Panera Bread — Restaurant in South Carolina

Very disappointed in the service I received at this location. I've been a fan of Panera for many years and this location does not uphold the standards of other Panera cafes that I've enjoyed. I'm new to the area and I was on my way home to Conway and saw the Panera when exiting on 544 and stopped to pick up dinner. The young girl taking my order was obviously a new employee and seemed a bit flustered by my order but we got thru it. My order for 3 Pick Twos some cookies and bagels came to almost $70, which surprised me but the quality of the food is usually very good. Not this time... after I paid the $67, $5.99 was for a half dozen bagels, the young lady walked away without giving me my change. Since it was only a few cents I didnt fuss but I did tell her that she could put it in the donation jar by the register. I also didn't get a receipt, had she given me my change maybe a receipt would have been included. When I arrived home an opened the bag I removed my bread bowl only to find a hair wrapped up in my bread bowl... and then the disappointments kept coming. The sandwiches were incorrect, wrong bread, very little meat and the avocado was on the bottom, under the sandwich and when I picked it up brown avocado squished between my fingers. The food was inedible but after finding the hair I wasn't about to eat anything anyway. I called and spoke to the supervisor expecting to receive a gift card or an offer to comp my meal on my next visit. I was pleasantly surprised when she offered to refund my money. I was unable to drive the 16 miles back that evening but she said no problem and I could stop by the following afternoon. I arrived this afternoon and asked for the manager. Let me clarify that the manager the previous evening offered me a refund, I didn't ask and I wasn't expecting one. The General Manager said that it's NOT their policy to refund orders. I drove almost 40 miles round trip. She refunded me $25 for the bread bowl with the hair in it and my 3 half sandwiches When I mentioned that wasn't acceptable she was uncooperative and said "Well only one bread bowl had hair in it and you are the cookies." I was made to feel stupid and I was embarrassed by her combative attitude. A member of their management team made me a promise and instead of honoring that promise I was treated badly. I've been in the restaurant industry for more than 25 years and I've NEVER been treated a guest as Makayla treated me... imying that I was wrong for expecting what I was promised. I've already called the Corporate Office and I'm now expecting a call from the owner of the franchise. I wont let this rest. This woman could learn alot about how to treat people. I spent the afternoon of my only day off embarrassed for expecting what I was promised AND made to feel stupid. Not acceptable and I certainly would never return to this location and I will tell anyone that will listen about the worst cutomer service I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing I hope the franchise owners contact me soon because I'm far from...

I have eaten at Panera for 10+ years and during the last 6 of those years I have watched the prices increase dramatically and the portion size and quality of their food decrease dramatically. $10 for a sandwich is insane! and is not justified in my eyes. The sandwiches that I have been served recently looked as if it was just thrown together by a 4 year old who just doesn't care. Back in the day it was a pleasure on the eyes to see the plate of food before me, now I have to put the sandwich back together just so I can eat it without the insides falling out.

And the soup sizes are pitiful. I used to get a BOWL of soup when I ordered one. Now what they pass off as a BOWL of soup is equivalent to a CUP at other restaurants. And for the price they charge it is just a shame. I realize that I will always pay more for Non-GMO, antibiotic free, free range, ect., and will gladly do that to know what I am feeding my body, I do it all the time when I shop for food. Unfortunately I am not planning to spend any more of my money there unless I've won a lottery or they go back to having reasonable pricing with quality serving sizes and food preparation. One last note of change that I've noticed is that Panera's used to donate unused products at the end of the day to organizations that help feed the less fortunate. Sadly I haven't seen that sign in their stores for years. I can only hope that this is a practice they are still involved in, just not publicly displaying a sign about. So, so long Panera's, you've just become too big for your own good through the years and that's a shame, because after you get over the shock of handing over $15 for half a sandwich that is so flat and thrown on the plate and a thimble full of soup, the food does taste fabulous. If anyone else has noticed this over the years and is tired of it, let's stand together and stop patronizing this establishment and just maybe we will see the change we would like. Best...

6/5/21. NEVER ORDER CATERING. I placed an delivery order at 8am online on Panera's website. It was for a small event at my house. My order was scheduled for delivery at 12:15. The food never came. When I called, I was told by the manager, Anthony, my food was delivered. It was not. He said there was nothing he could because they don't deliver. ?????? I ordered directly from their site. ??? He said it must have been a third party like grub hub, but he has no idea how to find out. ??? Again, if you go on Panera's site, like I did this morning, It still says they deliver and mentions nothing about a third party. The manager said there was nothing he could do. Since I had people at my house, I asked if they could just redo the order and I'll come pick it up. They did. WHen I got there, the food was ready but clearly had been sitting around a while. All of the sandwiches were soggy and limp. They absolutely had been sitting around. My order never was delivered because no one ever picked it up. I will never use them again for en event. Horrible management. Average...