSIDE of the store!! I told the female employee that I was uncomfortable taking it and she just insisted that it was ok and they just got confused. I was already running late so I reluctantly took the bag and went on my way. I was so uncomfortable with the whole situation that by the time I got back to work, I just had to throw the whole thing away, which is hard to do with a $13 lunch! Now, my food may have been harmless, but you just never know. The fact that they employee didn't even want to hear my concerns is unsettling. I hope that management takes some time to go over stranger danger with...

The food is a bit pricey, but it’s Panera and it’s to be expected. In general, the food is good and the staff is helpful and courteous, but I do have two complaints. One is about Panera in general and the other has to do with this particular Panera: the thought of tipping someone before I’ve been served is ridiculous (I’m not sure if they really want money or they are trying to train the public to use the automated ordering machines they have installed in this particular restaurant.); the complain about this restaurant is that there seems to be one manager (at least that’s what appears to be the case) that turns the air-conditioner “full blast.” This afternoon on August 5th, 2018, the restaurant was intolerably cold in the afternoon. In the morning, the temperature was comfortable. The only change I figured was a change of shift managers. I have stopped going to this restaurant more often that I would have in fear that I’ll have to put up with the cold while I eat my food or linger reading a book. This is sad comment when the temperature hovers around 100...