Panera Bread — Restaurant in Tuscaloosa

I purchased a baker’s dozen of bagels, specifying 8 of the 13 and asked the remainder be a variety of other bagels. When I got home I realized she had completed my “variety” with five (5) Asiago bagels, which happens to be my least favorite. If she didn’t understand what a “variety” meant, the fact I ordered four (4) of each of my favorites, neither of which were the Asiago cheese, should have been an indicator that maybe I didn’t want five (5) of any one bagel!

The person taking my order was not overly friendly, never once smiling, nor was she very helpful. When I asked how much the bagel box cost, she told me it was “up there,” pointing to menu on the marque.

Finally, the last two times I visited Panera (which happened to be the Tuscaloosa Panera), the tea selection was extremely limited (today there were three options: British Breakfast, Green Tea, and an herbal tea).’Having been burned the last time there, shame on me for not physically walking to the coffee bar to check prior to ordering. However, once again, no Earl Gray tea (a very common tea option) and no lemon. Of course I had already paid for my tea, so once again I feel a bit cheated!

I waited until after the lunch rush to try to call and speak to the manager, but no one picked up. Maybe the sour attitude experienced from the cashier was reflective of the manager. The new bagel store down the street will certainly get my business next time I crave a bagel...

It seems like this Panera has gone majorly down hill since it was remodeled. The service used to be prompt and on point, but now, they're forgetful and lacking. There were no cups at the self serve kiosk, no clean forks in the ENTIRE building, and the drink station was a mess. Not only that, but they were out of ciabatta bread at 2 pm, for some bizarre reason, and they forgot my companion's cookie. They're only getting two stars because the food was still decent, despite the slow, unattentive service.

UPDATE: Gave this location another try. First time was positive, service was passable and the food was up to the standard I'm used to from Panera. HOWEVER, last night was the second time I went after my first bad experience. The salad TASTED AND SMELLED of cannabis. That in itself wasn't that bad, it was ignorable. However, after ordering LIGHT mayonnaise on my sandwich, I was disappointed to find that when I took a bite, more mayonnaise than is consumed yearly in the country of Belgium squirted out onto my plate and hands. I felt nauseated, and I had to stop eating. I was so sickened by the consistency, texture, and appearance of the ridiculous quantity of mayonnaise that I almost yacked in the restaurant.

For this reason, my review will be LOWERED to one star. Sorry, most Panera locations are good, but this one is just a...

Dined in, and also ordered take out. Both experiences were meh. Not sure if this is a Tuscaloosa thing but almost every bread product is either dry/hard or on the cusp of being burned no matter where we go. I presume that a lot of restaurants are buying from local bakeries, or even local Publix, so someone should probably explain what bread is, and how to make it. There's golden brown, and there's the color of a Tootsie Roll. A lot of Tuscaloosa bread makers seem to favor the latter, and that usually means the oven temperature is too high, and the bread's being baked for too short a period of time. A lot of meals around town would actually be better if they used properly-made bread. In the case of Panera Bread... they applied the Tootsie Roll standard to their soufflés. After pulling off the burned pieces, they were great! A few places around town have figured it out. This Panera Bread is not one of them. As for service, the management seems to understand that service with a smile keeps them in business. Non-management, not so much. The atmosphere - normally clean at other Panera Bread locations - is a little run down at this place, as if the kids hired to clean up the place have never cleaned up a place before, and...