Panera Bread — Restaurant in Santa Maria

A friend and I were here recently for coffee and a quick bite. As always the place was crowded and we were lucky to find a seat. However, we lucked out thankfully and were able to rest our weary feet. Panera seldom changes from location to location. This can be both good and bad depending on your expectations at the time. On this day we were quite glad. We were tired and wanted something tasty and fast. I ended up with a toasted cinnamon and raisin bagel which is always a good standby for me. It was prepared much to my satisfaction. The coffee is consistent at all locations and was what I needed to perk me up after a long day shopping. Staff were pleasant enough. Not rude, but not overly friendly either. This is a perfect place to go to rest and grab a bite...

I heard good things about Panera, so I chose it over Starbucks across the parking lot. I ordered a coffee and pain au chocolat/chocolate croissant to go, thinking it would be superior to SB's frozen buns. It was kind of stale...looked beautiful, but was soft and tough at the same time, like it had been microwaved and left to sit and dry out. No shattering, flaky, buttery goodness. Not even as flaky as a Costco croissant. So disappointing. Dare I say that SB's frozen chocolate croissant is better; at least, they offer to heat it up for you. Coffee was mild. Service was indifferent, shoved the bun in a bag, and pushed an empty cup at me. Apparently, after checking, Panera does not freshly bake these...

First visit in a long time and it won’t be my last. I got two gift cards from Verizon Up and I haven’t had lunch otherwise this place is a little above my budget. I wanted to share that ISAAC who helped me, and patiently waited for me to pull up my downloaded Verizon gift cards on my phone and even had to manually enter in the two gift card numbers was fantastic. He was patient, helpful, and kind. I hadn’t been in a while so I didn’t even know what I could buy with my $8. He helped me look thru the menu and find something! At some places I don’t think they’d go to the trouble that this young man went thru to help me use up my gift cards and get lunch. Great service. I’ll be...