Panera Bread — Restaurant in Virginia

I gave service one star not because of the people, but how management conducts business in regards to their kiosks.

So here's a problem I have with this particular Panera.

Now, this review does not apply to all Paneras, but rather this particular location or others like it who have removed drink cups from the kiosk.

There's a notification within this location stating that if a drink is ordered at the kiosk, the customer must go up to the register, give their name so that the employee can look up and verify that they did purchase a drink, and then the employee will give the customer a cup

I can definitely understand this mindset. Otherwise a person could just walk up, grab a cup, get a drink, and walk off without paying. Nevertheless, the entire purpose of a kiosk is to avoid having to go up to the register.

I'm a member of their Sips program. I pay a monthly fee in order to obtain drinks at no charge. It's a great program for those that can access a Panera frequently and does so at a regular basis.

I do this because I do enjoy Panera coffee and so that I can go in, grab a drink, and walk out making my way to work or my day's errands.

There's no point in me using a kiosk and then having to wait in a line that goes all the way to the door just to get a cup.

Again, I pay a monthly fee and use the kiosk to avoid this very situation.

So what's the solution?

I'm not sure if this location is a franchise, but I would believe it if I discover that it was because a franchise owned by an individual rather than corporate Panera would worry about cups and drinks.

The only solution I can see comes down to two options.

1. The owner/operator accepts that there may be a few occasions where it dishonorable person will take a cup and drink without paying.

Or

2. Redesign the kiosk menu so that it can only be used for purchasing food or a drink WITH food. A person would have to wait for the food to be prepared at the cafe and they can get a drink with that food, so they would have to wait anyway. The only point of the kiosk would be to place their food order quickly so that it can get started rather than waiting in line. In terms of a person ONLY wanting to get a drink, the kiosk is completely useless, so the ability to order ONLY a drink should be removed.

Again, what is the point of a kiosk to order ONLY a drink if I still have to stand in a line for the cup?

Other Paneras I've been to (for example the one in Fredericksburg VA off of Carl D Silver parkway) still have the cups next to the kiosk. I don't know if it's a franchise or corporate, but I think that location simply accepts that the majority rules and the majority of people are honest and pay for the cup in which they take.

For businesses where customer service matters, it's better to make the majority happy.

I suspect that Panera's largest profit margin (corporate or franchise) doesn't come from the...

So we went to Panera last night. The sweet girl behind the counter rang up our order. For drinks, we ordered two hot teas. She gave us the cups for those, and we went on our merry way. When the kind fellow delivered our food, he said, "I'll be right back with your hot chocolates." My wife and I looked at each other in confusion.

When he returned, we informed him that we hadn't ordered hot chocolates. He showed us the receipt, and sure enough, there they were. I explained that we'd gotten hot teas and already had them. He realized the girl had hit the wrong button, and he offered us the hot chocolates on the house. Very kind of him, and he'd have to toss them anyway, so why not? (They were DELICIOUS, by the way, and worthy of their own review.)

But then -- and here's where I was truly impressed -- the manager came out and apologized for the mix up. He said the hot chocolates were about a dollar more than the tea, and he wanted to refund us the money for our drinks. ... Not the difference between the tea and hot chocolate. He wanted to refund us for the entire $6 and change. And, in fact, he already had the cash in hand. I told him he didn't need to do that, but he insisted. "I want to make it right, and this is how I'd like to do it." Stellar guy.

That is above and beyond, in my opinion. I'd never seen a team on top of it like that. But yeah, this team was special. They're working hard to be all about the customer...

Order No 233493. Cashier was exceptionally pleasant and professional. The rest of my experience made me regret coming to Panera. There was literally only one other customer in the building but half of the order was still wrong. I ordered 2 BLTs and found out I had to pay for a turkey cheese BLT without turkey and cheese; both BLTs had no bacon when I got back to my hotel (literally just a lettuce and tomato sandwich). I went back to Panera and the cashier was apologetic and helpful while offering to replace the sandwiches; then the manager came and offered to simply add bacon to the soggy sandwiches that just spent 45 minutes in my car. I finally got the sandwiches I ordered and back at the hotel I realized 1 of my kid’s apples was missing too, and 1 of 2 of my kids grilled cheese’s had bacon (don’t know why). It was an incredibly simple order; out of 2 BLTs, 2 grilled cheeses, 3 bagels, and a salad only the salad and bagels were correct. I also didn’t find out until later that chain policy is that inaccurate orders get a free item; the manager was not forthcoming with that info so I got nothing for all of my wasted time. Just got an overpriced mediocre meal with twice the effort it should’ve taken, and no apple. Never going back...