Pros
During my first few months with Panera, I've gleaned quite a bit of information as to just how management operates, the way employees are treated, how feedback is issued, and the general work environment. Overall, it's like any job in the food service industry--that is, it's a paycheck, and nothing more. Management would be loathe to hear that you're only working for them for a paycheck (I guess managers are immune to economic downturns), but that simple fact remains. As a baker, I work third shift (10PM-6AM), and it's a significant amount of work for what they pay.
However, according to my Bakery Market Manager, you do have a clear path upwards should you choose to apply yourself and perform to their standards. This may be true, but the way my performance has been judged so far has been woefully lacking. I believe Panera management hasn't heard of the term 'positive reinforcement'--that is, telling an employee what they've been doing right so far, rather than wrong. It's all about criticism and never about praise. It isn't really even a question of praise; considering just how much in sales ($>2000 on weekdays and $3000 on weekends, average) my baking alone brings in, and the rate at which I'm compensated, I'd say Panera is not in any position to hand out smug criticisms or ask more of me. The first shift ('front house', as they're called) employees outnumber bakers 10:1, so you can understand when they're paid a pittance, but baking is a beast of a different nature entirely. Panera would be wise to start bakers at $15 an hour for third shift work, especially of this degree, and they might end up not having such absurdly high turnover in this position. But Panera obviously doesn't care about reliable bakers, which trickles down to its indifference toward the product you, the paying customer, receives.
All in all, Panera is like any other fast food joint, really, but with pretensions of something higher, more noble. Panera may be a cut above Subway, but they're still fast food, their dough is still frozen, and their entire raison d'etre is to profit from an image people can feel good about buying into.
