Panera Bread

This place is chaos. It consistently takes about 20 min longer to get your rapid pickup order than it does to go in and place one at the register. None of the employees are working. And none of them care that they are wasting your time.

I’ve been to Panera a couple of times, this by far is the worst. EVERYTHING ordered was just slopped together, and the bag just tossed up on the counter didn’t help. I’ll be in town for 10 days, but will stick to a bagel and coffee. (that’s if I even go back)

All the managers are nice and the one cashier Corin is extremely pleasant and seems to enjoy being there. There are a few people that they really need to get rid off. They have sour looks on their faces and seemed to be annoyed that you came to their restaurant to eat. My biggest gripe is the fact that my order is usually wrong. I would say 70% of the time. I work downtown and find it very frustrating to get back to my desk to find something screwed up in the order. Because of this I try to limit going to this branch.

I recently started using their order ahead option that lets you pay online and then walk in and pick up your food. Works great! You never know with this location in downtown if it’s going to be dead empty, or a line out the door so knowing that by the time I walk there my food will be bagged and ready to go is very convenient. I usually like the soups and sandwiches, sometimes the salads seem a little skimpy to me (especially for the price), but it’s very easy if you’re out running errands to drop an order and pick it up along the way.

Fast online service, I work few min away, so I always place online orders. When I get there in 5 min its always waiting for me. Its very busy during lunch, which means the food is good.

Panera gave me $ 5 reward to order online… So Yay!
Rapid pick up: order online (they have a phone app too), pay, pick your time, skip ALL lines, it’s waiting for you on a shelf with your name on it… AMAZING!
And hello new friend, VEGAN edamame with soba noodle broth bowl, with spinach, mushrooms, red bell pepper, cabbage and carrots, all with a snap!
Also, the Power green smoothie is dairy free, tastes of peach and mango, and has spinach, and it is Delicious!
See you soon!

Panera bread is Panera bread no matter where you go. The food was alright, the usual to be expected… not a fan of the service though. There are better places and delis to eat at in the area.

Ordered lunch online at 11:00 am. Order for 10 take out meals was scheduled for 11:45.
I Showed up at 11:45 and there were five employees standing around talking and two working the food prep for walk in customers. No prep was being done. Asked about the order and I was told «They were behind» on orders. The five employees behind the counter continued to stand around discussing their nails and hairstyles while the other two were still working the food line.
Waited to 12:00 noon and again asked about the order. One of standing employees pointed at a large empty bag on the prep counter and said they were in the process of making the food. At 12:06 the two hard working employees started sending food over to the large bag while the others filled drink orders for walk-in’s.
Finally at 12:15, a single large bag was handed to me with the food which should have been ready at 11:45. Prior to noon there were few customers and five (!) employees doing nothing. There was no reason this should have been a half hour late.
I took the food back to the meeting and discovered that they had only filled 6 of the 10 orders. I called them and asked what happened to the other four meals. They said they had no idea and said they would send the orders they missed over to our meeting.
20 Minutes later an employee dropped off another large bag with the missing meals.
I don’t know what kind of standards this particular location holds themselves to, however taking over an hour and a half to fill ten meals and missing half of them (!) when all is said and done is poor quality service and poor logistics in the store.

I like Panera Bread, and under normal circumstances this branch would have attained a higher review. However, the service could definitely have been better. The cashier was alright but I didn’t get a buzzer, which is unfortunate because I like to use it as a coaster for my beverage until it vibrates and spills it on my dockers. Forgivable enough. Then I go to ask for croutons on my soup, and it’s like I insulted someone’s firstborn. Apparently, they were out of croutons, until a helpful soul mentioned they had just baked some news ones: wonderbar! As the manager goes to get them, I witness the same sulky teenager attitude that are in so many fast food joints. Borderline rude, with no customer interaction or eye-​contact, even by the manager (who is an adult, mind you). Newsflash: if you hate your job so much, why communicate that misery to paying customers? You think you’re the only one who’s worked a low-​paying job? I think not.
In summary, you college kids need to ‘shape up’ or get that job the hedge fund owes you post-​haste, because guess what, I am not going to pay my hard-​earned greenbacks for rude, entitled attitudes! End rant.

A solid Panera Bread location; the service has always been fast and polite here. But for some reason, several times they have been out of items I tried to order… maybe I was just coming in too late in the afternoon? Also, they’re a little off with packing the food; had my pasta leak in the bag a few times. However, as far as food and service, they’re A-​OK.

Just a bunch of hard working people who always put the customer first. Their manager Carrie is awesome and has great hair!

I came here during lunch hours, the line was out the door. But it moved very quickly because the workers were moving quickly. As I was waiting for my food, I watched the manager deal with a customer that was having trouble locating his order, I was impressed at how patient and nice the manager was.
I ordered from «you pick two» french onion soup and the turkey cranberry panini. I loved both of it. I will definitely get the panini again — it’s very light but filling at the same time.
The areas were very clean. Overall, I was very satisfied with my experience! Definitely going back another day.

I am not happy, they are sponsors to the Hartford Wolf Pack, they offer a discount on game days and yet they are not open on Sundays, 2^nd game of the season and no Panera for lunch. Very disappointed

This is very popular panera at lunch. It has a great location downtown and it is inside a large office building. It isn’t the best food ever but a solid lunch option if you are looking for a step up from fast food.

I generally like Panera Bread, and this location is no exception. It is a great alternative to the State House Square food court. The food is of the quality I’ve come to expect and the service is excellent, both at the counter and pick up locations. This place has definitely become a part of my workday lunch routine.

Happy to have a Panera so close to Capital Community College! Another option besides the cafeteria is always a welcome addition. Super super speedy. Quality is up to par with other locations. Extremely busy around lunchtime, as is expected but the employees move that line quickly. Nice layout with plenty of space. Working lunch between meetings? Want to do some homework? They have wifi. My go-​to is broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl. Can’t go wrong. Get a MyPanera card and sometimes you’ll get surprises, like a free drink or pastry.
Hours look to be Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. — don’t expect to hole up there until 9pm like other locations.
Welcome to downtown, Panera.

Service is quick, food is predictable!
I love having Panera downtown. Sometimes it’s nice to have a place that you’re used to. There are a ton of lunch choices — whether you like soup, salad, sandwiches or pasta. Each time I go here around 12:00 pm on a weekday, there is a line out the door. The good ting is that it moves quickly! The people working the registers are always friendly and the food comes out really quickly and accurately. What more do you want for «fast» food?
As far as my favorite dishes — The broccoli cheese soup and the Thai chicken salad. Mmmmm.

If I could give no stars I’d do it. I was excited about this coming attraction in the area and was looking forward to it.
When they opened I decided to check it out. Big mistake. This place is too ghetto for my taste. I am an Au Bön Pain kind of girl. I tried this location because my fav spot is rather far so I gave this a try. The people are ghetto and incompetent. It looks as if they hired just any body. Mind you, this was my first time ever eating at Panera bread… ever. I asked for a wrap and broccoli and cheese soup. The cashier took my order… and money and sent me to pick up. Pick up sucks. The people who work in that area are more concerned with flirting and horsing around than with filling orders. There were people waiting for their food but they were taking their sweet time. My order is called. I look in the bag no soup and a half salad. I take it back and inform them of my original order. This is when I was told they don’t sell wraps and soup isn’t sold until 11… it was 10:59! I asked to speak to the manager. She pretty much yells at me for not knowing they don’t sell wraps and that soup isn’t sold till 11. I calmly informed her that her cashier that she hired took my order and money and should have told me. I asked if they don’t sell wraps why did her cashier put it on the receipt. She couldn’t answer. I told her I wanted my money back… didn’t want the food and would let the world know about her crappy business and poor customer skills she has.
Please do not eat there. And if you do be prepared to want to jump across the counter at the people.

So refreshing to have this as a choice downtown!
Got to check this place out on a special preview party. Sure its was still working out a few bugs (after all, it was a preview), but it is what you would expect in a Panera. Lots of seating, quick service, and best of all — good salads, soups and sandwiches. (actually, the chocolate chip cookie was delicious!)
I’ll save my full review after my next few visits, but a very good first impression for this place. It will require the other places downtown (I’m lookin at you Mega Wraps and It’s Only Natural) to step up their game.

Oh yes. PANERA BREAD is coming soon to Downtown, baby! (Right next door to Dish on Main Street)
And guess whose butt is going to be parked there studying and munching on soups, salads, smoothies, mmmm…(I’d say sandwiches too, but I’m eating gluten-​free right now!) But if you’re not eating GF, Panera’s bread IS awesome… it is definitely one of the things I miss…(stomach growls…)
I cannot WAIT!!!