Panera Bread - Sarasota

The restaurant was dirty, and the service was poor. The girl who took my order was rude and didn't even ask about my rewards card. Then she informed me that it was pointless because I had already paid. I ended up complaining to the manager.

This is one of the best Panera locations I've visited. I want to commend the general manager, Frederick. As a member of the Sip Club, I've been to several Panera locations in Fort Myers, Gainesville, Cape Coral, and other cities, and I can confidently say that this one stands out as one of the best.

I ordered the creamy chicken and wild rice soup, but it was anything but creamy. It lacked flavor and had hardly any rice in it. It resembled a soup made from leftovers at the end of the night when only the scraps are left. I was very disappointed with this delivery; it definitely wasn't worth it.

And the straws! They were in a self-serve cardboard box that was crammed so tightly you had to dig to get one. I couldn't help but think about how many other people had touched those straws. It was really off-putting, and they weren’t even paper-wrapped. Definitely not sanitary! It was hot, and I was thirsty, but after paying $3.09 for my soda, I couldn’t even get my first or second choice. I made a poor decision coming here today. They really need to step it up. I love their food, but they need to clean things up. Overall, it was a bad experience.

It was Santa's Parade night, and the restaurant was packed. Even though some customers were completely disrespectful toward the line cooks, they kept their positive attitude and worked diligently. A big shout-out to the kitchen manager for being the ultimate professional!