Good things - Free refills on the self serve coffee. - Great pastries such as the pecan braid I enjoyed. - When you eat in, you get an actual, ceramic dish with stainless steel silverware, not the paper and plastic junk served by competitors. - Free wifi - Convenient hours of operation - great to stop in on the way to work Not so good thing - The coffee is not very good - too watery. Coffee is pretty important! Panera, please buy quality java beans. Thank you.
(3)
Maria P.
This Panera is usually fairly busy and unfortunately the not so stellar service doesn't help their cause. The food is fresh though and always tastes good, which has brought me back a few times. If you like Panera, you won't have an issue with this location unless you're in a hurry.
(3)
Aftab Q.
Good food, excellent place to get some studying done. Would recommend the chocolate chip bagel with hazelnut cream cheese.
(5)
Joshua M.
Dear Panera, Clean your tables. Thanks. Otherwise this place is just like any other Panera. Decent everything, exceptional nothing. It's there when you need it though, just waiting for you in a nearby strip mall.
(3)
Debra B.
They may put effort into baking the bread, but they certainly don't put it into customer service training! Our company does a monthly breakfast with them and they have yet to get the order right...something is always missing and they will argue with the person picking it up every time. The final straw was when an obnoxious remark regarding how we have requested the bagels be sliced was scrawled across the top of the receipt...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? A call to the store for Corporate's phone number was a battle, but the customer service representative at Panera Corporate was very nice. After emailing a copy of the receipt to him he advised the District Mgr would be calling to discuss the situation. 4 days passed--no call. After he was advised of this via email she finally called--at 5:30pm--obviously hoping not to reach a human. From the tone of her voice mail she really couldn't be bothered, so it's obvious if she's the DM where the store staff gets their attitudes from. An email to Panera corporate thru their website also went unanswered. They obviously don't think they need the business. Here's a flash Panera in Downers Grove--DUNKIN DONUTS was delighted to help us---they got the order spot on and couldn't have been nicer. Perhaps the cashier Tessa and the DM Kristin should take the short bus back to the remedial customer service school for dummies.
(1)
Stove P.
"Can I have your name for the order?" "Leslie." "Beth?" "No. Leslie." A few minutes later when man calls out order "BETH." Don't understand the confusion, but I'll get over it. Panera is my go-to place when I want to get out of the house and relax while eating something that won't rot my insides. Its environment is condusive for reading, studying, and of course internet browsing thanks to free wifi. The menu offers all organic salads, sandwiches, soups, bagels and other pastries. The coffee is brewed to perfection and satisfies any morning's need for a caffeine buzz. It can get pretty crowded around lunch time so plan your hunger around that. Otherwise, this place great.
(4)
Val W.
Had lunch here today 5-24-15 with a friend. I got the broccoli cheese soup with french roll. It was great. Lemonade is wonderful. Service was great. Place was quiet and clean.
(4)
Carlos R.
I go to this panera bread 5 days a week, I am usually there at 6:30AM to get a large coffee and a french baguette, on Monday December 22nd the french baguette felt old like a day old, I never had that happen to me before, it sucked and I threw it away, this morning I went back today and got my french baguette and large coffee and told Susan about yesterdays french baguette and she explains that they make it fresh everyday, well lady I know you guys do, it is the first time I had a bad french baguette, so she acted like I was making the story up or something, made me pay for the french baguette today instead of making it up for yesterdays bad one, I know spending $5.46 a day 5 days a week isn't a big lost to them but I am done with them, and I will never recommend them ever to anyone, plus I will voice my displeasure about them to anyone that listens or ask about them you lost me.
(1)
Nicki F.
I haven't been a regular of Panera Bread since my high school days (we had a nearby Panera Bread and open-campus policy for lunch), but I must say that I missed it when I came here in Downers Grove! The lady working the cashier was also very nice and gave us directions to the nearest grocery store! The other one... not so much. Also, I wish that this Panera Bread location would not run out of flavored bagels as often - two or three flavors I like were sold out! -_-
(2)
Heather g.
Slowest service in the industry. Constant errors. Always check your bag before leaving the restaurant...something will be missing. Managers stand around, unwilling to chip in when busy. And by busy, I mean 3 customers waiting for food. Took 12 minutes to get 3 cups of soup to go. No customer ahead of me or be hind..
(1)
David B.
I know Panera is a chain and has a TON of locations around the Chicagoland area. But I really like this particular store. We usually hit this place after taking a walk at Fullersburg/Old Graue Mill along Salt Creek in Oak Brook on the weekends. The service has always been good, typical nice relaxing atmosphere Panera is known for and they always get our orders right. There are a couple of other stores closer but this one just seems less crowded and more relaxed.
(3)
Caroline M.
There's a conference room if needed. The staff was friendly. There was a staff member that was there cleaning off tables the entire time I was there (3 hours studying).
(4)
Erick H.
Love the food, but sometimes they don't have what's on the menu.
(4)
Kathleen M.
My husband and I popped in here in the middle of our "find the perfect lamps quest." We ordered two bottle of water, a self serve diet Pepsi and a frozen lemonade. (We like beverages - lamp shopping is hard work!) After the gal s l o w l y made a coffee drink for someone else, she proceeded to make my frozen lemonade. When she had it all ready and called me up, her coworker remarked , "She ordered a frozen lemonade not strawberry lemonade." At this point, we found a table to sit at. (This is why smart phones were invented; we were both able to amuse ourselves.) Finally, 15 minutes after placing our order, the 4 beverages were ready and we left. Once we were going south on 355 I tasted my frozen lemonade or as I called it, "Non Flavored Slushy." Yep, she had apparently gotten distracted and perhaps had put in one teaspoon of the lemonade mix. At the most. Sigh. 4 beverages, one involved handing over a cup, the other two were bottled. The fourth required preparation and she got it wrong. Twice. Next time, all bottled or self serve beverages.
(1)
Joulie S.
I mostly come here for their salad and their coffee....You must try if your ever in. Their sandwiches are always delicious. I love their bakery section, I don't know what's in their bread but it's working!!!! ;-)
(5)
Keri M.
If the Hispanic staff ISN'T working the food area then you are pretty much screwed. They have a bunch of college age guys working there as well and they are SO slow. This one guy Alex took 15min to prepare my breakfast sandwich. They have no sense of urgency. They just talk and look around and seem dazed and confused. It's like, "Just put the damn sandwich on the panini press kid! Whenever Surgio or any of the other Hispanic guys there are working I will get a sandwich in 3 minutes or less.
(2)
Siraaj M.
Awesome place to eat, excellent staff
(5)
Demi G.
Okay, so I work for a Panera Bread... so I suppose I understand how things work a bit better... Soup and mac n' cheese take a different prep than other meal items... so if they aren't prepped by the person in back, it'll take 10-15 minutes and they should warn you that they don't have it ahead of time... ie., when you're ordering at the register. 99 cent bakery promos with a meal and drink are SAWEET. I HIGHLY recommend the chai tea... Republic of Tea has Tazo and Oregon Trails beat by a LONG shot. Famous for the broccoli cheddar bread bowls. Menus are available upon request (so ask what's on your sandwich before you order it! Seriously, don't get the asiago roast beef if you don't like horseradish... we have all kinds of buttons. We can prep it how you want it!) ANYWAY, onto my criticisms of the Downers Grove store... I was surprised to find that this store is obnoxiously big compared to my store... but has nobody working dining room. Maybe that's just tonight, but there's lots of dirty tables... I do, however, like the size and availability of a quiet area if needed. That's a plus. I do wish this Panera had more outlets, but alas, it is not a Starbucks. However, the internet here is quicker than my store, which is a plus. Hope it helps put things into perspective!
(4)
Joe A.
Excellent service, friendly staff, food is always of utmost quality. This Panera has become my all time favorite location.
(5)
Todd M.
Average Panera in a strip mall. Busy, sometimes chaotic, but standard Panera fare (which is good, simple, and well-made). For a quick meeting, get-together, sit-down lunch, etc. this Panera is pretty good. because it's often busy, the floor usually looks unvacuumed, the tables aren't bussed as fast as they should be, and the staff isn't as attentive to things like making sure the coffee is full and fresh. Forgivable sins, as long as you're not expecting more than a decent strip-mall sandwichery.
(3)
Jess S.
All Paneras are basically the same, right? Well I will say the frozen soups and cold-cut sandwiches are as good here as any other Panera. However this one handles the lunch crowd very well. And the lunch time rush is a breeze if you call ahead. Thats all. Panera. Good. Yea. Four stars for the really really long lunchtime line that goes incredibly fast.
(4)
Nicole M.
Same decent Panera food you expect. Really bad service. Super slow at everything. Today, I went in to grab a quick bite to go. I stood at the register for at least 5 solid minutes without even being acknowledged. There were two workers and they both just continued cleaning the counters, etc. I left and went to the sushi place next door- which is way better anyway.
(1)
Justin R.
They also serve soups, which were very good, but the sandwich, not so much. I got the roast beef sandwich.
(3)
Alex B.
Panera Bread has done an incredible job streamlining all of their franchises. Unlike coffee chains like Starbucks, every Panera is just about the same and I can find very little to evaluate other than the location. This one happens to be in a location that was convenient for me. The menu is great for either breakfast or lunch (or just a coffee for that matter). I like Panera as a company and I like this location as well.
(4)
Ericka A.
When Panera first came onto the scene I was super excited. It was about as close as you were going to get for gourmet food at fast food speed. But I'm just not impressed anymore. The food is still pretty much the same, but the service at all locations has fallen short time and time again. My co-worker and I show up here infrequently, maybe every two weeks or so, and it's ridiculously slow. Not only that, but the orders have either come out wrong or not together. The last time took the cake. I stood around for-ev-er and my grilled cheese showed up, but my macaroni was missing. The woman calling out the orders asked if I would like to sit down and come back when the rest of my order was called. I said, "Not really... But I will." These are not complicated orders. It's fricken mac n cheese. Shouldn't it be ready? And how about scooping me up a bowl since you forgot it instead of moving on to the next customer's order and making me wait until you can get to it. Common sense... not so common. After that experience I had to seriously question my mental state for being so willing to fork over FIFTEEN DOLLARS for a small bowl of macaroni (it's really good, but not worth the price) and bland grilled cheese. They had not 1, not 2, but 3 slices of what looked like cheddar. I couldn't tell you, because it had no flavor. I could make a better, cheaper meal at home with Velveta and Kraft Singles.
(2)
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Address :1400 Butterfield Road
Downers Grove, IL, 60515
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Tommy M.
Good things - Free refills on the self serve coffee. - Great pastries such as the pecan braid I enjoyed. - When you eat in, you get an actual, ceramic dish with stainless steel silverware, not the paper and plastic junk served by competitors. - Free wifi - Convenient hours of operation - great to stop in on the way to work Not so good thing - The coffee is not very good - too watery. Coffee is pretty important! Panera, please buy quality java beans. Thank you.
(3)Maria P.
This Panera is usually fairly busy and unfortunately the not so stellar service doesn't help their cause. The food is fresh though and always tastes good, which has brought me back a few times. If you like Panera, you won't have an issue with this location unless you're in a hurry.
(3)Aftab Q.
Good food, excellent place to get some studying done. Would recommend the chocolate chip bagel with hazelnut cream cheese.
(5)Joshua M.
Dear Panera, Clean your tables. Thanks. Otherwise this place is just like any other Panera. Decent everything, exceptional nothing. It's there when you need it though, just waiting for you in a nearby strip mall.
(3)Debra B.
They may put effort into baking the bread, but they certainly don't put it into customer service training! Our company does a monthly breakfast with them and they have yet to get the order right...something is always missing and they will argue with the person picking it up every time. The final straw was when an obnoxious remark regarding how we have requested the bagels be sliced was scrawled across the top of the receipt...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? A call to the store for Corporate's phone number was a battle, but the customer service representative at Panera Corporate was very nice. After emailing a copy of the receipt to him he advised the District Mgr would be calling to discuss the situation. 4 days passed--no call. After he was advised of this via email she finally called--at 5:30pm--obviously hoping not to reach a human. From the tone of her voice mail she really couldn't be bothered, so it's obvious if she's the DM where the store staff gets their attitudes from. An email to Panera corporate thru their website also went unanswered. They obviously don't think they need the business. Here's a flash Panera in Downers Grove--DUNKIN DONUTS was delighted to help us---they got the order spot on and couldn't have been nicer. Perhaps the cashier Tessa and the DM Kristin should take the short bus back to the remedial customer service school for dummies.
(1)Stove P.
"Can I have your name for the order?" "Leslie." "Beth?" "No. Leslie." A few minutes later when man calls out order "BETH." Don't understand the confusion, but I'll get over it. Panera is my go-to place when I want to get out of the house and relax while eating something that won't rot my insides. Its environment is condusive for reading, studying, and of course internet browsing thanks to free wifi. The menu offers all organic salads, sandwiches, soups, bagels and other pastries. The coffee is brewed to perfection and satisfies any morning's need for a caffeine buzz. It can get pretty crowded around lunch time so plan your hunger around that. Otherwise, this place great.
(4)Val W.
Had lunch here today 5-24-15 with a friend. I got the broccoli cheese soup with french roll. It was great. Lemonade is wonderful. Service was great. Place was quiet and clean.
(4)Carlos R.
I go to this panera bread 5 days a week, I am usually there at 6:30AM to get a large coffee and a french baguette, on Monday December 22nd the french baguette felt old like a day old, I never had that happen to me before, it sucked and I threw it away, this morning I went back today and got my french baguette and large coffee and told Susan about yesterdays french baguette and she explains that they make it fresh everyday, well lady I know you guys do, it is the first time I had a bad french baguette, so she acted like I was making the story up or something, made me pay for the french baguette today instead of making it up for yesterdays bad one, I know spending $5.46 a day 5 days a week isn't a big lost to them but I am done with them, and I will never recommend them ever to anyone, plus I will voice my displeasure about them to anyone that listens or ask about them you lost me.
(1)Nicki F.
I haven't been a regular of Panera Bread since my high school days (we had a nearby Panera Bread and open-campus policy for lunch), but I must say that I missed it when I came here in Downers Grove! The lady working the cashier was also very nice and gave us directions to the nearest grocery store! The other one... not so much. Also, I wish that this Panera Bread location would not run out of flavored bagels as often - two or three flavors I like were sold out! -_-
(2)Heather g.
Slowest service in the industry. Constant errors. Always check your bag before leaving the restaurant...something will be missing. Managers stand around, unwilling to chip in when busy. And by busy, I mean 3 customers waiting for food. Took 12 minutes to get 3 cups of soup to go. No customer ahead of me or be hind..
(1)David B.
I know Panera is a chain and has a TON of locations around the Chicagoland area. But I really like this particular store. We usually hit this place after taking a walk at Fullersburg/Old Graue Mill along Salt Creek in Oak Brook on the weekends. The service has always been good, typical nice relaxing atmosphere Panera is known for and they always get our orders right. There are a couple of other stores closer but this one just seems less crowded and more relaxed.
(3)Caroline M.
There's a conference room if needed. The staff was friendly. There was a staff member that was there cleaning off tables the entire time I was there (3 hours studying).
(4)Erick H.
Love the food, but sometimes they don't have what's on the menu.
(4)Kathleen M.
My husband and I popped in here in the middle of our "find the perfect lamps quest." We ordered two bottle of water, a self serve diet Pepsi and a frozen lemonade. (We like beverages - lamp shopping is hard work!) After the gal s l o w l y made a coffee drink for someone else, she proceeded to make my frozen lemonade. When she had it all ready and called me up, her coworker remarked , "She ordered a frozen lemonade not strawberry lemonade." At this point, we found a table to sit at. (This is why smart phones were invented; we were both able to amuse ourselves.) Finally, 15 minutes after placing our order, the 4 beverages were ready and we left. Once we were going south on 355 I tasted my frozen lemonade or as I called it, "Non Flavored Slushy." Yep, she had apparently gotten distracted and perhaps had put in one teaspoon of the lemonade mix. At the most. Sigh. 4 beverages, one involved handing over a cup, the other two were bottled. The fourth required preparation and she got it wrong. Twice. Next time, all bottled or self serve beverages.
(1)Joulie S.
I mostly come here for their salad and their coffee....You must try if your ever in. Their sandwiches are always delicious. I love their bakery section, I don't know what's in their bread but it's working!!!! ;-)
(5)Keri M.
If the Hispanic staff ISN'T working the food area then you are pretty much screwed. They have a bunch of college age guys working there as well and they are SO slow. This one guy Alex took 15min to prepare my breakfast sandwich. They have no sense of urgency. They just talk and look around and seem dazed and confused. It's like, "Just put the damn sandwich on the panini press kid! Whenever Surgio or any of the other Hispanic guys there are working I will get a sandwich in 3 minutes or less.
(2)Siraaj M.
Awesome place to eat, excellent staff
(5)Demi G.
Okay, so I work for a Panera Bread... so I suppose I understand how things work a bit better... Soup and mac n' cheese take a different prep than other meal items... so if they aren't prepped by the person in back, it'll take 10-15 minutes and they should warn you that they don't have it ahead of time... ie., when you're ordering at the register. 99 cent bakery promos with a meal and drink are SAWEET. I HIGHLY recommend the chai tea... Republic of Tea has Tazo and Oregon Trails beat by a LONG shot. Famous for the broccoli cheddar bread bowls. Menus are available upon request (so ask what's on your sandwich before you order it! Seriously, don't get the asiago roast beef if you don't like horseradish... we have all kinds of buttons. We can prep it how you want it!) ANYWAY, onto my criticisms of the Downers Grove store... I was surprised to find that this store is obnoxiously big compared to my store... but has nobody working dining room. Maybe that's just tonight, but there's lots of dirty tables... I do, however, like the size and availability of a quiet area if needed. That's a plus. I do wish this Panera had more outlets, but alas, it is not a Starbucks. However, the internet here is quicker than my store, which is a plus. Hope it helps put things into perspective!
(4)Joe A.
Excellent service, friendly staff, food is always of utmost quality. This Panera has become my all time favorite location.
(5)Todd M.
Average Panera in a strip mall. Busy, sometimes chaotic, but standard Panera fare (which is good, simple, and well-made). For a quick meeting, get-together, sit-down lunch, etc. this Panera is pretty good. because it's often busy, the floor usually looks unvacuumed, the tables aren't bussed as fast as they should be, and the staff isn't as attentive to things like making sure the coffee is full and fresh. Forgivable sins, as long as you're not expecting more than a decent strip-mall sandwichery.
(3)Jess S.
All Paneras are basically the same, right? Well I will say the frozen soups and cold-cut sandwiches are as good here as any other Panera. However this one handles the lunch crowd very well. And the lunch time rush is a breeze if you call ahead. Thats all. Panera. Good. Yea. Four stars for the really really long lunchtime line that goes incredibly fast.
(4)Nicole M.
Same decent Panera food you expect. Really bad service. Super slow at everything. Today, I went in to grab a quick bite to go. I stood at the register for at least 5 solid minutes without even being acknowledged. There were two workers and they both just continued cleaning the counters, etc. I left and went to the sushi place next door- which is way better anyway.
(1)Justin R.
They also serve soups, which were very good, but the sandwich, not so much. I got the roast beef sandwich.
(3)Alex B.
Panera Bread has done an incredible job streamlining all of their franchises. Unlike coffee chains like Starbucks, every Panera is just about the same and I can find very little to evaluate other than the location. This one happens to be in a location that was convenient for me. The menu is great for either breakfast or lunch (or just a coffee for that matter). I like Panera as a company and I like this location as well.
(4)Ericka A.
When Panera first came onto the scene I was super excited. It was about as close as you were going to get for gourmet food at fast food speed. But I'm just not impressed anymore. The food is still pretty much the same, but the service at all locations has fallen short time and time again. My co-worker and I show up here infrequently, maybe every two weeks or so, and it's ridiculously slow. Not only that, but the orders have either come out wrong or not together. The last time took the cake. I stood around for-ev-er and my grilled cheese showed up, but my macaroni was missing. The woman calling out the orders asked if I would like to sit down and come back when the rest of my order was called. I said, "Not really... But I will." These are not complicated orders. It's fricken mac n cheese. Shouldn't it be ready? And how about scooping me up a bowl since you forgot it instead of moving on to the next customer's order and making me wait until you can get to it. Common sense... not so common. After that experience I had to seriously question my mental state for being so willing to fork over FIFTEEN DOLLARS for a small bowl of macaroni (it's really good, but not worth the price) and bland grilled cheese. They had not 1, not 2, but 3 slices of what looked like cheddar. I couldn't tell you, because it had no flavor. I could make a better, cheaper meal at home with Velveta and Kraft Singles.
(2)