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      Panera Bread

      Engaged Employer

      Panera Bread reviews

      3.4

      49% would recommend to a friend

      (18,760 total reviews)
      avatar

      Paul Carbone

      40% approve of CEO

      32% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      3.8

      Diversity & inclusion

      3.2

      Culture & values

      3.2

      Work/Life balance

      3.0

      Career opportunities

      2.9

      Senior management

      2.9

      Compensation and benefits

      Panera Bread has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 18,760 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Panera Bread employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Restaurants & Food Service industry (3.4 stars).

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Reviews by job title

      19K reviews
      4.0
      Feb 19, 2009

      Panera an okay place to work.

      Cashier/server
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Panera does offer a lot of opportunity for advancement to those who show dedication and work hard for the company. The managers are generally friendly and care for you as a person, not just a commodity. I was planning a wedding and getting married while I worked there. The other female co-workers threw me a bridal shower and even some of the regular customers contributed to my gifts. It was extremely thoughtful.

      Cons

      Panera had too many managers (shift manager, assistant manager, general manager). There seemed to be a manager for everything. This is not always bad; however, they did not communicate as well as they needed. I was often told to do something one way by one manager, and then another way by the other manager. This was very confusing and even more frustrating when I was reprimanded for not following protocol. Protocol was different to every manager.

      3.0
      Feb 18, 2009

      As much as I liked the job and company itself, the way management treated myself and others was unbearable.

      Associate trainer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      A lot of hours, different areas to work in, flexible scheduling. Working for Panera gives you a lot of experience with customer service. Because of the type of associates they hire ( to ensure good customer service) almost all the associates are friendly and helpful. Most people quickly make friends out of coworkers. The downside is an extreme cult-like atmosphere, inside and outside the store.

      Cons

      Managers are unprofessional and immature. People would stay many hours later than scheduled, do things that weren't their job and received no recognition/promotion/raise. As much as I liked the job and company itself, the way management treated myself and others was unbearable. Management takes advantage of employees with flexible scheduling.

      3.0
      Feb 4, 2009

      Not wonderful, but not terrible either.

      Associate
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Panera Bread is a great place to work part-time and bring in a little extra cash. If you are a dependable employee, they are more than willing to accomodate scheduling needs and let you work extra hours. Associate shifts are basically "day" and "night"- the days start early, but the nights end early. Either way, employees with children or families are able to get home at a reasonable hour. It is a good plac to get a crash course in customer service, and interactions with "regular" customers give something to look forward to. Managers are hired from within, so there is opportunity to advance

      Cons

      There are too many managers, and none of them are on the same page. It is difficult to learn the ropes when ten different people are doing things ten different ways. High level of unprofessionalism when dealing with employees is alarming. It is not uncommon to overhear the general manager referring to a trainee as "retarded" or swearing under her breath when a trainee needs help. When starting work at Panera, I had to learn most of my responsibilities by observing others or simply figuring it out on my own. Some of my co-workers have been employed at Panera for 3+ years and still make minimum wage. It is very difficult to get a raise.

      Viewing 18751 - 18753 of 18,760 Reviews
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      ReviewsPanera Bread reviews

      Glassdoor has 19,057 Panera Bread reviews submitted anonymously by Panera Bread employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Panera Bread is right for you.