Panera Bread — Restaurant in Town of Brookhaven

I go here about two times a week now because my son goes to preschool nearby and I don't want to be far away while he is there. We usually order lunch or sometimes breakfast. It is a good place to eat while you also get work done. Many times we will read or do work while we eat here and they do have free Wi-Fi. My daughter enjoys the mac and cheese meal in particular. However the food is definitely overpriced for the amount that you get. The meals are small and really nothing special. They seem to take items off the menu frequently and one of my favorite soups was taken off a couple years ago and not returned. I have been ordering a toasted bagel with butter the last few times for breakfast and the bagel is far from toasted and it's cold by the time my buzzer goes off. Not something I'm going to bust your chops about but at this point I might find a new place to eat while my son is in school. That said, even though its small for the money, my daughter doesn't enjoy the taste of the macaroni and cheese so she keeps asking to go. Something else that they should rethink is the way they put out there to go food. If you order ahead for pick up they leave your food outside of the main door in the vestibule area. People come and go and walk past your food all of the time. Anyone can pick it up and take it or touch it or even spit it I mean how would you know. When I was there yesterday a woman said that her food was not where it should be and they had trouble finding her order most likely somebody stole it. A different time as we walked out a child's grab somebody's drink and try to take a sip before his parents stopped him. The cap was nearly coming off the drink and his hands were all over it and they just put it back and walked away. Some unsuspecting person came and probably drink from that not knowing that somebody's hands were all over it. Not a very good solution...

TL;DR Panera bread can best be described as "Fast food meets Health Food". This Panera is a little smaller than the one in Bohemia, so if you come during peek hours getting a seat can be an issue. Reasonably clean and priced for healthy food. If you want cheap go to the dollar menu at McDonalds.

ORDERS

They have a fast lane kiosk that makes ordering your food a snap, and even faster when you use it frequently because you can save any meal combination as a "favorite".

All major credit cards are accepted including Apple & Android pay. If you do use the Apple or Android pay note that it is only available at the main counter and not the kiosk. Once complete you grab a numbered sensor and place it on your table. Usually within a few minutes the food is brought to your table.

CLEANLINESS

The bathrooms are small, but usually clean. The men's room only has a single stall, so you might have to pinch it for a short while 😣. The tables need at least one employee who is dedicated to cleaning them off as guests leave. Many times have I come in during off-peek hours and half the tables are littered with bread crumbs. Be mindful before sitting in a bench seat because often times they are completely neglected by the staff.

STAFF

Most of the staff are very friendly and inviting. Gold star 🌟award goes to Josh, who is always in a good mood and the guy is a hard worker. Rotten apple award goes to **....

Ordered from the Patchogue location using the curbside delivery option. Upon arrival I used the mobile app to let them know I had arrived. At that time the app updated and said the order would be brought out at 9:30. Having waited for a while I noticed the manager locking the doors and the store was now closed. I figured that they locked up to prevent anyone from coming in but would still come out once the order was ready. Unfortunately, after waiting another minute or two it did not. So, I proceeded to call the store. To my surprise someone did pick up and after realizing that they forgot about the order she said that someone would bring it out. After another minute or two the manager on duty approached my vehicle handed me the order without a word (no.. I’m sorry or apology) and abruptly walked away. From there I proceeded to open the bag and wrapper only to find that the sandwich was no longer hot and the bread being stale. Having paid not only for the meal but also giving a decent tip it was very disappointing to wait beyond a reasonable time, be forgotten about, and then handed a sandwich that was sitting around due to the staffs inability to complete a curbside order and delivery on time. This is the 2nd time in a row that this location has failed to properly complete a curbside order and reason not to try...