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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Panera's Employee Problem

About a year ago I went to Panera to try there then new breakfast sandwich.

I arrived at 10:31am and was denied breakfast because "they ran out of eggs" and I came in one minute after they stopped serving. Things turned ugly and I ended up walking out completely disgusted.

Below is a recent comment on this blog post from last year from a Panera Bread employee:

Anonymous comments on the post "10:31am - Panera's Out of Eggs":

"Hi, I'm an employee at Panera. Let's get a few things straight. As with the person's comments earlier (which because it's written so sympathetically, I'm assuming it's a corporate person writing it) we don't offer breakfast sandwiches after 10:30 for practical reasons.

Although I don't expect you to understand as most Panera guests have short tempers andquickly get angry over a small error or if something as minor as this happens, just bear with me and read through this as if you were an employee there.

We offer breakfast from 6:30 to 10:30 for a reason. That reason being that if we were to offer it any later, it would become near impossible to set up the line for the lunch rush.

We do make our own eggs. And here's what happened with your order. The employees probably did as they were supposed to do and made about 10 eggs around 15-20 minutes before 10:30 and turned off the egg machine and cleaned it. When the clock hit 10:30, the employees knew that they needed to get their asses in gear to help cater for lunch. So when 10:30 hit, they threw out the remainder of the eggs so they were able to put the soups in their proper spot in the soup well.

Then you came in at 10:31 when the eggs were thrown away and bitched about how we have no more eggs. Sure, we could have made you an egg but here's the thing. If we did, you'd be writing this article not on how you didn't get your fat ass up in time for breakfast but because you didn't get the food in a timely order.

See, if we were to go through the trouble of doing that (and if you asked, you probably could get it done being that we are the customer's bitch) it would take around 10+ minutes to make your sandwich. Listen, we don't get paid a lot and I'm sure if you were to work for one god damn day at the place you certainly wouldn't last one day.

I'm glad you're a rich snob who can complain about stuff like this and I too aspire to be just like you and complain about crumbs on a fast food table but please, don't write about this saying that this is OUR fault when it is clearly yours. We stop serving breakfast at 10:30 period. Stop being an asshole and blaming it on the employees who get minimum wage and are forced to work their asses off to cater to you.

PS. As for the employee who yelled "it's not my problem", yeah you have a little right to be slightly angry over that but not excessive. The employee probably blurted that in confusion and frustration. You know, like all people do. Say things accidentally when you meant it in a different way?"

Dear Anonymous Angry Panera Employee:

My goodness, I have never met a Panera Employee as disgruntled and unhappy as you. Oh wait, every time I visit Panera (which is hardly ever since every time I go it's a horrible experience) I meet an employee who is just as angry as you are. Isn't it ironic that every Panera employee I have ever met hates their job? (except for Amanda, she is awesome)

Why is that?

Although I don't have the time to go into all of the potential reasons why you're miserable with your current employer, however, I would like to point out a few things about your response to my breakfast experience at your restaurant.

First, as always thank you for writing in and sharing your feedback. We always enjoy hearing from employees at the restaurants we discuss here.

Second, I'm tired of restaurant excuses.

If you serve breakfast until 10:30am, you should serve it up until that time. More importantly, if you were following your own rules and actually having enough product available to last until 10:30 you would still have some left over to accommodate guests who come in a couple minutes late.

Instead, you and your organization believe in cutting corners in order to get things done.

"If we throw left over eggs away a little before 10:30 we can get the line set up for lunch faster."

"If we clean the machine and tell the customers who still want breakfast that, they won't mind and will order something else."

I know customers are annoying. I also know they are the reason our industry survives. Your job IS to cater to them, make them happy and get them to come back again. If that means that you have to make someone an egg sandwich to get them to be a customer for life then you should do it.

But wait, you hate your job and you hate your customers so you would never do that.

I don't need to reflect any more on all of the reasons why you SHOULD have made me a breakfast sandwich. It was a year ago, I'm over it.

But just know that Panera's real issues go far beyond their food issues, serving times and cleanliness. The real problem with Panera is: you. The employees are the problem.

Every time I go to Panera and every time it's bad it usually has nothing to do with the food.....and everything to do with the way I'm treated. I understand why you can't serve breakfast until noon. Although I am a "rich snob" (I'm actually not all) I have worked in the restaurant industry for several years. What I don't understand is why employees at Panera can't "aim to please" and brush everyone off without giving a care in the world.

Short story: I was at McDonald's today getting an iced tea. There were two people in front of me at 10:33am. They both wanted breakfast.

Guess what? McDonald's served them breakfast even though all of the menus had already been switched over to lunch and they were actually already SERVING lunch to other customers. The employees didn't complain and didn't make excuses. They just did it, because McDonald's cares.

If McDonald's can do it. Why can't you?

Finally, I'll assume by your P.S. note that you didn't mean all of those awful things you said about me and your customers. I suppose it was just an "accident"?

Dan

Posted by Dan Holm at 11:02 PM
Labels: , , ,

59 comments:

  1. I'm sorry, but I have a serious issue with the letter written by this Panera employee.

    I do not by any means feel bad for you. You CHOOSE to work making minimum wage and get treated badly by guests. Change your snippy attitude. If you feel the company that you work for treats you like crap and you fail to do anything about it, then it's your own fault.
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  2. Dear Anonymous that wrote this stupid email to the original post about Panera. I suggest that you go find a job where you never deal with another human being (maybe you could also make more than minimum wage).
    You have no idea why it was 10:31 that he go to the restaurant:
    * it might have been 10:30:59 when he walked into the restaurant and that would have still been 10:30!
    * or the clock in the restaurant had the wrong time, cause I highly doubt that Panera has atomic clocks (which you might not know are the most accurate time in the world)
    * I could go on but don't have time.
    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Anonymous

    Please go hang yourself.

    Love,
    The rest of the world
    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't believe for a second that everyone in Panera has synchronized watches like it's some spy movie and the second 10:30 hits everyone immediately changes modes and throws everything breakfast away and begins diligently moving on to lunch. I managed "quick service" for 2 year god knows I never had anyone that motivated or efficient. Here is the most important part if you have the product available why immediately in the trash? So it's 10:31 someone comes in wanting breakfast, you might not have the whole breakfast aray. Mr. 10:31 probably expects this so you say:
    "I'm sorry what were you wanting to order we still have somethings left from breakfast maybe we can get what you want?"

    Holy crap the customer feels you care, at the worst he goes oh damn I wanted the x but you only have the y left. You really want to make the customers day instead of throwing the y away offer it to them since it has a trash can destiny anways.

    Sorry I just can't stand crappy customer service with bad excuses.
    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh and a P.S. from me why the hell are you always out of bread and the good soup by 7 at night? Your a bread and soup store? Plus that soup comes frozen in bags right? Or is there a souse chef back there that leaves at 6:59?
    ReplyDelete
  6. Wow. Oh my gosh. I do not even know what to say. That letter from the Panera employee makes me never want to eat there again. Great job making customers never want to come back! Idiot.
    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree with all of you for obvious reasons.

    Beginning today, April 15, 2009 I hereby boycott every Panera Bread in the country for one full year.

    I'm tired of going over and over and constantly having a bad experience.

    I hope you will join me in my boycott.
    ReplyDelete
  9. @Dan -- Heard.
    ReplyDelete
  10. A-freaking-men. I am the former Panera manager who has commented before. It all has to do with the pressure they put on their employees to squeeze every last penny of profit, under-staff, work their people to death trying to figure out how to keep everyone happy but making NO ONE happy, and ultimately sacrificing service. Yes, of course they have to get set up for lunch, they have to help wih catering because instead of SCHEDULING someone to come in and work on the catering they expect the bakery associates that have been there since 5:30 in the morning to hurry up and start on lunch. They could AT LEAST be nice if they're out of product! What is wrong with these people? Boycott Panera! Forever! If you like their food that much it's not that hard to make. I have already duplicated several recipes and am working on more. I think I might start my own website...
    ReplyDelete
  11. I agree with the boycott!!! The food is ok, and I only go cause my friends want me to go, but I always feel sick when leaving... i will attempt to do the same!
    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm the panera dude who wrote this. Checked back since I knew it was gonna have this reaction. =D

    Anyways the PS is not contradicting myself, just making a point. If we're out of breakfast it's a bit dickish to just blurt out "it's not my fault". However, it's also incredibly assholish to just walk out before they could explain the situation to you.

    @ first poster (alex)
    Our clocks (or my panera's clocks) are synced up with a computer connected to the internet. So yes, they're pretty accurate.

    @ poster kyle
    We run out of soups and bread every night really early because the managers who run the restaurant like to be overly concerned about food costs. For example, a few days ago when I was working we ran out of roast beef, turkey, and chicken and most of the breads. The manager refused to cut (or let us cut it) any more of these of close the restaurant early. Instead, we were advised to tell everyone to order soup and tough luck on everything else.

    tldr; If the manager is a stickler for food costs, chances are if you get there for dinner they will have no materials.

    @ every other response regarding to a boycott, go ahead makes my yob easier. If I told you the secrets that went on in that place(like what the managers make the employees do), you'd never want to eat there again for real (because we all know you're not going to boycott it for real. You'll prolly go in there in a month or so).

    As for that stuff, I'll be sure to spill the beans on the consumerist when I find a yob that better appreciates their employees as well as customers who wouldn't react to something like this in this way. Seriously dude it's hardly a step up from fast food, stop treating it like it's a five star restaurant.
    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh and reread the last part of the post.

    To add on to this:

    Anyways the PS is not contradicting myself, just making a point. If we're out of breakfast it's a bit dickish to just blurt out "it's not my fault". However, it's also incredibly assholish to just walk out before they could explain the situation to you.



    I can say whatever the hell I want about you after and when i'm out of work. When i'm in work however, I keep a smile and sympathetically tell you that we are unable to complete your order because we're out of bread or we're no longer serving breakfast.

    For example, your friend wants you to meet his new girlfriend but surprise, you get the impression that she's actually a gold digger. You don't say "wow, you're a bitch. stop using my friend." to her face. That would be rude. Instead, you mention it to your other friends. (PS. Don't say you don't do this. We know you all do. You just don't want to admit it)
    ReplyDelete
  14. To Anonymous Panera Dude, from Anonymous Panera Manager, Yes, Panera is a crappy place to work, but the only thing that made it remotely bearable for me were some of the wonderful regular customers who came in every day and truly apreciated what we had to offer. I never let a few disgruntled people upset me for more than a minute. You are seriously unhinged and should probably quit working with the public. You give restaurant employees a bad name and make things more difficult for all of us. Seriously. Go get a job where you can sit in a room alone and type things on a computer or something. Thank you.
    ReplyDelete
  15. Since it is Earth Day, can we address another Panera problem that many people don't know? Panera Bread has a massive carbon footprint. Every single day, a truck leaves the dough commissary and drives hundreds of miles to deliver dough throughout the area (at the store where I worked, the commissary was about four hours away, and they stopped at about 15 stores, then back again). That is in addition to the twice-a-week food truck delivery and the three-times-a-week produce delivery. Most restaurants get deliveries 2-3 times a weeek, not 12 times a week. Just think of all the fossil fuels burned to bring you that loaf of three-cheese bread. I think this is something more people should know about! Boycott Panera!
    ReplyDelete
  16. Panera is a lie. They "pretend they recycle, but they don't. Everyone is so careful to serparate the cans and the bottles. but it all goes in the same dumpster as the garbage.
    They "pretend" they don't use preservetives, but they do, as much as anyone else. In fact most of thier product comes from the same place as any other cafe. They just put a higher price tag on it and the "Trendy" think thier eating crap that is good for them...mean while it's not much better then "Pop and Fresh".
    There's more, but I think thats enough to boycott them.

    Jane
    Thats not all, but I think it's enough.
    ReplyDelete
  17. The Panera I worked at never threw away any left over eggs (or much else). They simply put them in the refrigerator and served them the next day. Yummy!

    One of the reasons I no longer work there.
    ReplyDelete
  18. I hear a lot about Panera employees being rude... I'm definetely an exception to that one. =)

    Our Panera serves breakfast til 11:30, but we would probably have eggs leftover by then. Just my two cents.
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  19. I am a Panera employee. I have some comments.

    Breakfast sandwiches are a pain. They really are. And if you had read what the employee had actually typed out, you wouldn't assume we were cutting corners throwing out eggs to spite you. My Panera sells about 60-70 breakfast sandwiches every morning between 6 am and 10:30. That is about one egg for every 4-5 minutes. Around 10 we pick up and sell maybe 3 or 4 sandiwches every ten minutes.
    That being said, the employee mentioned making ten eggs at 10:20 and shutting down the machine. This is not the employee cutting corners but what the management tells you to do. If normal sales apply, you will have a lot of leftover eggs. However, if a huge group of people comes in and orders a bunch of sandwiches at once, we run out of eggs. That is probably what happened. At that point, if it is 10:28, the machine is shut down. It will be about 10:45 before we have eggs, and of course that is AFTER 10:30.
    If your Panera is a slower Panera they might have just made the last batch of eggs so that they would expire at 10:30, and rather than serving you an expired egg product (yum) they threw it away.

    Also, there is a communication problem at Panera. I will openly admit that. I work both cafe and bakery, and the two never communicate. Someone from cafe yells down something about eggs, it gets telephoned down the line of cashiers and gets lost. Someone is in the bathroom and didn't hear we were out of something. Whatever it is, it is a problem and will cause what should be minor problems. Apparently these minor problems get posted on the internet and discussed and cause Panera Boycotts.

    Also, just fyi, McDonald's is a major financer of Panera Bread. :) Something around 40% sharehold? So don't act like they are so much different.
    McDonald's serves breakfast until they run out of it or it is a few minutes past, just like Panera does. I have been turned down from McDonald's breakfast at 10:25, and let eat at 10:35. It all comes down to what they thawed out that morning and set on a hot plate. At least our food is made freshly for you.

    Lastly, I don't know what city your Panera is, but it sounds like there is genuinely a customer service issue if you consistently get bad service. All Paneras aren't the same. I work at one of the busiest Paneras in the country and we have better IVR scores than most other stores.
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  20. This is hilarious! Running out of eggs and having to shut down an "egg machine" at 10:30 am?!? What is this contraption that you all speak of??? The only "egg machine" I need is a non stick skillet. How about a real manager jumping in and saving the day by firing up a non stick skillet and actually cooking something for a change. Oh the horrors of work and making real food. I'd be unhappy too if someone told me what time I could eat an egg. I'm an adult!
    ReplyDelete
  21. I am a current Panera employee and have been for 2.5 years.

    I occasionally run the breakfast sandwiches at our store. We are not one of the busiest Panera stores, so we only have one egg cooker. Panera, before having breakfast sandwiches, never had raw products in the store (other than the dough that is delivered baked fresh, but causes not safety problems). This is for safety reason, because yes restaurant workers can be lazy and not put in the effort to cooking your food properly. And to avoid any scrutiny over this, the only products that people could complain about it being precooked is chicken breast, bacon, and sausage. These are products that you most certainly do not want to be undercooked. I am saying all of this because we have one contraption in the entire store that can cook you eggs. All cooking of eggs is confined to this area. It is not a skillet over a burner. It requires about 15 minutes to get to the correct temperature to cook your eggs to Panera's specifications-- also for food safety reasons. When it is turned off,it is turned off for the day. We normally turn ours off about 30 minutes before the end of breakfast with about 10 eggs left that expire right after (this allows us to give you fresh product until the end of breakfast, but not after). This is normally sufficient, but when we happen to run out, it would be less energy efficient (for those of you who were worried about that) to start it up again to make one or two more eggs. We now continue serving breakfast until 11:00 on weekdays and 12:00 on weekends (due to customers wanting to still have the option of breakfast later into the day.) So we have already pushed back our breakfast times by 30 minutes, so if you are now coming in asking for breakfast at 12:01, we have already given you an extra 30 minutes of time to get there. We want to serve you, but we also want to move people who were working on breakfast to start helping with lunch (since 12pm is very much into lunch time) to better serve those who have a restricted lunch hour.

    As for service in Panera, I will agree that there is a problem; however, most of the employees that you encounter are young. This is a problem with the parents-- teach your kids to have good manners. If the person you are talking with is just incredibly rude, you can complain. Once that person has 3 complaints about their service, they will be fired. At my store we have fired mulitple people for these types of compliants.

    Panera actually stresses customer service to the point where it is overkill. But if these are not factors that were instilled into someone before they began working, it is not something that they are just going to pick up. And honestly, you are not going to get great and friendly service anywhere unless those people are relying on tips.

    I love working at Panera, and it is a great place to work while I am in school because they provide flexibility. I love our customers (for the most part), and I will do all that I can to improve their experience at Panera. But, as an associate, there is little that I can do to change the environment that I am restricted to. If you have a problem and you are still in the store, ask to talk to a manager and they will give a certificate for a free meal or find some way to make it up to you.

    They would very much rather resolve the issue firsthand, than have it impact their business. One bad experience appears that have more impact than 10 good experiences. Everyone loves to curse rather than praise.

    Also, to clarify on what Jane said earlier about our product having preservatives, that is completely incorrect. You can either eat it the day of or freeze it. Otherwise 2 days later (that is 2 days after coming fresh out of the oven), your bread will be as hard as a rock. Same goes for our pastries and bagels. The only thing I know of the has preservatives in it is our strawberry preserves.
    ReplyDelete
  22. I apologize about the grammatical errors in the previous post. I wrote too quickly and the preview and forgot to read back over it.
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  23. I notice you did not address the environmental concerns about Panera's business model (driving the dough hundreds of miles 362 days a year. Any thoughts on that?
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  24. Sure. In order to put out the amount of bread that Panera makes fresh each day without having it delivered would require each store to take about a whole other stores worth of space. An entire bakery's space, in fact. Currently (in my store at least) our bakers have 2 spaces that they work in. One is about a 5' by 7' space and the other is much smaller. If you added all the prep space needed to get all of that dough ready plus all of the machinery plus larger coolers to store the dough while it rises before baking we are talking about a pretty large chunk of change. And in the restaurant business (especially a chain) they are not going to go for the recycled materials or the ecofriendly stuff, because that costs more (for some reason) and we are already getting gripes from people about prices going up. And this would have to happen for every single Panera out there. Yes, I do think that the number of trucks that come and go are excessive, but less visits per week means the need for more space which means that you need to use the extra energy to heat or cool that space (24 hours a day).

    And how about the goods things Panera does. Just last night I was talking to the leaders of a camp that hosts weekend retreats for children with special needs. Our Panera store gave them our old trays and ceramic bowls when we switched over to the new ones. They also receive about about 20 lbs of excess bread, bagels, and pastries each Tuesday they come in that Panera intentionally makes in excess each day so that they will have some to donate. And yes they get tax breaks for that, but not enough to cover the entire cost of the product that they are giving them.
    ReplyDelete
  25. LOL at the post about YOU CHOOSE TO MAKE MINIMUM WAGE... Are you kidding me? I've applied to over 5 places without any call backs, even after I followed up my applications, and I've been working since I was 15 and I'm now 18. I've worked at Panera for over a year, started off at $7.25 which is now minimum wage and I just recently got a $0.10 raise.

    At our store we still have left over eggs, but maybe you stretched the truth when you say it was 10:31? Maybe it was 10:41? Maybe other customers ordered all of the eggs before you but after 10:30? I am 100% sure it's not just a "coincidence" that they "ran" out of eggs one minute after 10:30. If you have a problem or any other questions feel free to instant message me.
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  26. it takes alot for me to avoid saying that customers can be really stupid and unreasonable. i work at mcdonalds and i deal with uninformed angry customers every day. oh and mcdonalds could care less in reality. 1 unhappy customer vowing never to come back isnt going to hurt the company one bit. the only reason mcdonalds still served the customers breakfast was because it had left over breakfast food. if we were out, then whether you like it or not you would have ate lunch or gone somewhere else. also im surprised they were given breakfast whether there were leftovers or not. at my mcdonalds if we're caught ringing up food that isnt supposed to be served at that time, we can get fired. and the "disgruntled panera employee" is right. it's not the employee's fault that the customer is late. show a little responsability for your own actions. it doesn't matter if it was only 1 minute. 1 minute late is still LATE. now i can honestly say that i hate my job, but it is mcdonalds. now there was one comment above that really caught my eye. the one that goes on about how you CHOOSE to work minimum wage and its your fault and blah blah blah. YOU must be one lucky person. i bet you hardly have to work for anything you get if thats how you really think. I'm a full time student with bills to pay. its not like i just applied to mcdonalds. i applied EVERYWHERE. but thanks to our poor economy, mcdonalds was the only one to answer. now i could always quit but then what do i do when my insurence is due. or when my car runs out of gas. or when a payment on my student loan is due. ask me mommy for some money? lmao WRONG. i'd get laughed out of the house. so i put up with angry snobby cutomers, pissy managers, and minimum wage because its what has to be done. and it's probably what the "disgruntled panera employee" has to do as well. why dont you try working in a fast food environment for a few months and see if your not just the slightest bit disgruntled. and alot of you might read this and say oh theres another one. theres another reason why fast food sucks so much. an unhappy employee. well i'll be happy to let you know. i'm one of the few that keeps on a smile the entire time you bitch at me. im one of the polite ones that takes your spit in my face with tht fake niceness you all seem to enjoy so much. in fact on my last review that was one of my highlights. "she's always smiling" even when burgers and drinks are being hurled at my head. even wen im being sexually harassed for free food. im smiling just for you. maybe you should try it sometime. instead of throwing a fit over your breakfast sandwhich why couldn't you just smiled politely and moved on with you life. i bet the only reason you were treated rudely was because you were rude first. ever think of that. because to make someone say something like "it's not my fault" you must have been riding them pretty hard. so grow up. its just food.
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  27. Sorry, I'm not buying your response to the Panera environmental impact problem. Yes, it would take a little more space to prepare the product, but not double the square footage. The ovens and proof boxes can accommodate a large amount of product at one time, so you're not running too many extra ovens. The store is occupied 24/7/263, and the lights, ovens, A/C, etc. is running pretty much constantly. The only thing you need more of is manpower. And it costs less in labor to do things the way they do. I don't believe making the product in-store would have a greater environmental impact than driving it all over creation seven days a week. I still say, if you care at all about your carbon footprint, BOYCOTT PANERA!!!
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  28. And, Panera donates leftover product, but they NEVER intentionally make extra to have some to donate. It simply isn't done. That's why they have so much trouble with running out of items. The managers have to guess how much of each bakery item they are going to need three days in advance and that kind of prediciton simply can't be done efficiently. One large catering order at the last minute, or one big family that all wants pumpkin muffins, and you're done for the day. If it's a pastry, muffin, or cookie, which are all frozen, someone can bake more if they have time between the breakfast rush, prepping, and lunch rush, but more often than not there's no time. And as for the bread, well, that just came in on a truck the day before, so it can't be baked in an emergency. Unless you bake the next day's bread, which just came on the truck that day (depending on what time your DAILY dough delivery arrived), which is a major hassle that only three or four people in the store are trained to do, then you have to call the commissary or fax in an "add-on" for the order arriving the next day... You see how mind-bogglingly inefficient it is? And you wonder why they run out of asiago cheese focacca five days out of seven? Geez....
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  29. correction. The store is occupied 24/7/363, not 263. They are closed Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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  30. Ok to all people here who have never been in the position of a college student needing work, who have never had to work a minimum wage job. Stop getting pissed at places such as panera, I can honestly say that after a year and a half (while attending school) Panera customers are the worst. The employees have no control over when product is gotten rid of, go to any store and ask to see their time sheets (there are times that every parishable food needs to be thrown away and with panera's freshness items get thrown away often)You can't blame the hourly employees they spend about 80 percent of their day being yelled at by customers fellow employees and Managers (on average 3 managers in a store at a time all telling you different things). I was the best at my job almost no error percent based on what I was given to do, but you can't always allow for other's mistakes (your order if food related ie sandwiches and panini's they go through about 3 or 4 different hands before going on your tray - and the person waiting for you to pick up your order didn't necessarily make it so don't yell at them they are doing the best that they can)
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  31. I have to admit, to the person who said that the problem with Panera are the employees, you are speaking without reason. The managers abuse the employees (and I can attest to this because I worked there and my mother still does, I'm so glad I'm out). The demands made on the employees are ridiculous, and if a customer complains just a little bit the employee's neck is on the line. Try working there for a day and see how many times YOU would get yelled at for not working fast enough. (By the way, if you have an order for 10 complicated sandwiches, you better get it done and in the customer's hands within 3 minutes). I was disgusted at the the customers, the managers, and how everything is run. The customers have no regard to the employees. It's you rich snobs who think that you're better than anybody. If you didn't know, there are talented people who have to work at minimum wage because of the failing economy. One of the dishwashers that I worked with is actually an eye surgeon and he works there just to fill time. Another was a high-profited commercial construction company owner who fell because of the economy.
    Also, if you think the employees are so bad, think about how they may have been treated. My job was threatened because the general manager screwed up my schedule and I had left when he told me to. I had the flu that day. They called half an hour after I left asking where I went. They knew I had left. They KNEW I HAD THE FLU. I still had to work. And I'm sure whoever ate the food might have had a little bug in their food. Was it my fault? No. Was I upset? Ofcourse. So before you complain about your crappy service at a crappy FAST FOOD restaurant, think about what the employees might be going through.
    :)
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  32. Unless you have worked at a Panera, you don't understand the questions you dumbasses ask. "If I get the Pick 2, do I get to choose 3?" -Dumbass #1 "Chips, Apple, or Bread? What's an apple?" -Dumbass #2 What the hell do you think an apple is, you fucktard. And maybe we run out of bread in the night time because we sell it all in the morning, now doesn't that make sense? Damn, think before you fucking speak, and get angry over a damn $4 egg.
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  33. haha- true story! I came across this forum WHILE WAITING FOR MY HUSBAND TO COME BACK FROM GETTING US PANERA BREAKFAST SANDWICHES. When he got back, I told him 'wow, theres alot of stuff here about Panera' and then proceeded to take out my breakfast bagel, to find that it was, NOT KIDDING OR EXAGGERATING burned and without anything inside it, hahahah! insane! it was supposed to have had egg, ham and cheese in it, and get this, I was on the phone with him while he was ordering it as he was telling me what they had and I told him what I wanted and heard him tell it to the cashier. Im starving, true, but its impossible to not laugh like crazy at the coincidence. My husband should have checked the bags, but I guess he had faith in them not screwing up. Panera employees are generally disgruntled, and its usually the older people there who are smiling and happy and joking around with each other.
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  34. Lmfao @ this whole page #1 I've been on both sides back in 97 I worked at boston market lunch rush was a bitch and I was the cutter and made the sandwiches,I've made minimum wage and I can honestly say I didn't care about the customers I would just go to work and want to go home now as a business owner I understand the importance of customer service because all the profits go in my pocket,now I don't eat fast food all the time because of the msg and hydrogenated oils but I love panera never had a bad experience but like I said I can feel the employees pain I don't care if your mad though just get my got damn order right and we won't have any problems I don't need your smiles and to the stupid mofos talking about boycotting because of fuel killyourselves.....seriously
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  35. To the first commentor, allow me to inject some sympathy into you. We Panera employees do not choose to work there. Almost no one at the associate level does. We have bills to pay though, and we need some way to work through college to move on to our careers. I mean, i guess I COULD choose to quit and receive foodstamps which you would be paying for, but that would not work out for anyone, now would it? I would be willing to bet that you never worked in a restaurant, otherwise you would know exactly from whence I come, but you don't. Not all of us can just have mommy and daddy hand us cars and phones and educations. There are some that need to work for it. I hate my job. We all do at Panera. We're abused by overbearing managers and whiny, yuppie customers. The best customers I have ever had have been former waiters or hostesses or dishwashers etc at restaurants. They get it. Why can't you?
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  36. Hello to everyone,

    I work at panera and I agree we should say breakfast ends at 10:30 but hold 5 extra eggs for a few minutes to avoid certain aggravation. But I do agree that customers at panera are demanding, but hey they are hungry when they come right? :) so all employees should cater to them. Just remember cashiers don't have anything to do with certain problems. Panera is a hard job for a highschooler, but I chose it. I don't prefer working there but I need a job. I will help you if you will be reasonably nice to me. My panera is clean and get few comlaints. Maybe I just have amazing managers! Sorry for your shitty experiences :) wish I coulda been that good employee for you all.!! <3
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  37. Must agree as a former FL-Panera Employee, the Mgt treats its employees as throw-away item. Due to BOTTOM LINE pressure from Owners to hit numbers, there is a lack of common kindness/and consideration. Benefits are not worth paPER PRINTED ON ,and tips taken from emplyees as a write-off/donation.(mgrs pockets sometimes!)They paint a delightful pic, but the truth has been slipping out like nasty slimeballs. YOU can't treat your employees like cattle and expect,good, content workers!F-Panera Bread. Living in CA now where they stole most their food ideas I have one word-SWAG Shit we all get-nothing more!
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  38. wow. i am a panera employee and i just don't get the original issue here. you were late. you admitted it. they probably had cleared the egg making area and run out of eggs. get over yourself. you are probably one of those people who don't get what you want all the time because the world is an oh-so-cruel and unjust place. reality check for you, attitude is everything! had i been helping you i would have politely said we were unable to serve you breakfast. had you pressed i would have directed you to take it up with my manager, smiling the whole time. in contrast, if you were gracious and asked me to see if i could do anything about it in a kind manner i would have tried to convince my manager to a) make more eggs if possible, b)suggest an alternative, or c)give you a discount or free meal. see, i really do try to please my customers on a daily basis, but being rude will get you nowhere, and i will bend over backwards to help those who really brighten up my day.
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  39. also, panera can be both a great place and a horrible place to work. those regulars who always ask how you're doing are divine. on the rare occasion i mess up an order if you act decently i will make it up to you. but we're usually not the ones who mess up with your orders. i feel like people must think i'm half psychic or something, that i'll be able to know exactly what they want without them telling me, or that i can hear them when they mumble, speak when my back is turned, or they direct their order at their spouse (order from me! not your husband! i am human! i will understand you!) please do not glare if i ask you to repeat your order, i go as fast as i can. if you're unsure about a salad dressing or sauce, get it on the side so you don't have to wait while we remake your item. a you-pick-two does not include 3 items. you may not get salad on the side instead of chips. the extra sides of bread are not free (sorry) nor is the cream cheese! if you don't order it you won't get it. don't call me cute or sweetie unless you're reallllllly old. thats creepy, and you won't get free stuff. don't fill the water cups with soda. don't spill your kids gerber baby cereal everywhere. please don't sneak in bottles of wine. it is not inconspicuous. don't pretend you ordered something you didn't thinking you will get it for free. you won't. don't be silly and ask for your coffee to be double cupped so you can give the 2nd cup to your wife. don't ask for lage soda cups for water and fill them with soda. please stop your kids from making "lemonade" with the lemons and sugar packets. it just makes a mess. don't wrinkle your nose at me and point to the table you want to sit at and declare it dirty. lady, we both just saw that family get up and leave from it, give me a second, will you? i don't speak spanish. i also don't speak persian. don't take up a booth all to yourself to read the latest twilight book or play on your ipad during lunch rush. no, i will not put the cream cheese on your 11yrolds bagel. are they disabled? do they have hands? then no. please don't make me take your stuff to your table when i ask you to wait for it. don't forget your order number. (this was more of an issue b4 we kept them in the stands, the number cards would be put in pockets and purses, never to be seen again.)
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  40. I think both sides are wrong. I believe both the employee and the customer were wrong in that situation. I am a Panera employee who works the production side of the line, and many times a day customers come up to me and ask me to do something for them, or get something for them. 9 times out of 10, they're simple, innocent tasks like asking for extra dressing, or for a larger bag, or a to-go container, which is perfectly fine. But, it's the 10% which want extra bread, or claim their soup isn't hot enough, or have me remake a salad multiple times because of an ingredient they claim is in there is what does aggravate me. So what do I do? Nothing. I smile, I give them what they want, and they LEAVE. Funny fact: when you satisfy a customer, they stop bothering you. Now, on the employee's side, If Panera stops serving breakfast at 10:30, you need not complain about the service, or individual store, because we have no control over issues such as that. Don't blame the employee for not giving you an egg sandwich, blame Panera Corporate. Their rules specify what time to shut off the machine, or when to throw away eggs, because the food could be "potentially hazardous". Now I don't completely agree with these rules, because Panera's expiration dates are usually much shorter than the product's expiration dates. Example: Caesar Salad dressing at Panera has an expiration date of 14 days. It seems long right? Well on the bottle, it says "Use by March 2011". It's October, and the company we get dressing from says to use by March, so I think Panera does a pretty good job keeping up with the food's safety. So, given that fact, you must respect the employee's choice in throwing out eggs, because it isn't your individual Bakery-Cafe that decides when to stop serving breakfast, but the Larger Company in control of them all. They have cameras watching the employees. If they check the time and it is 10:35 when an employee is serving egg sandwiches, the employee could have their job on the line. Thats pretty selfish of you customers to jeopardize someone's job over a sandwich. Now I'm not saying its possible to lose a job over it, but you never want to take the chance. If you are a customer / employee like me, and are denied what you want, suck it up, an order something else like a mature adult.
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  41. I started out as an associate and worked my way up to assistant manager and worked for several different Panera's for over 4 years. The original Panera employee sounds like an idiot and management should be notified of that kind of treatment. Sorry dude, but you work in customer service and Panera rules ABSOLUTELY allow for you to keep the egg cooker on a few minutes later. Get a new job.

    It is a pretty decent place to work and I was treated well there, but there are some downsides like a lot of places. Panera Corp. has one major issue that's the cause of all these problems. They claim to have very high standards but do not offer the money that is worth following all the rules and regs so the employees usually suck. The complaints I see on here are all due to one thing: crappy managers. The general manager sets the tone of the store, and I could tell you that the original scenario would've never happened at the last Panera I worked at. Sounds like there are a lot of crappy managers out there, because stuff like running out of eggs at 10:31, being rude to customers, and saving old eggs IS NOT Panera standards.

    My GM demanded that we cook a batch of eggs off right at 10:30 so that we could continue to accommodate people after we turned off the machine. Our GM was very customer service oriented and line associates were instructed to follow people out to their table when they had more than one tray and give out free hot cookies which we baked all day long.

    There are a lot of associates on here who don't really understand how management works at Panera, I assure you, running out of soup at 7:00 doesn't do anything for food cost either way. The quality of the Panera experience depends solely on management, end of story.

    As far as the environmental impact goes, many Paneras recycle, in fact I would say MOST do and if they don't it's a francise decision, not Panera policy. Panera doesn't have any greater impact that any other business like it. All food places have tons of trucks shipped to their stores. If you don't like it, you've got A LOT of places to boycott. Besides, have you ever looked up how much carbon plants release? Ohhh I'd say something like 97% of all carbon released. :)
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  42. If they don't serve eggs at 10:31 then they don't serve eggs. If you don't like it then go somewhere else. If you where infront of me in line I'd tell you to shut the Fuck up and move on. I don't go often, but damn they must have a few dozen...DOZEN choices!!!Listen, ask your mom to wipe your face and powder your ass because your an anal romping queen fairy.
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  43. If you like your eggs runny, I could take a shit on a bagel for you. Best part is my ass is serving 24hrs a day.
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  44. Wow! I'm blown away after reading both sides of this incident. I'm sorry that you had to deal with crappy customer service at the store you went to. I just hope you realize that not every Panera Bread is crappy like that one. I am a cashier 99% of my work shift during the week, so I completely understand the frustration when trying to get food that you want and something hinders that. As other associates and managers have stated, Panera Corporate have rules that everyone has to abide by. We want to serve the freshest food possible to customers hence why we throw food out at certain times (such as breakfast souffles, eggs, sausage, and bacon). I read the comment about telling customers to buy soup and salad because the store ran out of certain ingredients or bread. That shouldn't have happened at all, but this scenario happens because either there wasn't enough product ordered or prepped for the day, or just plainly wasn't delivered like it should have been. I'd also like to add that whenever managers do the "pan up" for the next few days, they base their projections on previous sales records and the weather. The manager that works directly under the GM at my store does that, and it has worked pretty well. I can't say every manager does that, but this particular manager has been working with Panera for a few years and since he's started doing this type of equation, our store hasn't had that big of a problem with running out of product. There are times though, where we do get big catering orders or customers decide they want to come buy a certain kind of bread or bagel and it was obviously not planned to have that amount of product available to be sold. There are many times where we will call and borrow product from other stores if they happen to actually have their product, such as Roast Beef delivered in their orders like ours should have on the same delivery day.

    As a cashier, I am trained to encourage customers when they do randomly come in and buy 5 bagel packs (13 bagels x 5 plus 2 tubs cream cheese each), that they can call ahead the day before to place the order so we can have everything baked and ready before he or she walks in the doors. Same applies to anything in the bakery.

    I'd like to address the comment regarding us associates CHOOSING to work minimum wage. To be honest, I'd rather NOT be working minimum wage in the restaurant business. I'm in school full-time, and still work at least 20 hrs a work week at Panera. So this job is technically just paying the bills until I graduate and get a job in my career field. I'm not as pessimistic as other associates are regarding working at Panera, so I'd like to think that I am developing my multi-tasking abilities with being a cashier, barista, and dining room associate. The major drawback is listening to customers bitch and complain about everything from the small amount of food served, the high prices, or just the fact that they have had a bad day and there really isn't anything in my job description or "power" to be able to help them without involving a manager or the Corporate office. I would LOVE to work a full-time, full benefits, paid vacation type of job and not have to wear an apron, hat, slip-resistant work shoes, polo shirts and dark or khaki pants EVERY day and order whatever I actually want to eat instead of eating just a bowl of soup on my lunch break.

    Panera only has the managers and bakers hired full time, so I would hope that customers understand that Panera's are almost always under-staffed because they do not want to pay myself and coworkers anything more, even though some of us work super hard to give great customer service. I've worked almost 2 years at Panera Bread, and the concept essence I've personally developed is that I try to give great service to customers just as I would like to receive it.
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  45. THANK YOU!!!!! I am a Panera bread employee my self but I have also been on the other side of that counter many a time as well. So i understand both sides. However I don't believe it is appropriate for an employee of the company to post such a rude comment.
    Statistics have shown that a customer will likely not tell even one person about a good experience they had out, however they will tell 2-4 friends or family members about a bad experience, and imagine how many people those people tell.
    We have all had those customers and we have ALL been that customer at one point or another. All in all that that is who is putting the money in the bank every week.
    I work full time at my store and strive every minute I'm there to make sure that my customers leave satisfied and happy,even if it means bending over backwards for them. There are obviously certain things that as an hourly associate I can not control, but i can control how I handle those situations and how my customers feel when they leave the cafe. I honestly do hope that some of you who read this will understand what I'm saying,and believe me when I say that not every Panera has such poor customer service and that most of us really do care about our job and you the customers.
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  46. Seriously, you guys are being ridiculous. First of all, not all of us make minimum wage. Secondly, most of us do everything we can and you stupid shitty customers are still never satisfied. The fact that we work in customer service does NOT give you the right to treat us like shit, nor should we expect/put up with it. Our company treats us fine -- it's YOU. Maybe if you weren't such a miserable, arrogant human being, you would notice our employees going out of their way to make your day a little better (and that DOESN'T mean by breaking the rules) and you'd have a wonderful day instead of coming home and bitching about the so-called awful service online. And even better? If you had talked to a manager, in a NICER tone, they would have most definitely fucked up the rest of their day to make you a special egg sandwich. It's your own fault.
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  47. All this, over one fucking egg?
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  48. I wish you people WOULD boycot Panera. Everytime I visit, without fail, one of your ilk is holding up the line being rude and demanding; and without fail when my turn comes up the person manning the register is polite and helpful... despite the angry entitled temper tantrum we all just witnessed by the original customer. I just want to go in and get a meal. Your boycott most likely wouldn't hurt Panera at all but would definately be a favor to the rest of us.
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  49. I'm a Panera employee and I'm confused about one thing.
    What exactly made you mad?
    The attitude of the panera employee that 'denied' you breakfast?
    Because eggs were out at that time and the employee was unable to make a breakfast sandwich?
    Or because you felt that panera was too lazy to cook more eggs, assuimg they actually did have more eggs?

    I strongly believe in dealing with bad customers with a smile, regardless of how we feel about them as an employee.
    I strongly believe that bad customers go too far sometimes for expecting too much of us. Such as making a breakfast egg and cheese on ciabatta bread without eggs, if we were truly out of eggs.
    I also strongly believe that there are bad employees who are lazy to satisfy customers who hold reasonable expectations.

    All that being said, I'd like to ask all customers to keep in mind that it's not right to associate a specific 'bad' employee with ALL employees of panera, because I can assure you, not ALL panera employees are like that.
    Thank you :D
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  50. I just laughed at the comment made by Anonymous at April 24, 2009 1:32 AM. He or she complained about how much 'panera' is damaging earth by running fossil fueled trucks to get our hands on our dough. I mean, Panera isn't the only place that uses trucks to transport products...
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  51. I must say, that if your biggest problem in the world is the fact that you did not get a breakfast sandwich at 10:31, your doing pretty darn well. By all means, customer service should be a top priority, but please for a second, put yourself in the employees shoes. They choose to work at that place YES, do they choose to be put down by customers because of company standards? NO. Not getting a breakfast sandwich is NOT the end of the world. Tough to swallow I know.
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  52. I found this website by googling 'what time does panera stop serving breakfast', because I was trying to figure out if it was worth stopping there on my way to where I was going. I like panera a lot; to me, they are a fast food chain with the right idea. I frequently experience great customer service at the 5 paneras within driving range of my house, and am a great customer in return. To the original poster: while I understand that customer service level varies state by state (and FL food service is notoriously obnoxious), I'm pretty sure based on what you wrote that the bigger issue is you're kindof a dick and likely deserved however you were or were not treated. To the original panera employee who wrote a rebuttal: yes, I'm sure many of your customers are terrible, but speculating about what may have happened only added fuel to the fire
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  53. Eggs only last for 45 minutes after being cooked. So when employees cook their eggs they probably prepare them so that they make their last set of eggs end at 10:30 so they can get ready for the lunch rush. So stop getting your panties all in a bunch because you cant have your damn precious sandwich. It is out of our control. If we were to serve you expired food and you got sick from it then what happens? Yeah shut the fuck up and get a damn life Im going to come to your work and piss you off. Oh and by the way to add, the soups we have for the fucking day are up on the menu in front of your fucking face, and obviously you fucking idiot your food doesnt magically make itself when i ring in the order, so when i hand you a buzzer and it goes off initially it doesnt mean your food is ready, have some common sense and stop making me want to slap you in the face with my cock. Thanks
    Peace bitches
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  54. Okay I have worked for Panera now for almsot 4 years. I've actually worked in the position of "Associate" and currently as "Baker". Firstly the, everyone and their mother feel that, "The customers always right" which in SOME senses is correct........BUT, and thats a huge one, doesn't mean you need to act like a complete ass if something is out of stock or we can't accomodate to your liking. Truthfully shit happens. I understand your disgruntled attitude towards that situation, but sometimes you just gotta let it go. Secondly, with the products like breads, bagels, etc. not being there, that is honestly the managers fault. Whether its the GM, Assistant GM, or whom ever is actually doing what is known as the pan up, its actually a reflection of how the trend in sales have gone as so: A week ago, A month ago, and a year ago. Its not that they are trying to cut corners, but don't get me wrong THEY DO! One of our motto's is "We Don't Cut Corners".........HA!!! That is a fucking crock! But that goes without saying that every company does. IT'S CALLED EFFICIENCY and Cost Management. Another thing though to put into the equation is: call in catering orders and orders entered via internet. We're not mind readers, so shortages of products can be caused by people who "OH SHIT!! I need to feed my company meeting and I didn't plan ahead!!". It happens. Thats life, kinda like the chick who gets pregnant because the condom broke. Wasn't meant/planned to happen, but it did! Get over it again! Now I will agree that yes most of the employees are very disgruntled and unhappy with their jobs there. Reason being: Underpaid and over worked. The amount of work that actually goes into putting, if you will, "The Three Ring Circus Known as Panera" is very brutal......but again, if you don't like your job fucking quit. Truthfully I'm not a fan of the company, but you may ask why do I stay. I'm a baker at heart and will always be, so it satisfies my need to bake. If you will, I love making all of you people that eat their FAT!!! Yeah, that yummy food that they actually say is "Good for you and low calories" HA!! Read the boards that you are ordering from and see that the calories are astronomical. Another thing, yes a good portion of the people that actually go into Panera are in a sense particularily rich and snobby. Reason being: Compare McDonalds and Panera. To eat @ Panera, the prices are high and don't really offer any lower priced "Value Menus". SOOOO with that being said, yeah with most people I have met with a boat load of cash, they kind of expect shit to be handed to them. So if you can't deal, either cut the shit and get another job or suck it up! Thats why I became a baker. I'm not one for Customer Service anymore and opted out, but overall truly prefer the baking.

    Look, my assimilation overall is truthfully Panera is a mediocore, at best, Fast Food Cafe. A half step up from McDonalds, higher in price too. To the original poster, get over the pissy customers and deal. If not, move on to another place. To rich snobs, get over things not being there or not being able to get what you want, because truthfully, like the Rolling Stones said "You can't always get what you want". To the "Boycotters" hey thats cool, do it. Honestly no sweat off of our sacks. Some other dumb fat/skinny fuck will come and eat there on premise alone. And to the employees who still work their, dealing and continuing, keep it up. You're showing true grit for the shit that is dealt on a constant basis. To the people who have left, it wasn't meant to be and honestly you have probably found a better avenue. On my behalf though, this is really just a great example of "The Caste System" at work. The lower ends busting their hump while the rich bitch. On both ends "GET OVER IT...ITS JUST FUCKING FOOD!"
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  55. Fat Americans, Cook your breakfast Yourself..
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  56. Wow, if everyone on here got this angry and irate over issues that acutally matter, the world would be a much better place. I weep for our future.
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  57. Hi,
    I currently started working at a Panera and it's great. I think the customer who complained had a right to, however they didn't see it from the employees side. I also think the employee made a good point until they started being rude and throwing around insults because that just associates all of us Panera employe's like that which is so not cool. At my store if it's busy busy like we all know it gets, we stop serving breakfast at 10:45 but we still break the egg machine down at 10:30. We just stalk up eggs and let the cashiers when we start to get low so they can make people aware. This seems to be working but we did just open so who knows, that could change. I just want people to know, just because one or two people are jerks to customers doesn't mean we all our, in fact part or our Cultural values is " no jerks ". If you had a terrible experience i would call into the number online or on your receipt and report it, this way in can be taken care off. Good luck next time.

    I LOVE PANERA!!!
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  58. luckily i'm a "rich snob" who comes from a very well to do family and i can FINALLY quit my job at Panera, work for the family business(we own a cement truck company in chicago), and support this associate in everything he/she says. i hate Panera customers and i refuse to ever eat at a panera ever again. i hate how panera runs the place and i just hate the people that go there. most are picky jerks who don't clean up after themselves, very rude, and in all honesty have an IQ that makes Forrest Gump look genius. i worked at a fast food place for years while attending college and it was MUCH better. so, props to this guy for saying how i feel. as for working at panera and dealing with you idiots...PEACE.
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  59. Wow you guys are all assholes! Lol. I work at Panera and LOVE it there. We bend over backwards for our guests! Today our Cafe was so full we brought in tables from the patio so we could accommodate more people! Being timely is important, if you show up to the airport at 10:31 for your flight and your flight leaves at 10:30? Guess what, you just missed your flight! Be considerate of others, and maybe they will be considerate to you! Have a great day all!
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