I Know its Popular, but I Just Don't Like It!
Written: Jun 16 '05 (Updated Jun 16 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Menu variety, great focaccia bread
Cons: Overpriced, lack of intimate atmosphere, poor service set-up, surprisingly fattening food
The Bottom Line: I don't recommend Panera, try a local coffee shop instead.
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| chelledun's Full Review: Panera Bread |
It seems no matter how hard I try I just can’t get away from Panera Bread. I started off my four years at Purdue University new to the franchise, and one was located just down the street. Now I live in the same town as a Panera and it seems that everyone I am meeting for lunch always wants to dine there for some reason. I’m sorry, guys, I know there are a lot of fans of this chain but I just don’t like it!!! Read on to see why.
The Franchise in General
Panera is a chain restaurant with a particular focus on bread. From the Panera website:
We are bakers of bread.
We are fresh from the oven.
We are a symbol of warmth and welcome.
We are a simple pleasure, honest and genuine.
We are a life story told over dinner.
We are a long lunch with an old friend.
We are your weekday morning ritual.
We are the soft doughy insides and the crunchy crust.
We are the kindest gesture of neighbors.
We are home. We are family. We are friends.
We are Panera.
This is very nice. The concept is basically high quality ‘fast food’. Anyway, Panera offers a variety of breakfast, lunch, and dinner items including soups, salads, pastries, sandwiches, and desserts. This chain has many restaurants around the country, and the franchises seem to be multiplying like rabbits. To find a restaurant near you go to http://www.panera.com/locations.aspx.
Atmosphere
Most Panera locations I have visited are almost identical. The color scheme is usually various shades of yellow and gold. Usually there is one counter for bakery items only and another to place orders for meals such as sandwiches and salads. This is not a table service restaurant, after placing your order you must stand and wait for your number to be called. This set up can result in quite a bit of backup, particularly at busy times such as Sunday after church. At the Lafayette location it is necessary to wait for your food virtually in the bathroom at busy times. Something about the Panera décor lacks coziness to me, probably because there is so much seating in a very open setting. It just has a bit of a cafeteria feel despite the elegant color scheme. On the bright side, this means it is easy to find a seat and I have rarely had to wait long for a table.
Menu Items
The menu is somewhat seasonal, with special salads and bread products coming out at certain times of the year. Soups change daily, so keep this in mind.
Breakfast - Choices include a variety of bagels, gigantic pastries, and breads. I don’t really care for the huge pastries, they just don’t really have a ‘home made’ taste to me. I do find bagels ok, particularly the Cinnamon Crunch variety which is quite a hefty breakfast. However, I find the bagels at other chains such as Einstein's to be fresher and tastier. The giant Cinnamon Rolls are good but I think you need to nuke it in the microwave for a moment or else you won’t get the enjoyment of goey cinnamon and frosting.
Soups and Salads - The soups range from interesting to bland. I am put off by the texture of noodles in the Chicken Noodle Soup, so I avoid that one. The Baked Potato Soup I think is good, especially in a bread bowl. It is quite creamy though, and tends to upset my stomach The salads are very fresh, particularly compared to other fast food locations so if you enjoy salads (I don't) this is a good place to try one. Choices range from a Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken to a simple Caesar Salad.
Sandwiches - Picky eaters will probably do the best with a sandwich since you can have anything from Peanut Butter and Jelly to Tuna Salad. I always get the Sierra Turkey, because the asiago cheese focaccia is absolutely fabulous. I avoid any of the panini sandwiches because I find them very tough to chew.
Desserts - All the desserts look really, really, good but I have been disappointed with most of them. The Chocolate Chip cookies are ok, but do not taste as home made as they look. Same thing with the ridiculously rich looking Brownies. I like the Cinnamon Chip Scone ok, but as with most other items here it is HUGE and almost overly sweet, especially by the time one is halfway through. I find many of the pastries to have an odd chewy consistency instead of being flaky and delicate. My favorite sweet item is a simple Cinnamon Crunch bagel.
So What’s the Problem?
I already mentioned that I just don’t care about this restaurant. I can make an ok meal there with the items mentioned above, but I would never choose to dine here without someone else requesting it. Something about the smell and taste of the products makes me feel like everything tastes the same. I also find Panera to be quite expensive for a counter service eatery. With a sandwich/salad and a beverage, your total bill will probably run around $9, more if you get an expensive coffee drink. Salads and sandwiches run as high as $7 in price, although soup is a less expensive alternative. Still, Michelle cannot live on soup alone. I feel that I could pay this same price and have an enjoyable and similar meal at a charming local eatery with a lot more character.
However, one of my biggest complaints is that for a place that everyone thinks is healthy, this restaurant is a calorie trap. I don’t mind eating fattening food, of course, but I was absolutely shocked to view the nutrition content of many of Panera’s offerings. My favorite Sierra Turkey sandwich is 950 calories without eating the chips!!! Holy cow! Granted it is a pretty good size sandwich but I had no idea. A Tomato and Mozzarella Salad is 790 calories, and that’s if you don’t eat the sourdough roll. Bagels are a better deal at between 300 and 500 calories, and soups are relatively healthy. This is not to say you can’t eat healthily at Panera. However, with traditional fast food chains such as McDonald’s or Burger King, dieters know to be wary when they enter the restaurant. With Panera, I feel that many people think they are doing ok to order a turkey sandwich like I do, but it can actually be a calorie disaster. If you are visiting Panera on a diet, check out the nutrition facts first at http://www.panera.com/pdf/menu_nutrition_all.pdf.
Overall…
I have had a lifelong affair with coffee shops. No, I don't drink coffee. However, I love the smell, the atmosphere, the baked goods, seeing the same people from time to time, chatting with the owners and staff, and changing daily specials at a reasonable price. Many of my hours of studying are at coffee shops for this reason. Panera, to me, feels less like a coffee shop and more like a coffee factory, despite the friendly words from their website. I feel like I enter, wait in line to give my order at the counter, smush into a group to wait for my order, pay $7 for my sandwich, and hurry to eat in the cafeteria setting. Maybe its just me, but I think it takes something out of the whole coffee shop/bakery experience.
I understand a lot of people like Panera and I can make a decent meal there when I have to. However, I feel that it despite the coffee shop type setting it lacks the character of local coffee shops, and is no great deal in terms of price. I must go against the grain and find Panera to be below average in terms of value, atmosphere, and quality in my experience.
Recommended:
No
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