Panera Bread - Santa Barbara

I placed a pickup order through the mobile app and found my food ready when I arrived, but there was a problem with my order—it was missing a cookie, and they didn't have decaffeinated coffee available at this location. Despite this hiccup, the staff turned what could have been a one-star experience into a five-star one by going above and beyond to fix the issue. They generously provided me with two cookies (one more than I ordered) and offered me a caffeine-free tea instead. Mike was exceptionally kind and clearly eager to make things right. The soup and cookies were delicious, and the shaded outdoor seating made for a pleasant spot to get some work done. Great service, thank you!

Delicious food and great service! A lovely lady named Liza brought our meals to the table. I went for the "pick 2" option, choosing the ancient grain arugula salad with chicken and a small mac and cheese, while my date had the roasted turkey cranberry flatbread. Everything was excellent! The mac and cheese, made with white cheddar, was particularly creamy, which I really enjoyed.

This national chain restaurant specializes in freshly baked bread, bagels, and pastries. In addition to these offerings, they provide a limited selection of popular breakfast items. For lunch, the menu features a variety of soups, salads, and sandwiches, ensuring that customers return for more than just breakfast.

Great place for a sandwich and coffee. Soups are,pretty good too. Cashier was very friendly.

The cashier and other staff working that I interacted with were all friendly and helpful even though I came in at the end of the night. It was my first time visiting this restaurant and the young woman taking my order was patient, helpful and more than willing to offer suggestions on what I might enjoy based on the tastes I told her I had. She even gave me samples of soups to try and a glass of water while I waited for my food. It was nice to see a restaurant chain like this that didn't slack on their service just because they were working on their closing routines as well as still accepting customers. As a former waitress I know what it's like to strike the proper balance to give superb customer service as well as complete your night duties in a timely manner. The food is delicious, I ordered the broccoli and cheese soup and a chai latte. I can't wait to come back and try some of their salad items. The ONLY reason they will not get five stars or even FOUR stars from me is because they are using too many plastic products still for their to go products and food packaging. It's unconscionable. There are too many alternatives in the manufacturing industry now for these large food corporations to not be leading the charge in making America plastic free. There's really no excuse for this anymore. I hope that Panera managers and owners take this to heart and make the necessary and imperative changes. Every business counts!