Normally I will rate a Panera a solid 4-stars.. However, this Panera is one of the worst I've ever visited. The food was still the same (hence the 2-stars) however as we all know the experience isn't just with the food. It's also with the staff...SLOW / SLOW / SLOW There has never been a time my wife or the both of us have visited where the service hasn't been as s l o w as a turtle! And while "slow and steady wins the race" it's definitely NOT something that one want's when passing through an establishment. Our most recent experience went something like this... After the usual Panera greeting my wife and i ordered our food. I noticed they had a lobster sandwich (which was OK and yes real but $$$16.99!!! I can get a whole lobster for that price...but..) that peaked my interest.. After placing half of our order we were asked to repeat it.. then the option for my lobster sandwich wasn't available for the "you-pick-2" option, although i was told it was by the cashier.. not that it mattered because it wasn't available for her to select to even place the order. We then watch a short version of the 2-stooges show as the cashiers were confused and joked amongst themselves trying to figure out why the NEW lobster sandwich was available on one unit but not the other. My wife finally suggested that we shift over to the other cashier to complete our order and move on with our lives. Now shifted over we once again placed our order (3rd time now) and was asked to step over to their drink service area (of which I was waiting on ONE lemonade). The cashier from the initial order came over to fill our drink but forgot to get my lemonade and got the next guests instead. I asked for my lemonade and after apologizing she asked me if i wanted on that seemed to be left over from their "lunch crowd" - Negative! after explaining that i didn't want lemonade that was left sitting around with ice half melted she handed me a fresh one. Now had it of been lunch time and a rush i would have had no issue as they would have been fresh...however this was well after lunch.. i digress.. our food was prepared and packaged as per the usual take out specifications and we thankfully left.. While this ONE experience has not spoiled me on Panera Bread it's self, it has spoiled me on this location.. If they could only speed up the process and learn the product/location of said product it'd help out a lot.
(2)
Rebecca D.
Staff here is so incredibly friendly & helpful. Perfect spot to bring kids.
(4)
Carrie C.
Nope. $50 for two adults and four children, are you serious? You seat, serve, and clean up after yourself. Mind you my nephew's and my boys got one kid sized sandwich, one tiny cup of kid's mac n cheese, and two cups of soup total. I had the pick 2 combo, half a sandwich and half a salad. My sister got a normal sized sandwich and cup of soup. Three chocolate milks (tiny boxes), one juice box and one small soda. So it was... 3 Cups of soup Half kid sandwich (tiny portion) Cup kid's mac n cheese (tiny portion) Half panini w/half a salad Full size panini - 3 Milk boxes (tiny) 1 Soda (small) - Two of the meals came with chips, and we had $3.96 in cookies (upsells) Seriously $50 for that amount of food! I'd understand if it were a full service restaurant with regular portions, not even close though. To top it off I ordered the smokehouse turkey panini which the menu said came with bacon and three cheeses. It did not mention the disgusting overwhelming, overpowering, piled on mustard seed sauce that the sandwich was completely smothered in. That's something you might want to mention on the menu. I would have asked for it without the sauce had I known. I did my best to scrape what I could off of it and ate a few bites of the sandwich. The salad was very good but I had no idea it came with dressing, again, would have been good to know. I did like the dressing so I'm not complaining. My sister had the same sandwich and had the exact same complaint. Now I'm not a picky eater and usually enjoy different things, this sandwich was just wasn't edible. I don't know if Joe or Jane Schmoe in the back was just trying to see exactly how much nasty mustard seed sauce s/he could pile on the sandwich or what, but seriously Panera mention the sauce on your menu. Do everyone a favor. And what's with the upsells? I didn't realize I was entering a infomercial to buy food. Everything we ordered she was like "well I can give you this for $.99 if you add this to your meal" after the third time she said it I was like "gosh"! I mean can we just order, sit, and eat! We had four small children with us for crying out loud! Ugh, I will never go back to Panera bread again, mediocre food, tiny portions, at outrageous prices.
(1)
Keshia A.
I was visiting the area for the weekend and stopped on in. It was a very cozy location and had plenty of space to sit and awesome, fast staff.
(4)
Toni O.
I have never had such awful food at a Panara.. On a recent visit we ordered 3 sandwiches and each of them were messed up and tasted awful. This is not the first time this has happened at this location. Beware. Keep a close eye on them as they prepare your food!
(1)
Mad D.
Really good food and fast/friendly service at this particular location. My bro is allergic to soy and he doesn't seem to have any reactions to the breads here. Haven't tried many of their menu items but everything I've tried was really good. Also, Bacon Turkey Bravo ftw.
(4)
Judith G.
I was sure I would find something to eat here. There was such a big selection of soufles, bagels, spreads, artisan breads, lower-carb breads, baked goods (delicious looking cookies, brownies, muffins, etc.),exotic and the usaul salads, signature sandwiches on tuscan bread, (like the Tuscan Chicken on Rosemary& Onion Focacia). Hot Pannini, soups, Crispani (Hancrafted pizza with all-natural toppings), sides and yunmmy beverages, I.C. Beverages, like I.C. Caramel - which is creamy caramel and icy espresso, topped with whipped cream, chilled beverages, including chai tea lattes and other regular choices, like your usual espressos, and Jones sodas. I had a difficult time chosing and decided to come back to sample the after 4PM special, which is any pizza with any small salad. The pizza was delicious, thin-crusted but very small. I got the Tomato and Fresh Basil for $6.99 and a side salad of Grilled Bistro Steak Ceasar fr $3.59. The prices were gentle, but considering that the salad was teeny-tiny, with only a small amount of steak, and that the pizza was really a child's portion, this 'special' did not give me a real value or an idea of what their food is really like. It left me starving and I had to eat again, somewhere else, I forget where. But, to be fair, tI saw other people ordering huge chicken ceasar salads which looked huge and delicious, and I wish I had ordered that with one of their soups. Each day the soup is different. I will give them another try, since there are very few places in Wakefield that have fast but good food (and although I will eat MacDonalds, I try not to make it a habit). Also, except for the fact that Panera bread makes some breads I could not duplicate, like the Asiago cheese loaf, (and many others). tjhere is really nothing on this menu that I personally could not duplicate in my own kitchen, and control the ingredients and portions to my own liking. This place is very upscale, but 'its not all that.' Sounds complicated to most palates, but for me its just another '30 Minute Meal' - and some of them are less than that to make, if you keep your pantry well-stocked, like me. I would eat here if I worked in the area....but since this is my summer get away place, I want to eat something authentic to the area, or make it myself. I will be going to Federal Hill, again, where they still have some awesome old Italian establishments, that I love. Panera Bread - maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it.
(4)
Jared W.
Food is always top notch, and the atmosphere is nice and relaxed. A great place to sit by the fire and enjoy a quiet meal. The staff is also consistently friendly and pleasant (even when its busy!).
(5)
Sis Y.
This Panera Bread is a nice spot in the Wakefield Mall to sit, eat, WiFi or wait for someone or an appointment. The "dining room" has a few alcoves if you'd like to hide and a nice array of booths and tables in different sizes. The warm colors that all Panera's are typically decorated in are comforting to me. I like the homey style yet cafeteria service there. I don't have to develop a relationship albeit temporary of a waitress when I'm distracted and incomprehensible. The food is good. Bread bowl and broccoli cheese soup. Starch from carbohydrate heaven, this place serves it up sweet or savory. The panini are delicious, the pastries are usually fine. The salads are nice too. Don't be fooled though. The sandwiches and salads aren't as large as the pictures would lead you to believe. They are too expensive in my opinion. It's a freaking sandwich not a entree, salad, starch and vegetable. This is a glorified cafeteria. They have "specials" wherein they change a sandwich or add on a different type of sandwich like the now popular cuban panini or Thai salad. Honestly, you could look at the menu or take home a take out menu and assemble your own at home. The bread has a good tooth to it. Very solid and inoffensive. The pastries are not so light to seem to be overly processed. The servers are polite, I've never had a rude one. Of course lunch and dinner time is busy, expect that. For a place like this I've written too much. This is the Starbuck's of sandwich places. Except I hate Starbucks coffee and Panera's food is good. They have catering and they had delivery for a while, I don't know if they still do though.
(3)
Tom B.
Dear Panera management. Please heed these lousy reviews for this location. I clearly should have. Instead, I decided to risk it and patronize this very poorly reviewed location regardless, only to get a Sierra Turkey Sandwich that was sloppy, very over-sauced and missing the field greens entirely. The really bad part was the serious lack of turkey. Compared to all other locations in this chain, and how they make this sandwich, you would be shocked if you got what I received as it was clearly intentionally skimped on all ingredients (except the sauce - gross). It was obviously a seriously reduced portion of turkey. For $8+ I expect far more. If the majority of people who have patronized this location say there is something wrong with your restaurant, then clearly there's something worth investigating before you drive all your remaining business away. As the saying goes, where there's smoke, there is always fire.
(1)
Julie M.
Fantastic squash soup and a pretty good flatbread sandwich. Love the different ice teas! Staff was very friendly. Our server Dara made some excellent recommendations.
(4)
Isaiah M.
If you are ever feeling famished, and stumble across this Panera Bread location, turn around. This is a horrible location. Firstly, every single time I go there and order a sandwich, they are out of the specialized bread for that particular sandwich. It's the same thing. Every. Single. Time. I've come to call this place 'Panera we have no Bread'. A typical exchange at this location follows. Me: "I'll have the Asiago steak." Cashier: "Okay. But we're out of the bread." Me: "OK, I'll have the Italian Combo instead." Cashier: "Okay. But... We just ran out of the Ciabatta." Me: "OK. What breads do you actually have?" Cashier: "Hmmm. I think we may have an exotic loaf of Wonder bread in the back." My second gripe is with their soups. I enjoy the soups at most Panera Bread locations. But not at this one. I have gotten soup at this location on more than one occasion, and it has been watered down. Instead of telling the customers they ran out of soup, they'd rather water it down instead and hope I don't notice. Unfortunately for them, I have taste buds, so can't fool me. It's too bad they can't add water to their breads when they're running low, they'd be all set. I urge you not to go to this Panera Bread. Unless you enjoy watered down soup and no bread to enjoy it with.
(1)
Molly K.
I would come in here a lot with my mom or friends. I always order the same thing, French Onion Soup with a baguette and occasionally I'd get the combo with the soup and a Sierra Turkey sandwich but it's a little pricey. I can never get tired of the soup, it's so good! I definitely recommend it, very flavorful with melted cheese and croutons.the seating area is very modern and cozy! The baked goods look pretty good. I usually get a chocolate pastry if I do need a treat. Very light, fluffy, croissant like treat with smooth milk chocolate chunks inside. I've had the red velvet cupcake and the chocolate chip cupcake which isn't bad, it's pretty sweet and moist, sometimes not moist enough though.
(4)
Meghan M.
Lousy. Over-priced for over-processed low-grade deli meat with a ton of bread. Only decent thing on the menu are the salads, but I can also make one at home. Sandwich? TONS of GREAT locally owned shops to grab a sandwich. NO thank you. If you're looking for a sandwich or a coffee; check the rest of Yelp for other places in the area.
(1)
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Address :160 Old Tower Hill Road
Wakefield, RI, 02879
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
Jon W.
Normally I will rate a Panera a solid 4-stars.. However, this Panera is one of the worst I've ever visited. The food was still the same (hence the 2-stars) however as we all know the experience isn't just with the food. It's also with the staff...SLOW / SLOW / SLOW There has never been a time my wife or the both of us have visited where the service hasn't been as s l o w as a turtle! And while "slow and steady wins the race" it's definitely NOT something that one want's when passing through an establishment. Our most recent experience went something like this... After the usual Panera greeting my wife and i ordered our food. I noticed they had a lobster sandwich (which was OK and yes real but $$$16.99!!! I can get a whole lobster for that price...but..) that peaked my interest.. After placing half of our order we were asked to repeat it.. then the option for my lobster sandwich wasn't available for the "you-pick-2" option, although i was told it was by the cashier.. not that it mattered because it wasn't available for her to select to even place the order. We then watch a short version of the 2-stooges show as the cashiers were confused and joked amongst themselves trying to figure out why the NEW lobster sandwich was available on one unit but not the other. My wife finally suggested that we shift over to the other cashier to complete our order and move on with our lives. Now shifted over we once again placed our order (3rd time now) and was asked to step over to their drink service area (of which I was waiting on ONE lemonade). The cashier from the initial order came over to fill our drink but forgot to get my lemonade and got the next guests instead. I asked for my lemonade and after apologizing she asked me if i wanted on that seemed to be left over from their "lunch crowd" - Negative! after explaining that i didn't want lemonade that was left sitting around with ice half melted she handed me a fresh one. Now had it of been lunch time and a rush i would have had no issue as they would have been fresh...however this was well after lunch.. i digress.. our food was prepared and packaged as per the usual take out specifications and we thankfully left.. While this ONE experience has not spoiled me on Panera Bread it's self, it has spoiled me on this location.. If they could only speed up the process and learn the product/location of said product it'd help out a lot.
(2)Rebecca D.
Staff here is so incredibly friendly & helpful. Perfect spot to bring kids.
(4)Carrie C.
Nope. $50 for two adults and four children, are you serious? You seat, serve, and clean up after yourself. Mind you my nephew's and my boys got one kid sized sandwich, one tiny cup of kid's mac n cheese, and two cups of soup total. I had the pick 2 combo, half a sandwich and half a salad. My sister got a normal sized sandwich and cup of soup. Three chocolate milks (tiny boxes), one juice box and one small soda. So it was... 3 Cups of soup Half kid sandwich (tiny portion) Cup kid's mac n cheese (tiny portion) Half panini w/half a salad Full size panini - 3 Milk boxes (tiny) 1 Soda (small) - Two of the meals came with chips, and we had $3.96 in cookies (upsells) Seriously $50 for that amount of food! I'd understand if it were a full service restaurant with regular portions, not even close though. To top it off I ordered the smokehouse turkey panini which the menu said came with bacon and three cheeses. It did not mention the disgusting overwhelming, overpowering, piled on mustard seed sauce that the sandwich was completely smothered in. That's something you might want to mention on the menu. I would have asked for it without the sauce had I known. I did my best to scrape what I could off of it and ate a few bites of the sandwich. The salad was very good but I had no idea it came with dressing, again, would have been good to know. I did like the dressing so I'm not complaining. My sister had the same sandwich and had the exact same complaint. Now I'm not a picky eater and usually enjoy different things, this sandwich was just wasn't edible. I don't know if Joe or Jane Schmoe in the back was just trying to see exactly how much nasty mustard seed sauce s/he could pile on the sandwich or what, but seriously Panera mention the sauce on your menu. Do everyone a favor. And what's with the upsells? I didn't realize I was entering a infomercial to buy food. Everything we ordered she was like "well I can give you this for $.99 if you add this to your meal" after the third time she said it I was like "gosh"! I mean can we just order, sit, and eat! We had four small children with us for crying out loud! Ugh, I will never go back to Panera bread again, mediocre food, tiny portions, at outrageous prices.
(1)Keshia A.
I was visiting the area for the weekend and stopped on in. It was a very cozy location and had plenty of space to sit and awesome, fast staff.
(4)Toni O.
I have never had such awful food at a Panara.. On a recent visit we ordered 3 sandwiches and each of them were messed up and tasted awful. This is not the first time this has happened at this location. Beware. Keep a close eye on them as they prepare your food!
(1)Mad D.
Really good food and fast/friendly service at this particular location. My bro is allergic to soy and he doesn't seem to have any reactions to the breads here. Haven't tried many of their menu items but everything I've tried was really good. Also, Bacon Turkey Bravo ftw.
(4)Judith G.
I was sure I would find something to eat here. There was such a big selection of soufles, bagels, spreads, artisan breads, lower-carb breads, baked goods (delicious looking cookies, brownies, muffins, etc.),exotic and the usaul salads, signature sandwiches on tuscan bread, (like the Tuscan Chicken on Rosemary& Onion Focacia). Hot Pannini, soups, Crispani (Hancrafted pizza with all-natural toppings), sides and yunmmy beverages, I.C. Beverages, like I.C. Caramel - which is creamy caramel and icy espresso, topped with whipped cream, chilled beverages, including chai tea lattes and other regular choices, like your usual espressos, and Jones sodas. I had a difficult time chosing and decided to come back to sample the after 4PM special, which is any pizza with any small salad. The pizza was delicious, thin-crusted but very small. I got the Tomato and Fresh Basil for $6.99 and a side salad of Grilled Bistro Steak Ceasar fr $3.59. The prices were gentle, but considering that the salad was teeny-tiny, with only a small amount of steak, and that the pizza was really a child's portion, this 'special' did not give me a real value or an idea of what their food is really like. It left me starving and I had to eat again, somewhere else, I forget where. But, to be fair, tI saw other people ordering huge chicken ceasar salads which looked huge and delicious, and I wish I had ordered that with one of their soups. Each day the soup is different. I will give them another try, since there are very few places in Wakefield that have fast but good food (and although I will eat MacDonalds, I try not to make it a habit). Also, except for the fact that Panera bread makes some breads I could not duplicate, like the Asiago cheese loaf, (and many others). tjhere is really nothing on this menu that I personally could not duplicate in my own kitchen, and control the ingredients and portions to my own liking. This place is very upscale, but 'its not all that.' Sounds complicated to most palates, but for me its just another '30 Minute Meal' - and some of them are less than that to make, if you keep your pantry well-stocked, like me. I would eat here if I worked in the area....but since this is my summer get away place, I want to eat something authentic to the area, or make it myself. I will be going to Federal Hill, again, where they still have some awesome old Italian establishments, that I love. Panera Bread - maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it.
(4)Jared W.
Food is always top notch, and the atmosphere is nice and relaxed. A great place to sit by the fire and enjoy a quiet meal. The staff is also consistently friendly and pleasant (even when its busy!).
(5)Sis Y.
This Panera Bread is a nice spot in the Wakefield Mall to sit, eat, WiFi or wait for someone or an appointment. The "dining room" has a few alcoves if you'd like to hide and a nice array of booths and tables in different sizes. The warm colors that all Panera's are typically decorated in are comforting to me. I like the homey style yet cafeteria service there. I don't have to develop a relationship albeit temporary of a waitress when I'm distracted and incomprehensible. The food is good. Bread bowl and broccoli cheese soup. Starch from carbohydrate heaven, this place serves it up sweet or savory. The panini are delicious, the pastries are usually fine. The salads are nice too. Don't be fooled though. The sandwiches and salads aren't as large as the pictures would lead you to believe. They are too expensive in my opinion. It's a freaking sandwich not a entree, salad, starch and vegetable. This is a glorified cafeteria. They have "specials" wherein they change a sandwich or add on a different type of sandwich like the now popular cuban panini or Thai salad. Honestly, you could look at the menu or take home a take out menu and assemble your own at home. The bread has a good tooth to it. Very solid and inoffensive. The pastries are not so light to seem to be overly processed. The servers are polite, I've never had a rude one. Of course lunch and dinner time is busy, expect that. For a place like this I've written too much. This is the Starbuck's of sandwich places. Except I hate Starbucks coffee and Panera's food is good. They have catering and they had delivery for a while, I don't know if they still do though.
(3)Tom B.
Dear Panera management. Please heed these lousy reviews for this location. I clearly should have. Instead, I decided to risk it and patronize this very poorly reviewed location regardless, only to get a Sierra Turkey Sandwich that was sloppy, very over-sauced and missing the field greens entirely. The really bad part was the serious lack of turkey. Compared to all other locations in this chain, and how they make this sandwich, you would be shocked if you got what I received as it was clearly intentionally skimped on all ingredients (except the sauce - gross). It was obviously a seriously reduced portion of turkey. For $8+ I expect far more. If the majority of people who have patronized this location say there is something wrong with your restaurant, then clearly there's something worth investigating before you drive all your remaining business away. As the saying goes, where there's smoke, there is always fire.
(1)Julie M.
Fantastic squash soup and a pretty good flatbread sandwich. Love the different ice teas! Staff was very friendly. Our server Dara made some excellent recommendations.
(4)Isaiah M.
If you are ever feeling famished, and stumble across this Panera Bread location, turn around. This is a horrible location. Firstly, every single time I go there and order a sandwich, they are out of the specialized bread for that particular sandwich. It's the same thing. Every. Single. Time. I've come to call this place 'Panera we have no Bread'. A typical exchange at this location follows. Me: "I'll have the Asiago steak." Cashier: "Okay. But we're out of the bread." Me: "OK, I'll have the Italian Combo instead." Cashier: "Okay. But... We just ran out of the Ciabatta." Me: "OK. What breads do you actually have?" Cashier: "Hmmm. I think we may have an exotic loaf of Wonder bread in the back." My second gripe is with their soups. I enjoy the soups at most Panera Bread locations. But not at this one. I have gotten soup at this location on more than one occasion, and it has been watered down. Instead of telling the customers they ran out of soup, they'd rather water it down instead and hope I don't notice. Unfortunately for them, I have taste buds, so can't fool me. It's too bad they can't add water to their breads when they're running low, they'd be all set. I urge you not to go to this Panera Bread. Unless you enjoy watered down soup and no bread to enjoy it with.
(1)Molly K.
I would come in here a lot with my mom or friends. I always order the same thing, French Onion Soup with a baguette and occasionally I'd get the combo with the soup and a Sierra Turkey sandwich but it's a little pricey. I can never get tired of the soup, it's so good! I definitely recommend it, very flavorful with melted cheese and croutons.the seating area is very modern and cozy! The baked goods look pretty good. I usually get a chocolate pastry if I do need a treat. Very light, fluffy, croissant like treat with smooth milk chocolate chunks inside. I've had the red velvet cupcake and the chocolate chip cupcake which isn't bad, it's pretty sweet and moist, sometimes not moist enough though.
(4)Meghan M.
Lousy. Over-priced for over-processed low-grade deli meat with a ton of bread. Only decent thing on the menu are the salads, but I can also make one at home. Sandwich? TONS of GREAT locally owned shops to grab a sandwich. NO thank you. If you're looking for a sandwich or a coffee; check the rest of Yelp for other places in the area.
(1)