Panera Bread — Restaurant in Virginia

UPDATE: they changed a lot of things since my last review. I want to update my review because a one star review can really drag the total down. There are more attentive employees and a better flow of when the food comes out now. I love that the Panera app has finally started to include food allergies. The employees at this location are very good with my allergies; changing gloves and sanitizing areas. The managers are attentive, professional and kind (while still being able to joke around with their employees - it's a good balance). The app said my food was ready, but it wasn't on the shelf. The Manager came over and asked if I needed anything and he made sure to check my bag and got it out pretty quickly. When I dined in, they brought the food to the table and were very nice. I understand the need to be on your phone these days - social media is addicting. However, you never know when a mystery shopper is going to walk in and that's usually the beginning of a bad review for the establishment. Maybe look up every now and then to make sure a customer isn't in front of you. Food is still great. I just wish that they had more egg souffles and could serve them later (until 11am at least). They're usually gone by 9am. They're really yummy!

Old review: I'm so annoyed with this location right now. I usually order using Rapid Pick Up on my phone app. I understand if the location gets slammed and my food doesn't come out exactly on time (8 minutes after checkout). But, 40 minutes?! Are you kidding me?! Change the name because that is no where close to being rapid. Oh and when my fianceé said something to an employee, they were extremely rude to him. At that time, my name was off the screen. I want my money back. I lost my appetite. Also, the last time I ordered rapid pick up, I walked in and there were two young female employees sitting on the counter near the baked goods (that's not sanitary) and they were glued to their phones. They didn't acknowledge me at all. There was no one else on the screen for food and it was after my pick up time so I went over to check the other pick up area and the manager was back there joking around with the staff. I'm all for a good working environment and a fun manager but when it's after the pick up time for a rapid delivery, he should have made a better choice. I'm just totally annoyed and disgusted with...

n my opinion, Panera's food (sandwiches, salads, soups, pastries) is worth 3 stars for A-okay. Except that I LOVE their in-house (made fresh daily) Green Goddess salad dressing (4 stars, only available in-store) for their Cobb salad. Way better than any store bought GG dressing versions by Kraft or Trader Joe's, etc. I'd love to have that salad dressing recipe, or if they'd sell that dressing by itself (bottles of Panera salad dressings are sold at Safeway, Target, etc). The Cobb salad itself is just okay. Panera uses very ripe tomatoes in their salads, which I don't like that much. I prefer crisp tomatoes rather than mushy ones. The baguette bread that comes with the salads and soups is good too.

Unlike other reviews, I've never had any problems with service or had any food order mistakes at this branch. But then I always check my takeout order before leaving the store. The dining room is relatively spacious. There's always a few laptop campers, although the King street location is larger and far more popular. The latest addition are 2 short term parking spaces in front for online Rapid Pick-Up customers.

Parking lot E at City Center (Target/Best Buy) has become a very popular dining spot (Panera, Chipotle, and Subway) for nearby residents and drivers (I often see a few commercial vehicles, and some Uber or Lyft cars parked). A posted sign indicates that Starbucks plans to open next to Subway. I think that for some people this lot (open until 10pm) might work as a replacement to Lucky Penny (which...

This particular Panera location has really gone down under current management. Used to be very nice and upscale, with outstanding service. Placed an order for rapid pick up and order was not ready at promised time on 2/4/20 around 5:45pm. Had to wait. Then, we looked in the bag and items were missing, which meant we still had to wait...only to find out they "didn't have anymore" but they did not tell us and still charged for the items, had we not checked the bag before leaving the store we would not have been aware of this. Then, when we got home and unwrapped food, the order was made wrong. Specifically asked for NO MAYO, however the sandwiches were slathered with, yep you guessed it, MAYO! Also, the registers were unmanned for significant periods of time and customers were standing around just waiting to order. This Ashburn location has become a real disappointment (i.e., staff) and is not representative of surrounding area establishments. Unpleasant and unimpressive experience. Also, the manager does not seem...