Thumbs down on Panera Bread

[vsp]

The Panera Bread chain came up in a discussion <a href="http://www.cellar.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4275">some time ago</a>, and I wasn't impressed by what I saw online. My wife and I were hungry and in the area (just over the Delaware border) last night, so we figured we'd give it a try.

* Demerit #1: I picked out a sandwich, ordered it, and asked "Can I have some onions on that?" The clerk says "No."

NO?

"The sandwiches are already made up, so..."

Wait wait wait. This is a SANDWICH SHOP, and they're serving pre-made sandwiches with no substitutions? Where am I, a high school cafeteria?

This eliminates about 3/4 of the menu for me, because I'd be saying "Can I get this without the mayo?"

* Mild Kvetch #1: The lemonade was good, and they get points for carrying Jones Soda Co. products at all... but only five flavors, one of them diet. Oh well.

* Positive: Their breads and other baked goods did look good, even if they want a lot for their bagels.

* Demerit #2: The drones behind the counter put our sandwiches on the grill to warm them up. In the process, they pretty much charbroiled the bread, which became hard to the point of being nearly inedible. "At least the insides of the sandwich were good," says the wife.

* Demerit #3: My wife and I were sitting in a little room in the corner of the restaurant, as most of the booths in the main section were full. Another couple was eating a few feet away from us. During our meal, a staff member came in and started noisily stacking the chairs up on the tables, doing every table except for the ones we were sitting at. Um, it's SIX-THIRTY, and they didn't close until NINE!

Maybe it's just me, but I'm not much for eating in a "hurry up and GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE" environment, which was exactly the attitude that the staff drone projected. Seeing stacked-up chairs around you isn't exactly a welcoming sign, and I'm not sure why she felt it was so vital to push past us and close up shop THEN instead of waiting five minutes until we and the other couple were done eating.

* Demerit #4: All things considered, my sandwich (the new Turkey and Panini they were hawking) was kinda bland.

I've had worse dining experiences, but I was thoroughly unimpressed. The <a href="http://www.atlantabread.com/">Atlanta Bread Company</a> is _right there_ if I want a better fresh-baked-bread-and-fresh-made-sandwiches chain experience, and if I don't need a loaf of bread to take home, the <a href="http://www.isaacsdeli.com">Isaac's Deli</a> chain blows both away in terms of the quality of the sandwiches. And that's just the CHAINS, as locally-owned sandwich places abound around here.

Been there, done that, not going back unless I'm _really_ desperate for Jones Green Apple Soda.