Panera Bread — Restaurant in Town of Amsterdam

I don’t normally post anything like this, but the experience at this store was not at all like I have experienced here before. We went in and got two Madagascar vanilla lattes, hot. One of them tasted correct and like it always tastes, while the other, my partner got and he did not like. I tried it as well and it tasted nothing like mine. After he went back up, asking them to remake, they gave him one which tasted the same as the previous. Keep in mind, he tried to give the original back but they said they could not take it so he had a latte he did not want and received a second that tasted just like it, not like the one that I had received which was great.

Again this was not like the one I got which was supposedly the exact same drink. They also didn’t fill the drink, they only filled the cup to half and the rest with whipped cream. Fed up, he went to get his money back because it is ridiculous to spend that amount on a coffee that wasn’t what you wanted when you received one that was made correctly.

The manager then proceeded to give attitude and challenge saying “funny I made this exactly to company specifications” and reached across the counter and whipped the drink into the trash can. He was rude, and offensive. I had taken a sip of my drink again, to compare against the second one and they didn’t taste the same. Mine tasted like vanilla and the others didn’t taste at all of vanilla. Then to be rude when someone asks for their money back after asking you to right it twice is ridiculous.

The other employees behind the counter were super kind and apologetic and for a manger to act this way… not a...

Three choices, all ranked very differently.

Stopped in at Panera in Amsterdam during a day off to treat myself to breakfast out, using their kiosk to order my food. Went with the CinnaScramble, Egg & Cheese Croissant, and a Greek Yogurt Parfait. Initially forgot my Coffee, so I went back and just purchase that right from the counter. Total coming to a bit over $27.

Right off the bat I have to say the coffee, a decaf, was surprisingly smooth. I'm no coffee snob, but man, I was not expecting a Panera brewed decaf coffee to be that tasty. The croissant was, made wrong as they included sausage, but they did offer to remake it for me. (but I hate wasting food more than I dislike red meat) I think the croissant was a bit too soft, and it kind of just smooshed into the eggs and cheese. The flavor wasn't great either, having this strange oily taste to it. The cinnascramble on the other hand was pretty good, with the sweetness of the cinnamon bun contrasting with the egg and cheese. It reminded me of dipping bacon in maple syrup, but not as sweet. Lastly the parfait, very refreshing, lots of yogurt, but I think they could cut out the pumpkin seeds and almond slices. There was a little too much going on in there with the textures.

Overall, not the best breakfast I have had at a Panera, but it was quite inside with only a few other customers. There was a strange floor cleaner smell near the waiting area for orders, not sure what that was about. But for what I paid for just 3 menu items and a cup of joe, I'd probably run with a different...

I worked at a different location in the past, so I'm very familiar with the menu and prefer a certain sandwich where I have to basically order it and ask for everything different to make it the sandwich I really want. (Turkey Avacado BLT but instead of turkey, chicken, and no lettuce or tomato, instead basil and cucumbers, also on different bread, tomato basil.) Some places get angry at the major change, but that's Panera, their sandwiches you can order when they're a certain way, and to customize them, it's a process. But the girl/woman who took my order was as pleasant and understanding as could be and it was very refreshing. The way it should be, if you are going to spend your hard earning money on fairly expensive food, you should get what you want without anyone giving you an attitude or an issue. I feel that's common sense, but I have been given an attitude many times, because these days everyone just wants everything simple and a certain way... I digress, and just appreciate the understanding. And everything was exactly as I wanted it too, not sloppily or angerly made like I have also experienced from other locations. Not too often does amsterdam panera...