Panera Bread — Restaurant in Town of Huntington

Panera’s current dining experience leaves much to be desired. The service is consistently lackluster—staff show little attention to detail and frequently pack orders incorrectly, making it necessary to double-check your food before leaving the counter. This level of carelessness undermines trust and signals a broader lack of management oversight.

The pricing structure is out of line with the quality and quantity provided. Menu items are expensive for what amounts to very modest portions; value for money is simply not present. Cost-cutting over the years is evident, with noticeable reductions in both serving sizes and overall food freshness. However, my biggest concern is the apparent neglect for food safety standards.

After eating one of their soups, I developed severe food poisoning. I was overtaken by violent stomach cramps, frequent bouts of gastrointestinal distress that kept me up all night, and pain so extreme that for a moment I genuinely considered going to the hospital. I spent the entire night doubled over in agony. This wasn’t mild discomfort; this was absolute misery brought on by what should have been a simple meal. Disturbingly, my ordeal isn’t an isolated incident—other reviewers have consistently raised issues about the freshness and handling of ingredients at Panera.

Cleanliness and order accuracy continue to be recurring failures across locations, as echoed in numerous customer complaints. It’s deeply disappointing to see a once-reliable brand decline so markedly. Given the high prices, poor service, sloppy fulfillment, and—most importantly—serious food safety risks, Panera now fails to meet even the most basic expectations for...

Updated March 2023; reduced to 3 stars, my bowl of soup was barely half full, my daughters cup of soup was full and the total volume was at best similar. My partner's bowl was a little better. Only had one flavored green tea, agave lemonade and iced coffee as well as the usual sodas on offer. I guess the lemonade wasn't popular today as the mechanism was sticky and when I pulled the cup away continued to dispense sticky liquid that splashed over my clothes until I manually pulled it back. It was late afternoon and going home anyway so we ate and got out.

Reliable somewhat better than usual fast food fare. Nothing exciting but they do at least mix it up on a seasonal basis with specials.

I avoid the half and half meal deals because it always looked like the smaller "half" especially the sandwiches just downright mean in portion size and fillings. Shame because they allowed you to change it up a bit within a single sitting. Deducted a star for that.

Flavored green teas still a bit sugary but likely better than the usual soda options.

Staff are clearly bored out of their minds and it shows in the customer service interactions.

We come here maybe every couple of months, if the menu was a little more diverse and updated, obviously keeping the "signature" dishes, then would be more often. If I could give 3 1/2...

Where to start?! The food that is served at Panera is what it is, but what makes this location special is the service by their management team. Kim, Chris and Trisha are thoughtful, courteous, respectful, caring & helpful. The team always greets me and many of their customers with smiles and address them by their names. There are many groups that come in regularly that meet and spend time in this cafe and are never harried, hurried or asked to wrap things up. The store is always clean and orders are always prompt. Whenever they are super busy or short-staffed, the managers jump in to continue providing exceptional service. I recently had a catering order that I picked up that was given such great care by Trish. She organized an order of 39 You Pick Two orders, provided detailed labeling and made the distribution process at my place of business so easy. This isn't the first catering order that was prepared by this team. In a world where options are plentiful and service is adequate at best, this team is outstanding and even with the big increases in the Panera prices, the service they give will keep me coming over and over. Some things cannot be measured by cost alone, and for me, this place goes above and beyond every time. Great job, East Northport team. ...