There are high expectations for attitude, detail, and urgency which will frustrate you but also teach you a lot. - Associate Trainer Panera Bread Employee Review

4.0
Apr 14, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Working in a high stress environment with a small group of people creates an almost family like atmosphere. The food is delicious and "nutritious" (lol) and you will get addicted to eating it everyday. 60% discount within thirty minutes before or after shift or during a break (if you are lucky enough to get one) You will get much experience in customer service as the customer base there is mostly the over-privileged and they are sometimes very hard to please. There is also a very loyal group of customers that you will see all the time and you will learn what they like and they will know you by name. a very good feeling. I enjoyed the attention to detail that goes into making everything perfect for the customer but some people just want to get thru a shift. If you are the latter Panera isnt for you. Bakery goods are made fresh every morning so if you are closing and there is still plenty of treats to give to donations you might get to take half a loaf of bread or some sweets home. yum!

Cons

-long shifts sometimes with no break or opportunity to eat/drink. practically extortion. -always seem under staffed. unreasonable order completion time demands -lots of multitasking and double duty deployment (i.e. doing the work that they should have another person doing while still completing your own responsibilities.) -you work as hard if not harder than most food service workers and yet cannot earn tips. -customers cannot understand why they are spending so much money on a sandwich and will complain about the prices everyday. "no, we do not have a dollar menu" -"no, we do not have gluten free bread" (gtfo) ad infinatum

Explore other reviews about Panera Bread

5.0
Jul 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Everything is great here! The food, the people, the atmosphere. It’s a wholesome company.

Cons

Have only had good experiences here.

3.0
Apr 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

GM at this location is very on top of things, because it's the busiest Panera in Queens. Consistent hours. Shifts go by very quickly, especially in the morning.

Cons

Location is extremely busy so it gets very stressful, especially in the morning when someone is out / there is no second cashier scheduled so the single cashier in the morning has to clean the coffee counter, refill coffees, make drinks, stick bagels in the oven & serve those bagels, check and bag up RPU/delivery orders, get bakery items for barista screen, and ring up customers. It can get really intense when many people come in, which is most of the time. You will be running back and forth like crazy. Customers can be impatient, rude, demeaning, and nasty when the line gets too long. Not recommended for people who are sensitive, with high anxiety. As for Panera the company, this chain keeps making bizarre and difficult changes to the menu, all of which make employees' lives harder and harder. With every change comes strange, dismaying, and borderline impossible expectations for frontline staff that cascade down through management who cannot do much to alter the hard policies. You can tell the company is struggling greatly to keep itself relevant with the younger crowd (a solid 80% of customers are old people). The CEO and everyone making company decisions at Panera is extremely out-of-touch. EXTREMELY. With every nonsensical menu & operations adjustment, you can tell these people haven't actually worked at a food service job in like 40 years.

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