Panera Bread — Restaurant in Town of Penfield

I had a rather negative experience with Katie, the reported Manager at the Penfield, NY location on Mon. 6/21 around 10a. I then called Corporate to provide feedback.

First - I say Katie was the “reported” Manager only because I know - from experience - that Customer Support teams in any business may pretend to be Management just to get a complaining customer off of the phone. But this may not be the case in this store.

Second - Alice at Corporate's CS (?) department was wonderful. She went through the script she likely had to read but ultimately gave me a credit on the Panera app proper, which was better than the DoorDash code I was trying to use.

The reason for my call to the local Panera store...and ultimately to Panera Corporate was as follows: The DoorDash (DD) code I wanted to use (25% off the next 3 orders) forced me to the DD app itself when ordering from Panera. The customizations available on the Panera app are not available on the DD app. Normally I can customize what I can on DD and then call the restaurant location and add notes which staff attach to the order. The DD app only allows "Contact Me" as an option under Special Instructions.

Katie (Penfield manager) flat out refused to take any notes to attach to my order, as "they get busy and the notes could be missed." She refused multiple times as I pushed the issue. While certainly it is true that the notes could possibly be missed, that was not an appropriate response nor a customer-centric one representing the brand well. I've been able to manage the DD app limitations with calls to other restaurants with no issue prior. Clearly this is a "Katie" issue - not a DD app issue.

In short - she was a poor representation of Panera and the Penfield, NY location. Perhaps she was simply having a bad day. We all have them. But she - and you - can do better. Perhaps this is a coaching opportunity; a reminder of sorts of how integral she is to the overall customer experience? Which is EVERYTHING in your industry!

Still love you. And still ordered from the store using the credit obtained from Corporate. No harm/no foul. But fix the people-issue. Other reviews hint at a...

The Penfield location used to be fantastic, but it has definitely declined in recent months. The bagels look horrible lately (Asiago bagels overdone/borderline burnt, shaped weird, barely any cheese, etc.) So bad in fact, that I refused my last order and told them to refund me....the blonde female manager is extremely rude, tells me that the bagels look great to her and "she'd eat 'em"....then I hear one of the guy inside the drivethru window rudely say "I've been selling 'em all day and no one else has a problem"....SERIOUSLY?!?!?

So the manager takes the bagels back (as I requested because I refused to accept the order) and puts them behind the counter, presumably to serve to different customers!!! Then she tells me that she canceled my order, but I might not see my refund for up to a week....and as I'm driving away, I can hear them laughing before they closed the window.

So,not just bad food, but terrible service, too. Unfortunate because this location WAS a great location, but not anymore. I understand it is hard to find good help today, especially with fast food workers, but that is no excuse. This is my second bad experience at the Penfield Panera, in less than 1 month....and the first time I've ever had to deal with rude employees...to me, that's the breaking point. Never again! Do...

Not sure where these negative reviews are coming from, but I’m sure their panties may be bunched up for whatever reason. Kindly remove the sticks from your butts, naysayers, because I can honestly say the customer service and food I received at Penfield Panera was simply outstanding. I was having a day, feeling pretty icky and stressed, but let me tell you, once I had the lovely opportunity to interact with Anastasia, my day brightened entirely. She was kind, friendly, efficient, and just honestly made me feel so special and valued.

I think we can agree that customer service in fast service restaurant industry is lacking, to a degree (putting it mildly) am I right? Have you ever gone through a drive through feeling like the person is blandly doing their job on autopilot?

Well, if that’s the case, I suggest you head to Panera in Penfield. I promise you I don’t even know these people until this very day. I just like spreading praise where it’s due. I called and spoke to the manager to compliment my new Panera Bread Bestie, Anastasia, and Dara the manager was awesome too! So many smiles were had.

So…. Run, don’t walk to Penfield Panera. They really know how to do the job right. I appreciate you, new friends!...