Pros
As a college student, Panera is the best job I've had up until now. At my store the upper management is very fair and everyone gets along like a family. Since I live in a college town, they are very understanding when it comes to changes in availability due to classes, and even for personal reasons. One thing I really like is how friendly everyone is towards the new people, they even encourage them to ask questions! The training process is very in-depth and lasts over a week. Most of it is taught on the computer during your shift, and it explains everything. Some people might think it's boring, but training for a new job is hard (even for fast food!) At Panera they understand that a new employee needs time to learn how everything gets done and will probably make mistakes. Overall, it's a great job due to the people who work there. If you don't get along with your co-workers, you'll hate your job. After working for a somewhat shady local restaurant, Panera is like a breath of fresh air.
Cons
-This seems to be a pretty common issue, but some days I work really hard and get no recognition for it.... until I make make a mistake and have to hear about it. -A lot of running around trying to get things done quickly. When there's only 2 or 3 cashiers during lunch rush it's hard to keep up with maintaining the bakery, keeping everything stocked, making smoothies, etc. A lot of times a customer decides to change their order at the last minute and line blames us. -Different levels of management telling us to do things different ways, but this rarely happens. -Some days it's so busy I can't go on break. That's 5-6 hours running around with no time to stop for a rest, but in the bakery we have to constantly be doing something so it doesn't look like we're slacking off.