overworked, underpaid, understaffed, the list goes on - Anonymous employee Panera Bread Employee Review

2.0
Oct 17, 2023
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

consistent scheduling and hours, most people working were around my age (16-20s), discounts on food, tips were split between everyone working, managers were nice for the most part, hires even with no previous working experience so could be good as a first job if you're desperate

Cons

severely underpaid for amount of work that was expected, back of the house was always understaffed so we would have to be doing two jobs at once. We were expected to finish orders in less than 4 minutes which is unreasonable especially when there are multiple orders or you have to wait for sandwiches to heat in the oven or for things like bread and soup to be restocked. Upper management would come in and yell at workers during rushes, and we were always expected to "look busy" or constantly be cleaning even if there was nothing to do and often times other people were talking in the back/not doing their work and others were expected to pick up their slack. If you worked as a prep cook they would give you a long list of things to do and not enough time to finish them. I honestly felt like a robot working here and the uniform was ugly and uncomfortable. At my specific location there were a lot of non black workers and even managers here that would casually throw around the n word every day which made it very uncomfortable for me as a black person working there.

Explore other reviews about Panera Bread

5.0
May 25, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people with good morals and values. Fun work environment. Great food fresh ingredients.

Cons

Be careful not to burn yourself while baking bread. Can gain a lot of weight eating bread 😆

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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