Panera Bread - Duluth

I don’t mind this Panera, food has always come out as expected, but having all of the young workers loudly talking about their personal business in the open kitchen is unprofessional. I don’t need to hear about your intimate life while I’m waiting for my food..

This Panera Bread is a cozy place that I brought my kids over many times. We enjoyed many brunches sitting next to the fireplace by the side entrance. However, this Sunday’s experience changed my mind. I might not come back again. The gentleman at the register was responsible for ordering and making beverages. I ordered a strawberry banana smoothie with greek yogurt for my daughter and waited at the counter for him to make it. At the end, I felt so uncomfortable and had to cancel my order. He spilled the yogurt on the floor, wiped with a paper towel, and went back directly to make the smoothie, without washing his hands or putting on a glove. The strawberry was not fresh. It’s kinda of jelly pre-made and stored in a 1 2 gallon carton. The gentleman didn’t put any banana into the blender while I was standing right in front of him. When I reminded him to do so, he told me that he was out of bananas. We could both save some time had he told me earlier when I ordered my food or before he started making the smoothie.

Always consistent and enjoy this location as far as the chain goes. Was craving some of their chicken noodle soup on a cold week, and a hot chicken sandwich on sourdough. Good place to pull out the laptop and work with coffee. Also, there scones look and taste like scones, not soft muffins. Coffee is hot, and tables aren’t wobbly.

If you enjoy standing in line watching the staff wipe counters while one person takes orders, this is the place for you. The bagels are very good, which almost makes it worth the aggravation.

Standard Panera, easy for rapid pickup. All in all its quite pricey but kids love the broccoli soups. A broccoli Mac and cheese and broccoli soup sets you back 20 bucks. Kinda crazy.