Panera Bread — Restaurant in West Allis

I love Panera, so this was hugely disappointing because this location fails where others excel. A severely cramped space with no comfortable seating. The order screens were directly blocking the front door, rather than off to the side, making for an awkward ordering process as people picking up food are forced to walk around the kiosks to get in and out. Since this is geared toward take-out, you would think the kiosks wouldn’t be blocking the only pathway to the take-out window and the order counter. If this place gets busy (which it likely won’t, due to the issues outlined here) then prepare for a massive traffic jam.

My first visit, the food was a nightmare – burnt bun, smashed sandwich, cookie served inside a folded paper bag(!), food wrapped in paper rather than served on a plate, and no utensils/napkins. But I gave it a second shot, and at least the food wasn’t burned this time, so I raised the rating from one star to two.

But the biggest issue: this Panera is a quarter of the size (at least!) of other locations and has zero comfortable seating or ambiance. The music is blaring too loud in proportion to the size. The drink station is smaller than a budget motel’s free breakfast bar. They even have an automatic coffee/water dispenser, like at a gas station, rather than one with a manual lever, but the machine doesn't fill up your cup the entire way! (Pro tip: if you have a 16oz cup, choose the 20oz option and hit the “stop button” when it’s full; if you have a 20oz cup, you will have to go through the pouring process twice and hit the stop button when it reaches the top the second time. All this for a simple cup of hot water for tea.) If more than one person is getting a drink, prepare for another logjam.

I guess I'll continue to make the half-hour round-trip to the real Panera locations in Brookfield, Greenfield, and New Berlin, which have none of...

Big yikes - definitely avoid this place! It’s not my usual Panera but went here out of convenience while running errands. When we entered, the only employee in sight was one sleeping in the dining area. Another customer inside was at the register calling out for a worker to help. After several minutes a worker lazily comes but before helping the customer, the worker made the lady move away several feet away so they could take a picture of the front counter. Very odd and honestly rude. The place was completely dead yet every table was dirty with crumbs or trash on it. As we’re waiting for the order (and that one worker is still sleeping in the dining area), another Panera worker comes into the dining area and sits 2 feet away from us for a full blown make out session with someone. My order was wrong - wrong sides, wrong dressings and the worker was sassy when I asked for the correct items. Since there is no worker at the front, you have to awkwardly lean and yell into back window to ask for help, even for simple requests like a cup for water. Even though we ordered for dining in, everything was in to-go containers instead of the standard dinnerware. Incredibly bizarre, rude, and gross experience. Giving 2 stars because at least the food was okay. I get the impression this is a newer Panera but based on all these reviews, I do not expect them...

The staff member at the counter was friendly but clearly had not been trained well. All of the staff members seemed very young and inexperienced. There did not appear to be a manager or an experienced staff member present. I ordered a bagel toasted with cream cheese and a smoothie. The person taking my order was very confused about how to put the order in the computer. He accidentally charged me for a tub of cream cheese rather than a bagel tasted with cream cheese. It took about minutes to get the order (it was not very busy). When I got the order I looked in the bag and it was just a bagel tasted (not toasted and with no cream cheese). It took another 5-10 minutes to get the correct order but had to leave with a cold bagel. Didn’t have time to wait anymore. I hope this location invests in more training for their employees and having a manager who is helping them to be...