Panera Bread — Restaurant in Town of Busti

I'm generally not keen on rating chain restaurants but Panera is something else. Aside from the pain your wallet will feel from eating here (it is quite pricey), Panera is a welcomed escape from the fast food high energy coffee/bakeries and the metropolitan snobbish cafes and eateries that compete with it. Panera has created an environment which feels totally relaxed with tall ceilings, warm light neutral colors, periodic fireplaces, large windows, and plenty of lighting. Inside has plenty of seating for groups of 2 and 4.

The food is surprisingly excellent, the specialty teas and lemonades are full of flavor, and the bread is a well earned reputation. I typically order different varieties of soups and sandwiches which, although not always extremely filling, are high quality in both food, assembly, and presentation.

All in all: great food, alright portion sizes, comfortable inside, and a bit on the...

Food is overpriced for what you get now. Portions are tiny and the quality has significantly decreased since the last time I went years ago, and I used to go often. It wasn't even that busy, and the eating area was really dirty. Not what you'd expect at Panera. Booths have crusted stuff all over the fabric where you put your back. Carpets look like they have never been cleaned. Cashier told us drinks were included and then charged us for them which ended up adding $10 more dollars to our already overpriced food. Panera used to be good, but corporations are greedy and just try to fool the consumer into buying overpriced garbage. I don't usually do reviews, but I was so disappointed and won't be eating...

My husband and I started going to Panera because the clean healthy menu appealed to us. We are a healthy fit couple, and clean eating is very important to us. We enjoyed it until I got my first "reward" for getting a Panera card. We got a brownie for dessert, and started reading the ingredients. On the list was partially hydrogenated oil. If they say that their ingredients are clean but are really not, then what are they putting in the food that doesn't come with an ingredient label? This may not be a big deal to other people, but it is to us, because we work very hard to eat and stay healthy. This was a major turnoff, and we haven't been back since. It really is a shame, because we enjoyed...