Unlike any other Panera I've been to, it sucks. I have lived in several cities where there has been a Panera and I dreamed of getting one here in Abilene. I was thrilled when it was announced they were coming and have been giddy with anticipation! I finally had the chance to have dinner delivered tonight and was sadly disappointed. We ordered 2 sandwiches , the smokehouse BBQ chicken and a turkey avocado BLT. The chicken sandwich looked and tasted like it was a few hours old, but the BLT, jeeze!. One the the main features of any sammich that has the acronym BLT in its name is to actually have BACON, LETTUCE AND TOMATO ON IT. What I got was 2 slices of stale sourdough bread with 2 lumps of turkey and half a smear of avocado. After repeated attempts to reach them by phone they finally answered, and after 10 minutes of being on hold was given the " Well we have a new staff and mistakes happen". After an uncomfortable few seconds of waiting for some offer of refund I finally suggested he refund at least the BLT. Then back on hold for several more minutes ( all the while I was waited for the inevitable hang up), I was cheerfully informed that I was to be refunded for the entire meal, so at least I got that go'n for me. read more

Panera Bread - This is what I got! - Sandwiches Near Me - Abilene, Texas

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I was distressed to find that a staff person in charge in the back where food was being prepared, was wearing her mask around her chin, and one of the people running the cash register had no mask at all. The app lets you order soup at 10 o'clock, but apparently it is not ready until 11, unless you're willing to wait a while. read more

went today and the doors were locked, another lady in front of us called to tell them they were locked and we all were at the door trying to get in ( 5 of us customers ) they were arguing on the phone with her that we all didn't know how to open the door cause it wasn't locked, they finally come to the door and were so rude. Then when we got to the front they refused to wait on us. two other parties decided to leave, when the MANAGER finally came to the register to help us she was awful! my daughter told her after we placed the order that she might would like to check the door that they are locked, she got so mad and (raised her voice) and assured they were unlocked cause she unlocked them herself that we all dont know how to open a door. my daughter at that time was like excuse me? you will not talk to me like that and she told us to get the help out of HER store, so we turned to leave and she proceeded to follow us out yelling at us. I have NEVER seen an employee act in such a manor much less a manager! her name is Cynthia! We will NEVER go back! All this because the doors were locked at 11:00 am on a Tuesday. read more

They're always out of stuff. Like today they had tons of people in the kitchen and being how the restaurant was busy at all they were all standing around. But yet the Fresca and tea bar was completely empty. read more

The worst food and service in Abilene. I wanted to throw up before leaving. Soup from a bag, no salad no sides unless you pay extra, even though it says pick a side. I thought it was just a dirty dont care place to go. Wont be back. Disgusting. read more

This location has constantly disappointed me. Which is unfortunate because I really like Panera. One experience in particular just pushed me over the edge. I sat in their drive thru for almost 45 min. I understand many places are short staffed and have slower services but almost an hour in a drive thru is a little ridiculous. Once I finally got up to the window, the cashier read me my entire order. She had a sandwich on my order that was incorrect, so I told her the correct one (Mac and cheese grilled cheese) she told me then that they were out of that sandwich. I also had Mac and cheese on the order, so I clarified with her by asking if they had Mac and cheese, to which she said "yes we do". (Not sure why you can't make a Mac and cheese sandwich if you have mac and cheese) I asked her to replace the sandwich with a grilled cheese and add a bowl of Mac. I sat at the window for almost 15 min after that to only receive the items I ordered to replace the sandwich. I went into the store to ask them to correct it and give me the rest of my food but the cashier was useless. So after over an hour of waiting, I paid $20 for a sandwich and mac and cheese. read more

Almost seems like they are trying to shut down. We were soooo excited to have a Panera Bread come to Abilene. Every one I've ever eaten at was amazing! This one has been open for less than a year. The first time I went, it was moderately busy, but the service was fast and the food was good. Every time after it has been something, like a janky hand-written note at on the door at lunchtime that said, "ovens aren't working, be back ASAP." Or waiting 1 hour in line to find another janky hand-written note on the shield thing at the register that listed pretty much everything but pastrys as being out-of-stock. They were averaging 5 minutes per order at the register with a line to the door. Left and ate somewhere else. Went back 2 months later and I thought, "surely they have their stuff together by now, right?" The only cars in the parking lot were the three employees that were sitting around inside. Checked with the drive through to see if they were even open at lunchtime. Was told the doors were messed up and we'd have to pull on both of them real hard to come in. There was no janky note on the door this time to let people know. They were just watching people try the door and leave. Sorry Panera, 3 times a charm... I think a jack-in-the-box would be a good fit in that spot when Panera closes. read more

Worst experience ever. Waited in line while cashier stopped mid order to fill an order. Employees came from the back paused orders and range themselves up with no regard to the customers in line. After a thirty minute wait out buzzer went off and our plates were perfect to look at. That's where the good stops. French onion soup would never pass health department warmth requirements and the my sandwich was a thrown together mess and my wife's grilled cheese was as cold as the weather outside. They need to train their employees in their jobs and in customer service and then throw in a big lesson on ethics. Their loss us and several more won't waste our time or money there. read more

I really wanted Jason's Deli but their parking lot in Abilene is ridiculous so I thought I would give Panera a try. Bad mistake. Ordered French onion soup and chicken salad sandwich. The soup tastes like it had sugar in it, the worst I've ever had. I received a grilled chicken sandwich, I thought I would try it, tasted really bad, went to the counter and they bring me a chicken salad that was all celery and barely any chicken , and it tasted not very good. The girls were very nice, but I will never return or recommend any one else do so. I was not given a receipt so I couldn't fill out a survey. read more

1. Our order was screwed up at least 3 times 2. We had to go to 2 different stations to pick up our order. 3. Half the kiosks weren't working. 4. People were having to clean off tables before they could sit. 5. You couldn't get most of the drinks although there was no indication on the kiosk they were out. 6. The drinks they do have were not being refilled in the dispensers read more

Service is horrible. Manager is unprofessional and began arguing about why he couldn't put the piece of bread in a separate bag, because "it cuts into the profits," he said. He then told me to call corporate if I had a problem. So I did, and made my complaint. Further, for the franchise owner of this establishment, you know what else cuts into profits? Not having repeat customers, or any customers at all, because of your manager's horrible people skills and attitude. Skip this place unless you want to contend with arguing to get your order correct. read more

I'm not usually one to get breakfast but today I wanted a bagel so I decided to go....I order my bagel and a coffee since I was already there. The guy took a minute to put the info in and would repeat it back to me. Very slow service. Here's the annoying part...I pull up to the window and wait 8 min before someone comes. I finally get my order and head to work... when I get to work I noticed I had the wrong order... I was the ONLY person in line! How do you get the order wrong when you have ONE customer? read more

Wow where to start. First time there. Wanted to try the featured Teriyaki bowl. Out! They read off a list of items they were out of. I ordered BBQ chicken sandwich (1/2) no cheese. My wife ordered the tuna sandwich. I got a full steak and cheese sandwich and my wife got a chicken salad sandwich. I took back my sandwich. At first they questioned what I had ordered. Then found the order. After about 8 minutes I went back looking for my sandwich. It was sitting on the back prep counter. It was a full sandwich. Duh! I told them about my wife's sandwich and the girl in the kitchen said that was on the order. The girl who took our order seemed clueless and lost so I guess entered it wrong. I asked to speak to the manager and he heard the issues and said he would talk to the girl at the counter. What a joke. Not even an "I'm sorry!" read more

So disappointed in this new location. The whole Abilene area was so excited for a Panera to open. Generally I find the food is good but everyday the lobby and outside eating area gets worse. Just went in at 11am and we were the only ones there so it's not a issue with being so busy and the place was filthy from the previous day. Garbage under the booths and chairs, floor not mopped in who knows how long, employees standing around that should be cleaning since it's slow. The outside eating area covered in garbage, old masks and gloves. Really?? I'm on hold now to speak with a manager about what I saw and still waiting for 10 minutes now. It's obvious they don't care. So sad. This picture is at the entrance. read more

Panera Bread - Garbage just inside entrance. - Sandwiches Near Me - Abilene, Texas

Awful service and rude manager!! ordered food while they were open and 20 mins of waiting the managers like oops sorry were closed now!! awful lady. read more

Pretty disappointed- for the second time this week they've gotten my order wrong, as if the person cooking is just glancing at the ticket and doesn't really give a crap. Sucks because the food is always great and the customer service staff is always friendly. Today I ended up with a regular cheese flatbread instead of the 4 cheese with alfredo sauce, before that it was a scrambled egg on a breakfast sandwich instead of an over-easy egg - both could be easily overlooked details, I guess, but pretty big difference. 5-star worthy (for fast food) with some closer attention to details. read more

This is the worst Panera Bread I've been to. I understand that they are all new employees but you would think that the management would be checking the food before it is sent out. Gotta do better guys!! read more

Why did I just wait 30 minutes and pay $10+ for a sandwich with just one piece of meat. Terrible customer service and terrible execution read more

Panera Bread - Why did I just wait 30 minutes and pay $10+ for a sandwich with just one piece of meat. Terrible customer service and terrible execution - Sandwiches Near Me - Abilene, Texas

First, I LOVE Panera Bread. I do think they are super pricey, but I don't care because I love their food. They have a few things that can't be bought anywhere else. However, the PB in Abilene has the most consistently bad service. Every. Single. Time. They are always out of things, and the service is slowwww. Other locations have generally been very good. The Abilene store is awful. Yet, I still go because I want my breakfast soufflés. read more

The front counter lady was extremely rude. Her vibe and her attitude was off. Did love the food though!..

TERRIBLE!!!!!!! First of all, who charges $13.00 for a cup of soup and half a salad? I ordered the "pick two" Green Goddess CHICKEN cobb and cup of turkey chili in the drive-thru. I got to my office and they forgot to add the grilled chicken and the green salad mix was brown. I tried calling four times back to back and could not get through to an actual person. This place is terrible! Never coming back. read more

Tried to come for breakfast two weeks ago and it was closed yet website said open. Today they have no black unsweetened tea or Mediterranean bowls. They also do not have a gluten free bread option. Corn chowder was fresh and good but it was not served with a side. read more

I was worried when I saw the reviews. We've been dying to eat it since I have loved it out of town. Customer service was awesome! We had to wait in line due to the lobby being short staffed and closed. The quality of the food was great though. If your debating, just try them out Edit: for reference we ordered 2 sandwiches, 2 salads, a soup and broccoli Mac at 7pm on monday read more

Just okay. I have visited Panera Bread locations in 3 other cities and was excited about one opening in Abilene. My first visit was a disappointment. First, no flatbreads available today. Also no teriyaki bowls today. They were out of a few cheeses. We ordered from the limited menu with little help from the cashier who seemed new. The dining area was dirty. We counted 10 dirty tables when we first sat down and they were still dirty and hour later when we left. The food was okay but the experience was lackluster at best. read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Abilene, Texas

I've been here visiting for a few days now. I've walked over to the establishment each morning at 7:15 looking forward to my favorite morning beverage only to find that they are not open as advertised by the website AND phone recording. Very disappointing! read more

So my wife and I ordered our Pizzas at 12:48 and finally received them at 1:20. You would think finally a hot fresh pizza...wrong. They were both cold. What a waste of time and money. SMH read more

This place will mess up your order a million times and take 20 minutes to get it. They have no idea what they're doing. Sad!

Is there any manager working here? It was lunchtime and I saw 7-8 employees hiding in the back while one untrained counter/cashier tried to handle a line of 10 customers. I thought after all this time being open they would have figured out what they were doing. But no, still clueless. This location is dragging down the franchise. What is Panera's Corporate waiting for-shut them down! read more

We recently had a Panera Bread open here in Abilene, TX. It is on my list as one of the worst experiences ever. I get there right at my schedule pick up time after waiting an hour to do so via my online order instructions. Upon arrival a very unenergetic young lady asks if she can help I tell her I have a pick up order she goes and to check. She comes back says there working in it. 30-35 mins later I finally get my food, there were roughly 12-15 works there 3 were actually working, lots of standing around and talking. They made my daughters frozen drink but it wasn't frozen...they ran out of the superfood smoothie mix and wanted to substitute it with whip cream and the taste was subpar. The sandwiches i ordered were incorrect.. I am really disappointed I wasn't given an apology just a rude telling that my order was correct when I asked to make sure that it was... read more

I wish I could give them minus a thousand stars. We got a roast beef and the turkey bacon sandwiches, and two bowls of broccoli cheese soup. There was hardly any meat on either sandwich and no dressing of any kind either. The bread was stale and hard to bite. The turkey had the awful, at it's best, romaine lettuce. But it was in pieces and was very limp, dark and slimy. I had to pick it all out and it about made me sick to even do that, let alone eat it. It looked like it had been fished out of the trash several days ago. The bacon was very under done and could not be consumed either. Make it done completely until crisp, or don't even do bacon. The soup was the height of horrible. Hardly any broccoli, no cheese you could see or taste and the liquid part was thin with no taste whatsoever. The beef in that sandwich, what little there was, was just okay. So, for this worst food we have ever had anywhere, our bill was just barely below $40. It's back to the wonderful Firehouse subs when we want a great sandwich, etc. They also use the correct lettuce, crisp iceberg, which in our opinion is the only one to put on a sandwich. Panera should go out of business now, which we are sure will happen soon. Firehouse, keep up the good work and we and lots of others will continue to enjoy your offerings. read more

Broccoli cheddar was water consistency and the bread bowl completely cold. It appeared to be can tomato sauce on the flatbread pizza that was also cold. Just awful!!! read more

Absolutely the worst place in Abilene. Terrible service, extremely slow, almost non existent, drive through service. The manager from Chick-fil-A should come over to train them on how to run a business. read more

Dirty floor. Tables not cleaned. No iced tea and when we asked about it an employee said they don't serve tea. Sign over drink bar says "Iced teas." The chicken in the teriyaki bowl was cold. Will never give Abilene Panera anymore of my money. read more

Ordered online for pickup. Got there picked up my order. Got home. Realized they I was missing some items. I live 15 min out I Called them, after many unanswered called they answered and they said I would need to come get the other items they forgot and wouldn't deliver them. Told them I just wanted a refund and they said " hopefully you'll see it by midnight ". Garbage first experience with them. read more

I never write reviews but Randy the general assistant manager made our first time experience at Panera the best! Will definitely be coming back when I can. read more

Out of ice out of bread at lunchtime... dirty dining room.. Don't recommend until new management is in place.

Save your time and money. I had to jump through every hoop possible to get dinner, just for both orders to be wrong. 1st attempt: I originally tried to place an order online, which concluded with an error stating they weren't taking online orders. 2nd attempt: I then called and tried to place an order and was told they did not take orders over the phone. 3rd attempt: I went into the lobby, waited for the gentleman in front of me to finish his order, and when I reached the front I was told that the lobby was closed. This was at 5:15 pm. 4 attempt: I finally made it through the drive thru and the order was completed. When I got home I found one turkey bacon bravo with maybe 0.5 ounces of bacon and tomatoes on it (asked for no tomatoes). My wife ordered a chipotle chicken avocado melt and received it with no avocado on it. I was so excited to finally have a Panera in town, but I guess I will be keeping my distance. Save your money and your time. read more

Someone in corporate needs to look at these reviews! I was planning to go there, but am horrified at the thought. I'll go when they get things straightened out. read more

Cooperate needs to get involved with this restaurant. Their team members and management is terrible. Incomplete order and no compassion in the world to provide for Abilene. read more

They only have they're baked potato soup during the summer!! if they had it all year it would definitely get a 10/10 from people all over.