Pretty good, love the structure! - Catering Coordinator Panera Bread Employee Review

4.0
Feb 5, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good structure -your managers are being held accountable for their work by their managers and so on. Good people- I work with pretty decent people. Clean- Panera's the cleanliest place I've worked and the employees try their best for the most part to keep it that way. Good opportunities for those who work hard - work hard, stay on the manager's good side, and show that you know what their looking for and do it. Be competent!

Cons

Pretty much the same thing you'll get in any restaurant industry. If management isn't doing their job, having product, scheduling right, making sure associates are trained properly, then the tension builds a little. At my location they have a good amount of manager meetings so they regroup constantly. I've seen now two managers in my store that have been horrible with employee relations. It's irritating that the regional managers hire them to manage people who have better management skills then their new hires. One manager didn't follow spec very well and made quite a few sexual statements, which was taken care of by HR. Now his replacement is horrible with the associates, very rude, makes quick judgments, and is disliked by nearly all of the associates, even the most mature and kindest associates. Hope she changes her attitude soon or we get rid of her.

Explore other reviews about Panera Bread

5.0
Jul 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Everything is great here! The food, the people, the atmosphere. It’s a wholesome company.

Cons

Have only had good experiences here.

3.0
Apr 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

GM at this location is very on top of things, because it's the busiest Panera in Queens. Consistent hours. Shifts go by very quickly, especially in the morning.

Cons

Location is extremely busy so it gets very stressful, especially in the morning when someone is out / there is no second cashier scheduled so the single cashier in the morning has to clean the coffee counter, refill coffees, make drinks, stick bagels in the oven & serve those bagels, check and bag up RPU/delivery orders, get bakery items for barista screen, and ring up customers. It can get really intense when many people come in, which is most of the time. You will be running back and forth like crazy. Customers can be impatient, rude, demeaning, and nasty when the line gets too long. Not recommended for people who are sensitive, with high anxiety. As for Panera the company, this chain keeps making bizarre and difficult changes to the menu, all of which make employees' lives harder and harder. With every change comes strange, dismaying, and borderline impossible expectations for frontline staff that cascade down through management who cannot do much to alter the hard policies. You can tell the company is struggling greatly to keep itself relevant with the younger crowd (a solid 80% of customers are old people). The CEO and everyone making company decisions at Panera is extremely out-of-touch. EXTREMELY. With every nonsensical menu & operations adjustment, you can tell these people haven't actually worked at a food service job in like 40 years.

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