Panera Bread — Restaurant in Tracy

Finally a Panera Bread in the Central Valley!  With easy on and off access to the freeway will make this location very popular with travelers.  This location also comes with the all important drive-thru for those wishing to remain in their vehicles.

What makes this place wonderful is their baked goods which is made on the premise daily.  The large assortment of breads and menu makes this place a favorite gathering place.

I love their Asiago Cheese Focaccia which is an Italian flatbread baked with olive oil and topped with sea salt and asiago cheese. This goes great with a cup or bowl of their soup of the day!

Numerous others fresh baked breads include, Ciabatta (chewy crumb, a thin crust and a light, olive oil flavor), Rye (rye kernels and caraway seeds), and Three Seed Bread (poppy, sesame and fennel seeds), to name just a few

I love their soup and salad along with fresh bread.  I've tried there, Artisan French, which is freshly baked bread with a slightly blistered crust...... "Yum!"

Another favorite is their French Onion Soup with sweet onions simmered in a savory broth with a classic sherry wine vinegar gastrique and a blend of sea salts. The soup is topped off with Gruyere and asiago croutons

We first "stumbled" into this place several years ago during an outing to Sacramento.  Panera Bread had a Stockton California location just off of interstate highway 5.

We tried to stop into this place every chance we were in the are but with this new location, I'll definitely have to watch my waistline!

This place will definitely be a crowd pleaser for years to come.  Here's a little history of this place.

"Panera Bread" started off as "St. Louis Bread" and was founded by Ken Rosenthal in 1987, when the first location was opened in Kirkwood, Missouri.

In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co. purchased the St. Louis Bread Company.

In 1997, Au Bon Pain changed the company name to Panera Bread, a made-up name combining the Italian words pane (bread) and era (time)--time of bread.

In May 1999, to expand Panera Bread into a national restaurant, Au Bon Pain Co. sold its other chains, including Au Bon Pain.

Panera Bread moved into its new headquarters in Richmond Heights, Missouri in 2000.

The company operates or franchises 1,800 Panera Bread bakery-cafés in 40 states and 20 facilities that deliver fresh dough to the bakery-cafés every day.

In the St. Louis area where it was founded, Panera Bread still operates under the name St. Louis Bread Company. The St. Louis metropolitan area has over 101 locations.

In 2005, Panera ranked 37th on Business Week's list of "Hot Growth Companies", earning $38.6 million with a 42.9% increase in profits.

In 2008, Panera Bread expanded into Canada, beginning with Richmond Hill, Thornhill, Oakville, and Mississauga in the Toronto area.

In a 2008 Health magazine study, Panera Bread was judged North America's healthiest fast casual restaurant.

In 2009 and 2012, the restaurant review service "Zagat" named Panera one of the most popular restaurants for eating on the go.

Panera was also rated No. 1 for Best Healthy Option, Best Salad, and...

I enjoy the freshness of Panera. Is it always worth the price to me...not enough to put it in regular rotation. I consider it a nice splurge. I do like the 1/2 and half option, opting for the combo of salad, soup or sandwich based on the weather and my mood. In Tracy, this location has a nice outdoor option (as I am still not too comfortable with indoor dining) where you can enjoy your meal, if you don't hit the drive thru. Service is usually quick, even with a group. The staff is always friendly and knowledgable of the menu. Since it not one of my usual places, I try different things each time. So I tend to ask a few questions (lol). But what I can say is that most of what I have tried is a hit. Nothing stands out as a no-go and I would highly recommend this to all that enjoy soup, salad and sandwich options. Today I enjoyed the Fuji Apple salad with Chicken. So far its my favorite salad. I initially got hooked on this salad (and Panera as a whole) from work lunches, but have found myself venturing across town to grab a bite on a whim. If you never tried Panera, its great to get in the drive through and not have to get out and go though a mega list of veggies to distract you from the 3 slices of meat on your sandwich you get at that "other" sub place. You get a good serving of meat and veggies. But this is not the place to go with a picky eater, that always wants to alter the menu...or enjoys that 3 slices of...

I have been here twice in the last month or so. The food has been delicious both times. The staff is friendly and I will be back. Having said that though, both times I've eaten here I've noticed that the nlentire surface if the tables are super sticky and there's that weird smelly restaurant smell that's really bothersome. I don't think it's the cooking that causes the smell. I notice at other restaurants that if they have that strange smell the tables are usually sticky. I don't know why that is. I get to the restaurant at 6am when they open, so maybe the stickiness dries off later in the day? I dont know. Maybe it's the cleaning supplies or something but the sticky tables are off putting and so is the smell. Maybe the tabletop cleaner is reacting to the table's top coat? I don't know but if it's possible to fix please do. It feels gross. Everything else is great about...