Panera Bread — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

This is the worst Panera in the city! It has gone down hill drastically, I've lived near and visited this location since it first opened. I even worked here back in college.

They are VERY inconsistent. They get my order wrong 70% of the time. (I don't even get anything complex, usually just a bagel or soup...) I'm constantly given those $3 off coupons in the app for "inconveniencing" me. I rather you just get my order right the first time vs trying to buy me out each mistake. Overpriced and I don't even get what I ordered... Delivery is the same.

And they sell out of almost everything breakfast or bakery before even 10am... Why? No other location has this issue in the city! I've gone on different days of the week/times and it's the same story.

Dining In - AWFUL. You used to grab your own cup after using the kiosks, now they put covers over it and you have to get it from the cashier or with your meal. Okay fine, however NO ONE IS EVER THERE! I don't know if the workers just suck or there aren't enough of them. I'm going to assume no one wants to work here because the pay is still low and the company is greedy. So you go over to the counter to get your cup with your meal since there's never a cashier. Too bad they also forget to give it to you... So you now have to stand there for 5 mins with your food in hand until one of the cooks behind the counter notices you and you can ask for your bottled drink or cup.

To Go - Most the time I never find my food in the pick up to go area. Even when it's past the pick up time and I'm not early. It's usually still sitting on the food counter because again, there are no workers! Sometimes if you grab your bag they yell at you. You have time to look up and yell at my for grabbing a bag or cup but can't notice customers waiting for other things you've missed normally?

This location is a joke. Other Paneras aren't as close to me so I'll probably stop going all together. There is a delicious bagel place literally one plaza over so I'll go there...

Occurred: On 10/31/24 approximately 2:20pm I will never step foot in this Panera again. I ordered my food from the kiosk, because there is NEVER a cashier at the register to order. I NEVER receive a cup at the To go station when I get my food, so I normally have to grab one MYSELF from the front counter, and no one has ever cared or said ANYTHING. I go to that Panera regularly, and this always happens, where I don’t receive a cup, so I always just instinctively grab one. So today I ordered from the kiosk and grabbed my cup like usual behind the counter and The tall bearded buy (manager I assume) came up and said “ya know we put those behind the counter for a reason but whatever, you’ve already grabbed one” threw his hands up and was just rude. I said ya know what, go ahead and cancel my order then. And he responded “no” and I said “yes I want my order cancelled now” he then comes around and asked me what my name was on the ticket, I told him and then he cancelled the order. $23.00 for soup, salad, and a large drink (OVER PRICED) and you’re gonna treat me like I’m stealing!! All I wanted was a quick bite to eat before I had to pickup my kids from school. I was at work all day and didn’t have an opportunity to eat all day. I won’t EVER go back to this Panera. They don’t have the staff to obviously keep up with customers anyways.

The Panera on military highway is so much better & run so well! Please take tips from them, please...

Not a stellar Panera. BLUF: Yes, you'll get good Panera food, but the place is just so-so, and kiosk ordering is tedious and annoying; please just pay for the staffing to support a guy at the register. The food is good, but I don't expect much variation in quality from a chain restruant, however other elements make this location just mostly ok. It doesn't have the tea/juice bar like I'm used to seeing at Panera, there was also no sweet tea which is basically unheard of around here, the floors were sticky and my latte with caramel drizzle ended up being a latte with caramel syrup dumped in the bottom of the cup. Also, the employees calling out ready orders at the counter all seemed like they were inconvenienced for having to move food from the kitchen to the serving bench; I even tipped generously, but I guess its too much bother on your day to do your job. Theres an inviting "cozy fireplace" seating area, but it's right next to the soda bar, which is noisy and less than cozy, and there's extra tables and chairs kind of strewn around the dining area. It all feels thrown together, like grandma's dining room at family Christmas when you have to borrow seating from the community center and have no where else to put them when they're not in use. I'm also not a fan of the kiosk ordering system, it's so much nicer, and faster, to order...