Panera Bread - Elgin

Updated: The best lemonade around. Far better than the Country Time cut with toilet water that Fox River Grove has been serving. Edit: The corporate overlords got rid of the pink drink. Always good, fill your drink 2/3 hibiscus 1/3 agave lemonade and you'll be in heaven.

Needs updating but food was good although my bacon turkey sandwich came without the bacon. Manager did apologize and gave us a small bag of scones This time I had the same sandwich and it came out as ordered. Service was faster added a star.

We stopped late morning on a weekday for carry-out. Delighted to find that they still had two cheese souffles available, which we claimed. Also pleased to find a couple of other pastry choices so close to noon. Everything was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Cashier who helped me was friendly, courteous, and helpful. Wish list: First, I wish they had a few sweetener packets at the cold drinks station. I chose unsweetened iced tea, but had to walk the length of the dining area to find sweetener at the coffee bar. Second, I wish they had more parking. It was packed at 11:30 am in the parking area shared with Starbucks. We had to park in the lot for the sushi place and walk over. We weren't the only ones who had to do this. Not sure how to fix it since the property is established.

I'm finding it tougher and tougher to come back to Panera Bread for breakfast. They keep hiking prices up for the smallest and simplest of breakfast items like Soufles and the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. Food is great, especially if you're trying to eat healthy with soups and salads but it just keeps getting costlier. So 4 stars only because of prices. It's discouraging when a Soufle was just over 5 bucks a year ago and now is just over 7 bucks.

Panera is always a great visit. The staff is always nice, but I and my friend usually have a girl called Bryn, I think who is so sweet and great to talk. She remembers us when we come in, especially him, and it makes the experience better. The pricing here is great. I feel like his extremely fair for how much and how good the food is. This visit I tried the grille Mac and cheese sand, which with Broccoli cheddar soup (a classic) and bread. It was absolutely delicious. Never had a problem with being clean inside. It always looks beautiful and is a super cozy place to eat. Could stay here for hours before the fireplace with a hot soup and a book. Waiting times are too long. It's pretty fast for how much food we usually get, and everything is fresh and hot when we get it. Also the lemonades are amazing and I love sipping random mixtures of it while waiting for my food. Overall, it's a great place and I never have anything to complain about.