It's really great that this place is based on donations. If you don't have any money they will feed you. The food isn't quite as good as other Panera Breads but its still good. I try to give the full price sometimes more but there's times when I just don't have enough. I give what I can. I would just hope people don't take advantage of this place. Like don't order $20 worth of food then give $5 or worse nothing.
(4)
Erin G.
I love the idea of this place. The only downside is that the whole concept of Panera Cares is to give the less fortunate an option to pay what they can or not at all. It seems like, however, the people who need it most don't even know this place exists. Because it's located in downtown Dearborn, the clientele is mainly wealthy Dearborners and rowdy teenagers. Every time I go here, I see almost everyone drop in only a few dollar bills. Rich people take advantage of this location. I honestly don't know how this place stays open. People have to remember that this location runs off of donations. As for the staff, they are incredible. They keep the place clean and the food is always perfect.
(4)
Sarah R.
I like a restaurant that helps the less fortunate. All prices are "sugested donation" and anthing you give beyond the posted price goes towards feeding someone else. Who wouldn't like that?
(4)
Rastus C.
I went here for the first time in about a year. Prior to that I was a fairly regular customer; about twice a month. The food was fine but the eating area was dirty and some of the furniture needed replacement. We ate outside.
(3)
Eric M.
Sure, it's a chain, but it's also a novel concept--at the time I'm writing, I believe there are only five Panera Cares in the country. The restaurant is fundamentally a 501(c)(3) organization apparently, with a "pay what you can afford" motto, and the servers will tell you the "value" of your meal, rather than its cost. The food is reliably "Paneran": same menu, same foofy salas, same tasty pastries. But something about Panera Cares lacks Panera Bread's usual...uh...slickness. Maybe I just came on an off day, and maybe the manager was particularly frazzled. Usually, though, I don't associate Paneras as dirty, but this one looked in serious need of a cleaning. And stayed looking that way while I worked for 2.5 hours. Some of the chairs had tears in the fabric and were leaking out the stuffing. Many of the plugs didn't work. All the coffees were empty, and when they made more, the grounds at the bottom of my cup were big enough that I was crunching them with my molars. And the wifi was barely functional (why is it so hard to get good wifi?). I'd be willing to go back to support the concept and the pretty decent food. But for the average corporate customer, who suspects that anything "nonprofit" amounts to inefficiency and compromised quality, Panera Cares isn't doing anyone any favors.
(3)
Ko M.
This place is great! Employees are friendly and the idea of paying what you can makes me feel a lot better about Panera bread. I usually just get their bread cause it's cheap and decent. As for the folks that complain about clientele, etc, this place is meant for folks who are having a hard time getting food (in theory) so I can't complain. There's been times when I'm low on cash and it's nice to know that there's companies that seem to care. The food is just like the regular Panera fare, which is ok but I'll give them props for having a place that tries to help the less fortunate. Seems like they should maybe put this place in a location where the need is more...
(4)
Allison F.
This is a great Panera location. The employees are super friendly and willing to answer any questions about the PaneraCares concept. I love stopping here to pick up day-old bread. You can get a couple loaves of their delicious Asiago cheese focaccia for only a dollar (or more if you want to contribute further). The restaurant serves almost all the same items as a regular Panera location but you're given the choice of what you'd like to pay. If you've got extra money, have them round up the total for you. You're allowed to pay with cash or credit card. If you don't have the means to pay your entire total, you can contribute what you've got and ask them about volunteering if you're so inclined. One of my biggest complaints is the seating set up. There are only a couple booths and all the seating is pushed on the side of the restaurant in a narrow galley-style. It's cramped, and there are always a million loud kids, so it's hard to find sanctuary here like many Paneras.
(4)
Nijole T.
I'm a fan of the concept they have here, pay what you can afford and had to come see for myself. They still have registers and tell you the suggested donation price, but what you put in the box is entirely upto you. Panera is expensive I already knew that, but the food I have always liked. The bakery not so much but decided to give that another try as well. As always I got the asian sesame salad, always a fan and best thing on their menu in my opinion. The chicken and so called wontons they could omit, but the salad and dressing good as ever. The man got the Steak & White Cheddar and the Steak Balsamico but the sirlion they use is nasty. The rest fine and the chips they have are great just missing flavor. My son got the Smokehouse Turkey which was the best sandwhich they had. For dessert we had their mocha which was great, very good coffee but steep at $4 and the pastries are just never great. The Pecan Braid bland and boring as well as the pecan roll. The toffee nut cookie hard and boring but the bearclaw was ok, usually they are stale but I was lucky and it was fresh this time. In all I love the concept they are giving back to the community (they sure can afford to at those prices) and more stores should go along with this concept.
(3)
Silvia P.
I cannot get over how great their service is! My first time at this location, and I'll definitely be back
(5)
Rola S.
Love this place because its non-profit. Everything you pay for is donated for a good cause, for the local communities I think. Should look into that. So they ask to pay your fair share or as much as you like. Of course it's empty carbs, but the food is yummy. I had the mozorella tomato basil panini, it was so delicious my four year old neice ate it. She didn't want her macaroni and cheese! Black cherry smoothie was awesome, she took that away from me too! Another one of my favorites is the tuna salad sandwich, the bread it goes on is amazing and the dressing is wow. Don't frequent as much as I like to because its bread!!
(5)
Emine S.
So I was a little skeptical with this whole Panera Cares thing. For those, who don't know they allow people to eat for free if they can't afford it. In return they volunteer for an hour or so. Well, as I was eating my delicious almond chicken sandwich and my cup of vegetable and basil soup a group of handicapped people walked in. Each of them received free food. Not sure if they volunteered. Anyway, I was please with my sandwich, soup, and chai tea latte, but also with the service.
(4)
Sasha V.
I love Panera. Their sandwiches are not so friendly calorie-wise, but sooo good. However, this location is sort of hit or miss. I don't understand it. One day I go in and the food and service are amazing, and the next day the food is off and the staff is rude. Maybe it's just bad days or something. Who knows. My fav sandwich to order is the turkey artichoke panini, their greek salad is pretty good, and if it's cold and you feel like crap order soup in a breadbowl. Soooo satisfying!
(4)
Andy D.
Tried to go to Moe's Southwestern Grill across the street on the recommendation of this site, but the line was like 50 people long so I grabbed lunch from Panera instead. The paninis are awesome and it's nice that they offer healthy sides which actually taste good (as opposed to Wendy's whose new side options blow).
(4)
Andrew T.
My experiences here have been positive. I started coming here in December in order to get out of the house and get some writing done. I tried the Starbucks across the street, as cliche as that is, but that location is always packed by random people just sitting there. So I came over to Panera, grabbed a sandwich and got some chapters done. This establishment is a Panera Cares, which is a non-profit version of Panera where you don't exactly pay, you donate. Donate a dollar for your food or donate twenty. It's up to you and what you can afford. The first time I came in I listened to the sales pitch and you'll likely be confronted by an employee wanting to share the message as well. I've never had a long wait here and I've been in at peak lunch hours. The longest I've seen the line was about four deep and I was through it in a relatively short time. I generally get the Bacon Turkey Bravo and always enjoy it. The bread is soft and fresh, the meat flavorful. I'm looking forward to warmer weather so that I can bring Newman with me and sit outside in the patio area. Another plus, there's a great deal of entertaining people watching. Right now I'm sitting beside a table full of elderly gentlemen who are arguing quite vociferously about baseball. Good times.
(4)
Liezl E.
Panera's options for food are pretty mediocre, but it's the only reliable place where I can find a good selection of soup, so it keeps bringing me back. Free fast wifi is also a bonus (which is a nice fuck you to starbucks and anyone else who charges). My opinion still stands that the only good thing about this place is their cinnamon crunch bagel and honey walnut cream cheese. Possibly two of the most delicious things to exist on earth. Sickeningly sweet, I can probably eat the cream cheese with a spoon. If you must, come here for the wifi and bagels, but don't expect much else from this place.
(3)
Sue S.
Im new to town so i came here with my mother thinking its a regular Panera bread restaurant. To be horrifically greeted by the way management was held. In front of us were two people who were asking about whats the difference between the paneras. So the cashier started explaining how they go by the honor system to you pay what you can afford. At this point i was really excited to see such a great way to give back to the community ! So the couple put in whatever amount , the manager went to their table and spoke loudly to where everyone around their table heard that they needed to pay the full amount and if they couldnt afford it they needed to put in a hour of work. The couple were terrified and tried to explain how the cashier just told them the rules and they put in what they had. Poor way to address the situation and if there was a set amount or regular standard they should prep their workers or have a sign up.
(1)
Kate R.
I missed that this Panera has a bit of a different mission than others... I was a little confused when the girl took my order and explained what the "value" of my meal was. She was gracious enough to explain the PaneraCares effort and I was happy to contribute. The menu is still the same and the food is of the same quality. AND they were sending bread out for donation as I was leaving! Kudos to Panera for their efforts in support the less fortunate in the community!
(4)
Martha R.
I like the idea of the Panera Cares setup... for sure it's nice to see a company provide food for those that cannot afford it. Overall, this is about the same as any other Panera... the food is solid, not great. The service is going to depend on who's working that day. The place was clean, so that's a good thing. The fact that you have to pay for parking is ridiculous... but of course this has nothing to do with Panera... I just like complaining about it, because I find Dearborn ridiculous.
(4)
Carole H.
The same tastiness of Panera, only you are contributing something good at the same time. :) Love the "Panera Cares" set up. You can read other reviews to see what that's all about. The staff is super friendly. I have only come here when I've been picking up breakfast for my girls at school. I always round my total up a few bucks, and the staff has given me some freebies in exchange for their appreciation (although doesn't giving away things defeat the point of my donation? lol). I can only speak for the early morning, but I've never stood in a line here and the staff has been fast and efficient with my order and even helped me carry it out to my car (when feeding a room of 30 pregnant girls, one orders a LOT of bagels...). I'm a fan.
(4)
Nikkie H.
This place is now a Panera Cares, which the girl painfully explained when I walked in. She kind of ambushed me, so that was not expected. I think it's a great thing to offer this type of restaurant and am curious how many people take advantage of it. I know many people, who shall go unnamed, who would totally jump on the scaled cost even though they can afford full price. In any case, the menu hasn't really changed and my sandwich was delish. I'm sure it'll remain a go to location when I'm home and meeting my friend for lunch.
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Brunch Parking : Street Bike Parking : 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
Stephanie J.
It's really great that this place is based on donations. If you don't have any money they will feed you. The food isn't quite as good as other Panera Breads but its still good. I try to give the full price sometimes more but there's times when I just don't have enough. I give what I can. I would just hope people don't take advantage of this place. Like don't order $20 worth of food then give $5 or worse nothing.
(4)Erin G.
I love the idea of this place. The only downside is that the whole concept of Panera Cares is to give the less fortunate an option to pay what they can or not at all. It seems like, however, the people who need it most don't even know this place exists. Because it's located in downtown Dearborn, the clientele is mainly wealthy Dearborners and rowdy teenagers. Every time I go here, I see almost everyone drop in only a few dollar bills. Rich people take advantage of this location. I honestly don't know how this place stays open. People have to remember that this location runs off of donations. As for the staff, they are incredible. They keep the place clean and the food is always perfect.
(4)Sarah R.
I like a restaurant that helps the less fortunate. All prices are "sugested donation" and anthing you give beyond the posted price goes towards feeding someone else. Who wouldn't like that?
(4)Rastus C.
I went here for the first time in about a year. Prior to that I was a fairly regular customer; about twice a month. The food was fine but the eating area was dirty and some of the furniture needed replacement. We ate outside.
(3)Eric M.
Sure, it's a chain, but it's also a novel concept--at the time I'm writing, I believe there are only five Panera Cares in the country. The restaurant is fundamentally a 501(c)(3) organization apparently, with a "pay what you can afford" motto, and the servers will tell you the "value" of your meal, rather than its cost. The food is reliably "Paneran": same menu, same foofy salas, same tasty pastries. But something about Panera Cares lacks Panera Bread's usual...uh...slickness. Maybe I just came on an off day, and maybe the manager was particularly frazzled. Usually, though, I don't associate Paneras as dirty, but this one looked in serious need of a cleaning. And stayed looking that way while I worked for 2.5 hours. Some of the chairs had tears in the fabric and were leaking out the stuffing. Many of the plugs didn't work. All the coffees were empty, and when they made more, the grounds at the bottom of my cup were big enough that I was crunching them with my molars. And the wifi was barely functional (why is it so hard to get good wifi?). I'd be willing to go back to support the concept and the pretty decent food. But for the average corporate customer, who suspects that anything "nonprofit" amounts to inefficiency and compromised quality, Panera Cares isn't doing anyone any favors.
(3)Ko M.
This place is great! Employees are friendly and the idea of paying what you can makes me feel a lot better about Panera bread. I usually just get their bread cause it's cheap and decent. As for the folks that complain about clientele, etc, this place is meant for folks who are having a hard time getting food (in theory) so I can't complain. There's been times when I'm low on cash and it's nice to know that there's companies that seem to care. The food is just like the regular Panera fare, which is ok but I'll give them props for having a place that tries to help the less fortunate. Seems like they should maybe put this place in a location where the need is more...
(4)Allison F.
This is a great Panera location. The employees are super friendly and willing to answer any questions about the PaneraCares concept. I love stopping here to pick up day-old bread. You can get a couple loaves of their delicious Asiago cheese focaccia for only a dollar (or more if you want to contribute further). The restaurant serves almost all the same items as a regular Panera location but you're given the choice of what you'd like to pay. If you've got extra money, have them round up the total for you. You're allowed to pay with cash or credit card. If you don't have the means to pay your entire total, you can contribute what you've got and ask them about volunteering if you're so inclined. One of my biggest complaints is the seating set up. There are only a couple booths and all the seating is pushed on the side of the restaurant in a narrow galley-style. It's cramped, and there are always a million loud kids, so it's hard to find sanctuary here like many Paneras.
(4)Nijole T.
I'm a fan of the concept they have here, pay what you can afford and had to come see for myself. They still have registers and tell you the suggested donation price, but what you put in the box is entirely upto you. Panera is expensive I already knew that, but the food I have always liked. The bakery not so much but decided to give that another try as well. As always I got the asian sesame salad, always a fan and best thing on their menu in my opinion. The chicken and so called wontons they could omit, but the salad and dressing good as ever. The man got the Steak & White Cheddar and the Steak Balsamico but the sirlion they use is nasty. The rest fine and the chips they have are great just missing flavor. My son got the Smokehouse Turkey which was the best sandwhich they had. For dessert we had their mocha which was great, very good coffee but steep at $4 and the pastries are just never great. The Pecan Braid bland and boring as well as the pecan roll. The toffee nut cookie hard and boring but the bearclaw was ok, usually they are stale but I was lucky and it was fresh this time. In all I love the concept they are giving back to the community (they sure can afford to at those prices) and more stores should go along with this concept.
(3)Silvia P.
I cannot get over how great their service is! My first time at this location, and I'll definitely be back
(5)Rola S.
Love this place because its non-profit. Everything you pay for is donated for a good cause, for the local communities I think. Should look into that. So they ask to pay your fair share or as much as you like. Of course it's empty carbs, but the food is yummy. I had the mozorella tomato basil panini, it was so delicious my four year old neice ate it. She didn't want her macaroni and cheese! Black cherry smoothie was awesome, she took that away from me too! Another one of my favorites is the tuna salad sandwich, the bread it goes on is amazing and the dressing is wow. Don't frequent as much as I like to because its bread!!
(5)Emine S.
So I was a little skeptical with this whole Panera Cares thing. For those, who don't know they allow people to eat for free if they can't afford it. In return they volunteer for an hour or so. Well, as I was eating my delicious almond chicken sandwich and my cup of vegetable and basil soup a group of handicapped people walked in. Each of them received free food. Not sure if they volunteered. Anyway, I was please with my sandwich, soup, and chai tea latte, but also with the service.
(4)Sasha V.
I love Panera. Their sandwiches are not so friendly calorie-wise, but sooo good. However, this location is sort of hit or miss. I don't understand it. One day I go in and the food and service are amazing, and the next day the food is off and the staff is rude. Maybe it's just bad days or something. Who knows. My fav sandwich to order is the turkey artichoke panini, their greek salad is pretty good, and if it's cold and you feel like crap order soup in a breadbowl. Soooo satisfying!
(4)Andy D.
Tried to go to Moe's Southwestern Grill across the street on the recommendation of this site, but the line was like 50 people long so I grabbed lunch from Panera instead. The paninis are awesome and it's nice that they offer healthy sides which actually taste good (as opposed to Wendy's whose new side options blow).
(4)Andrew T.
My experiences here have been positive. I started coming here in December in order to get out of the house and get some writing done. I tried the Starbucks across the street, as cliche as that is, but that location is always packed by random people just sitting there. So I came over to Panera, grabbed a sandwich and got some chapters done. This establishment is a Panera Cares, which is a non-profit version of Panera where you don't exactly pay, you donate. Donate a dollar for your food or donate twenty. It's up to you and what you can afford. The first time I came in I listened to the sales pitch and you'll likely be confronted by an employee wanting to share the message as well. I've never had a long wait here and I've been in at peak lunch hours. The longest I've seen the line was about four deep and I was through it in a relatively short time. I generally get the Bacon Turkey Bravo and always enjoy it. The bread is soft and fresh, the meat flavorful. I'm looking forward to warmer weather so that I can bring Newman with me and sit outside in the patio area. Another plus, there's a great deal of entertaining people watching. Right now I'm sitting beside a table full of elderly gentlemen who are arguing quite vociferously about baseball. Good times.
(4)Liezl E.
Panera's options for food are pretty mediocre, but it's the only reliable place where I can find a good selection of soup, so it keeps bringing me back. Free fast wifi is also a bonus (which is a nice fuck you to starbucks and anyone else who charges). My opinion still stands that the only good thing about this place is their cinnamon crunch bagel and honey walnut cream cheese. Possibly two of the most delicious things to exist on earth. Sickeningly sweet, I can probably eat the cream cheese with a spoon. If you must, come here for the wifi and bagels, but don't expect much else from this place.
(3)Sue S.
Im new to town so i came here with my mother thinking its a regular Panera bread restaurant. To be horrifically greeted by the way management was held. In front of us were two people who were asking about whats the difference between the paneras. So the cashier started explaining how they go by the honor system to you pay what you can afford. At this point i was really excited to see such a great way to give back to the community ! So the couple put in whatever amount , the manager went to their table and spoke loudly to where everyone around their table heard that they needed to pay the full amount and if they couldnt afford it they needed to put in a hour of work. The couple were terrified and tried to explain how the cashier just told them the rules and they put in what they had. Poor way to address the situation and if there was a set amount or regular standard they should prep their workers or have a sign up.
(1)Kate R.
I missed that this Panera has a bit of a different mission than others... I was a little confused when the girl took my order and explained what the "value" of my meal was. She was gracious enough to explain the PaneraCares effort and I was happy to contribute. The menu is still the same and the food is of the same quality. AND they were sending bread out for donation as I was leaving! Kudos to Panera for their efforts in support the less fortunate in the community!
(4)Martha R.
I like the idea of the Panera Cares setup... for sure it's nice to see a company provide food for those that cannot afford it. Overall, this is about the same as any other Panera... the food is solid, not great. The service is going to depend on who's working that day. The place was clean, so that's a good thing. The fact that you have to pay for parking is ridiculous... but of course this has nothing to do with Panera... I just like complaining about it, because I find Dearborn ridiculous.
(4)Carole H.
The same tastiness of Panera, only you are contributing something good at the same time. :) Love the "Panera Cares" set up. You can read other reviews to see what that's all about. The staff is super friendly. I have only come here when I've been picking up breakfast for my girls at school. I always round my total up a few bucks, and the staff has given me some freebies in exchange for their appreciation (although doesn't giving away things defeat the point of my donation? lol). I can only speak for the early morning, but I've never stood in a line here and the staff has been fast and efficient with my order and even helped me carry it out to my car (when feeding a room of 30 pregnant girls, one orders a LOT of bagels...). I'm a fan.
(4)Nikkie H.
This place is now a Panera Cares, which the girl painfully explained when I walked in. She kind of ambushed me, so that was not expected. I think it's a great thing to offer this type of restaurant and am curious how many people take advantage of it. I know many people, who shall go unnamed, who would totally jump on the scaled cost even though they can afford full price. In any case, the menu hasn't really changed and my sandwich was delish. I'm sure it'll remain a go to location when I'm home and meeting my friend for lunch.
(4)