Panera Bread — Restaurant in West Caldwell

Although we have been here before without any major issues, today's visit was all around bad. It seems they have changed the recipe for the souffle. Usually when we arrive there after 11 am there is not a souffle to be found. Today when we arrived there were at least 15 souffles and now we know why. The crust was uncooked and doughy and the body of the souffle was super salty. We ordered one asparagus and artichoke and the other bacon and spinach. Both were in the same condition. They also got the bagel order wrong. Instead of a cinnamon crunch they gave us a cinnamon raisin. The girl who took our order was clearly not paying any attention as she asked us several times what we ordered. And though she repeated to us our order she still got it wrong. The young man who gave us our cinnamon raisin bread was clearly having some issues as he was starting off into space and trying the twist tie what seemed to be several dozen times. When he "came to" he said "Oh, is this for you?". There was surely something...

I always use on line ordering when I order at the West Caldwell NJ location. My orders are always prepared quickly and they're always ready for me to grab and go. I real time saver when you only have a 30 minute lunch break. Not sure how friendly or unfriendly the staff is since I never order in person. This location appears to be well maintained and clean. The orders are usually accurate. I say usually because today my sandwich was missing veggies and a pastry I ordered was missing. I thought maybe I ordered incorrectly but I signed on and confirmed I did in fact order correctly. Now I'm short a pastry I was craving for. To drive back for the missing pastry will be a hassle. The takeaway is to always check your order before you leave the restaurant. Though my experience at this particular location has been mostly positive, It takes just one error to...

This used to be one of my favorite go-to places, with imaginative recipes always served fresh and clean with ample portions that represented good value. Unfortunately, the pandemic/post-pandemic economy has apparently affected this once-upscale restaurant in disappointing ways. My wife and I had lunch there today. Her sandwich wasn’t mixed per the recipe’s portions. I ordered a bowl of soup that was half-full (but they charged full price). This has become the rule at this location, not the exception. In addition, the dining room was slovenly, with visible garbage on the floor, and tables that were not being cleaned. I wiped the table that we sat at down myself. We won’t continue paying top dollar for meals that have potential but, in this case, remind me more of a midtown Manhattan fast food restaurant than an...