Panera Bread - Sacramento

I was here to pick up a salad for my wife. There were some customers inside but I didn't think it was crazy busy. I was able to place my order without any trouble. Then I waited. I waited some more. After that, I kept waiting. The line behind me ofcustomers waiting for their orders grew as I continued to wait. Finally, an employee asked for my name to check on the order.She told me that it wasn't on the screen yet so it may be a few orders back in the system. 25 minutes is what it took to get asalad. It didn't look overly busy to me but what do I know.. maybe somebody ordered 300 complicated sandwiches. Regardless, Iwould have appreciated a little heads up. 2 stars were given because everyone was nice and my wife thought the salad wasoutstanding.

I had a terrible experience at this Panera Bread location! Every single time I've ordered from here, there's been an issue—whether it's forgetting utensils, not following my customization requests, or just plain mistakes, despite my receipt clearly showing what I wanted. Today, my warm Baja bowl came out frozen! How is that even possible? The portion sizes here are also much smaller compared to other locations. Overall, it's just a really disappointing experience at this particular location. However, I've had great experiences at the Citrus Heights and Bay Area Panera locations. This one definitely needs significant retraining.

This wasn't my top pick for a dining experience, but I received a gift card to Panera. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed with the food. The portions were small, and the side options were limited. While the flavors were decent, the overall experience fell short. On the bright side, the service was excellent. Our food arrived quickly and hot. However, there just wasn’t enough food. We ordered the chicken sandwich, which came with just a slice of bread as the side, leaving me a little puzzled. After we left, we found ourselves discussing what to eat next.

I love Panera! I almost forgot how much I enjoy their warm bowls, especially the veggie one that I can customize to my liking. I do have one suggestion: it would be great if they could add more vegetarian options, like additional salads, sandwiches, and some fruit. I’m not a fan of the basic pizza they offer.

**TL;DR:** Inaccurate takeout orders, missing items, and no apology or compensation for wasted time and gas. This is the only Panera Bread location I've visited since it's just a couple of miles from my home, but it's been a frustrating experience. I'm hesitant to tip for takeout when I encounter places like this. I don't expect servers to be overly friendly or attentive when handing me my food, but I do expect accuracy in my order. It's right there on the receipt! To make matters worse, the parking lot is often littered with trash, and there are some sketchy characters loitering outside—just typical of the area. On top of that, the employees seem to struggle with their responsibilities. I'm already dealing with my own hangry state (a mix of hunger and irritability), which is why I chose to order takeout in the first place. As a socially anxious woman, I specifically opted for takeout to avoid any negative or uncomfortable interactions. Yet it seems like this location goes out of its way to test my patience. This isn’t my first experience with incorrect takeout orders either. The food itself is generally decent depending on what you order. You can't go wrong with a pastry—though some can be quite dry, I haven’t had issues with them so far. I enjoy the French onion soup, which is only served after 10:00 AM, and the soufflés are made fresh in the morning. To snag one, your best bet is to arrive within an hour of the store opening. I've also tried several other items here, like sandwiches, mac & cheese, bagels, drinks, etc., and they taste pretty much as you'd expect for the price. One thing I do appreciate about ordering through the app is the ability to customize certain items, such as substituting ingredients for sandwiches. Overall, it's just unfortunate that the service doesn't match the quality of the food.