Panera Bread

Fresh-baked goods, fresh-brewed coffee and creative sandwiches served up in relaxed, roomy surroundings.

by Contributor

October 06, 2008

In Short
Bright colors and comfortable furniture give this chain cafe a laid-back feel, with scattered tables that beckon coffee-sipping readers, chatters and diners. All baked goods--bagels, muffins, two dozen kinds of bread--are made fresh on the premises. Sandwiches include turkey-artichoke panini and Asiago roast beef, plus standards like chicken salad and smoked turkey. Soups change daily, but popular choices like broccoli and cheese, chicken noodle and French onion are always on the menu.

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Average Cafeteria Fare

by Ambrish

May 14, 2008

I am probably not their best customer for the following reasons. For my taste, their food has seemed to become very salty and greasy / fatty. Their bakeries are very high traffic establishments and as a result need more frequent upkeep than they have planned for from a maintenance perspective. The furniture seems to appear worn, the tables and chairs aren't cleaned regularly and the silverware (if you are dining in) can sometimes be spotty or worse, wet! The solitary microwave oven (found in most stores I have visited) isn't very clean (I agree mine isn't either, but I'm not charging you for food and then inviting you to heat your food in the microwave). The free wi-fi service has drawn a very wi-fi hungry clientele (students, job-hunters, sales people with no offices to invite their clients to, etc.) who sometimes make it home for the day. If you happen to be visiting on a crowded afternoon, good luck trying to find a quiet table to sit down and enjoy your $9 sandwich and soup.

• Pros: They're everywhere, Large Bakery and Kitchen Selections, Free Wi-Fi Service (accessible from parking lot if you're not a fan of the food)
• Cons: Unclean, Squatters Paradise

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One of America's great chains

by aharm

January 24, 2003

This relatively new chain restaurant is just fantastic. The breads and sandwiches are just great. Sometimes I wish it was a tad bit less expensive, but it's still great. I highly recommend the "you pick two" if you want a sandwich. The full size sandwiches are *huge*. You might as well get a half sandwich and a bowl of soup for the same price as a full size sandwich. This also a cool place to read a newspaper or book, or to have a casual chat with your pal, Swain.

• Pros: Bread, Sandwiches
• Cons: Not super cheap

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Just try it!!!!!

by billbig

July 30, 2002

outstanding pastries,coffee and light fare-located at diversy,clyborn and the the suburbs-I wish there were several more in the city-this is absolutely the best

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