Needs Complete Management Overhaul - Anonymous employee Panera Bread Employee Review

1.0
Dec 6, 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Fellow associates are fun to work with - Em. discount on food

Cons

1. Management is completely unprofessional (with the exception of one); yelling at employees on the floor, belitting employees, discussing private manners in front of associates, not giving employees the tools to perform their job, managers consistently on personal phone calls during closes or even while open, managers leave the cafe to chat with friends while there is a line of associate needs assistance... the list can go on and on Managers put blame directly into associates. GM is the most unprofessional of all management. Consistently threatening to fire employees in an attempt to make them work harder. 2. Expectations are way out of proportion to salary; employees are pushed to the limits with task load and expectations, especially trainers. Rushed and expected to do a perfect job. 3. Trainers not receiving pay raise; trainers are at their breaking point with expectafions. Management has not applied to raise salary of some trainers, despite having been training new associates for months. Also overscheduled. 4. Customers treat employees like slaves; common in food service... But at Panera, customers think they can treat employees badly because they pay a higher price for food - ask for completely new food items because they didn't "like" the one they ordered, scattering food mess across the restaurant, taking 15 minutes at the cash register, etc. 5. New associates are incapable; newer associates are not receiving adequate training due to over-stretched, underpaid trainers. Slows down the team and frustrates other employees 6. Refusing to let employees book off exam days; completely inconsiderate. Cafe rating are dramatically sinking with the morale of employees.

Explore other reviews about Panera Bread

5.0
May 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Free food, just getting free food

Cons

Actually your discount to free food hits your p&l

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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