Panera Bread — Restaurant in Southington

Story time. Picture this: I don't bring lunch to work, because we're doing a team lunch that day. I am actually the one who chooses Panera, despite wrong orders and forgotten items in past visits, because I was really craving a delicious turkey bravo bacon sammich that only Panera can provide to whittle and satiate my appetite.

Here's the fun part. I bundle up to brave the cold, temperature in the teens, and my raynaud's syndrome flaring up. Can't feel my hands, but I take the trip to Panera for that turkey sammich I've been dreaming about for weeks.

Finally get there. Pick-up the order. Pour the green tea (boss' drink) myself, because that is apparently my job, not Panera's. Spill a little green tea on myself as I contemplate how to carry a bag full of food (not mine though, because that's not in the bag) and two drinks while opening the door to get outside.

There were a bunch of food orders, so couldn't check in the bag for everything until I ventured back to the office in the brutal cold. Were my windows down on the drive back to make make my cold, lifeless fingers hurt more, so the experience of eating the sammich in a warm, pleasant environment with my coworkers would be even more delightful? Maybe. Does that matter? No.

You know what does matter? Getting back into the building, running up four flights of stairs out of pure ecstasy in anticipation of finally getting this sammich inside me. Get back to the desk after tripping up the stairs several times. I might be bleeding at this point, but it's so worth it for that lovely turkey bacon bravo sammich.

Here's the climax: open the bag. Sort things out. Oh, this one must be mine. Nope. Maybe this one? Nope. But there it is! The sammich? No, my apple, which looks like it was thrown off the wall or possibly stomped on a few times for fun...lots of dents. So, here I am...sammichless.

What can I do? Can I brave the cold once more and go back? Yes! But not to Panera. Those f** won't help me. I have to survive on my own. Who will help me in this dire time of need? Light bulb. NARDELLI'S!

Sitting across the street from the lowly Panera building is the most dependable sammich-making chain in all of America. The only place that can save me from such misery: good old dependable Nardelli's, where I received 10/10 customer service and the greatest buffalo chicken wrap I've ever tasted. First time I ordered that from them, but it won't be the last.

What was the last time for me, however, was ordering from Panera. That will never happen again. That realization was a sad moment for me. I almost shed a tear. But, if it wasn't for such s* service and always forgetting or messing up orders, it wouldn't have come to this.

Bye forever, Panera. I've committed my life to the hot buff chick across the street ;) ...Nardelli's stole my heart the day Panera failed me for...

Ugh. Not again. Ordered my food and they got it wrong. Again. I was so over the apparent manager who was standing where I wait for my food. Kitchen places the bag, she opens the bag and looks in it. When I received my order, I asked for butter. She asked me how many. I said I have 4 bagels and bread that I would like butter for. She demanded a number. Butter used to be out for customers to take what they needed. So much more pleasant than having to come up with a number. But, when I asked for ice and she demanded to know for what, I said to drink. So, with that heavy sigh and the eye roll, she tells the girl to get me a cup of ice. I received a small coffee size cup with about 10 ice cube in it. I turned in my heel and walked away, so annoyed I walked over to the register to tell them they could keep their food. I'm spending almost forty dollars on your salad and 4 bagels and you want to begrudge me butter? If your ice machine is not working, put out a bucket of ice. Don't treat a seventy year old woman like a five year old. And, while you are checking each order that is coming out, how about really checking it. I am over picking up an order from Panera only to arrive at the place I am going to eat to find out it is wrong again!! Think about the outrageous price you are paying for a bowl of lettuce with some toppings thrown on it. This salad had so many pieces of the core of the lettuce, it was primarily the lettuce portion of my salad. You know the core? That part you and I throw away when preparing lettuce for a salad. This Panera, the manager, or at least, she is managing in some faction is rude and has absolutely no customer skills. That will kill a business quicker than a flood or fire. Again, jacked up the prices and Made the portions smaller. We see this, restaurants. Your customers are far more intelligent than you give...

I don’t typically write reviews but I was pretty disappointed with the service at Panera in Southington. I used the self serve tablet to order which was fine. Sat and waited for my order with my friend. All I ordered was French onion soup and paid extra for a different side (fruit cup). For one, the employees looked super stressed and one even voiced to another worker that she was. One young man was working with the food and had long hair and not tied up etc. they informed me they were out of fruit cups and said they have “everything else”. I told them I paid extra for fruit cup instead of the free side of bread apple or chips. They then had somebody go in the back and make a fruit cup quickly. I didn’t want to complain because I saw they were busy but then again, that’s not excuse. I went back up asking them if the soup came with croutons and they said yes I’m sorry, and handed me a pack of 5 croutons that they pre made. Soup didn’t look appealing like the picture on the menu which had shown a good portion of cheese and croutons and soup itself. It wasn’t hot either. The fruit cup was missing grapes which was the least of my worries. To top it off, it was freezing in there! I was just looking forward to a nice small meal out. I hope they...