Great place to stop by to grab a quick meal. Special mention goes to front desk staff Kevin, never experienced such courteous customer service in a long while. Hats off to the staff. Very well managed. read more

I usually stop by after work, later afternoon. Always good service, quick, efficient. Sometimes it seems as though the food is 'sloppily' thrown together.like a sandwich that has extra wide, long bread and it's folded into a small paper bag. LOL. but the Napa chicken sandwich is worth it. Definitely will be back....maybe earlier in the day when I can really guage service and food. read more

I am never going to the Panera in Merced. They never have their bread ready for their breakfast sandwiches. Every time I go the same excuse it's not ready. Why advertise it? I thought I'd give them a chance. Same disappointment . Good bye and will not recommend. Bread never ready or they ran out. Really!!! read more

I was SO excited to finally have Panera come to Merced. Unfortunately the "To Go" or "Drive-thru" is never correct. The quality and presentation needs immediate attention. I submitted my sandwich reality photo compared the the menu photo. The staff is learning and able to move the lunch crowd through fairly quickly. Be prepare to spend $14 or more for a sandwich, chips and soda. read more

Panera Bread - Reality vs. Menu photo - Sandwiches Near Me - Merced, California

So glad Panera is in Merced! My wife and I meet there at least once a week and couldn't be happier with the food quality, taste, and all at a reasonable cost. Staff is friendly and my wife and I both have earned a number of free food items just for eating there. read more

Panera is my Sunday go to for delicious breakfast. My hubby and I have tried several different things from muffins to the 4 cheese souffle but my favorite is the oatmeal with strawberries and pecans. It's so yummy and filling. Very happy that we have one in Merced now. read more

Went in around 10:45am and ordered a breakfast sandwich, the manager came out a little later and said that they stopped at 10:30am and that since i already paid they would gladly exchange it for something else, i just asked for another sandwich without even noticing the price difference. He said he would gladly make it for me and that I wouldn't need to worry about it. I even got a little bag of chips. Customer Service #1. Food was bomb diggity too, bomb bomb diggity read more

I love how I can order online and they will have my order ready at the drive through. Sometimes it still takes a while to get my order due to the long line. One out of my three online orders was done incorrectly, hence the missing star, otherwise my experience has been great. Bagels and spreads are great. Love the scones! Staff members are friendly and the place is very clean. read more

Valerie went above and beyond to provide the best service possible! I was on the phone with a friend and I was struggling to place her order right, Valerie suggested I switch over to speaker phone and she would take the order for her. She made the transaction very smooth and even activated my Panera card and created a user and password for me! She was very sweet and accommodating. Best service experience I've had :) read more

Panera works great for me. I go there at least once a week, usually taking the food to go. As a single senior, I find half salads and half sandwiches work very well. I love the chunk of baguette that comes with their salads, but if I'm dieting, substituting an apple is an option. The food choices allow me to eat healthy and really enjoy it. As a frequent visitor, I often receive special discounts. I'm one very happy customer. read more

My husband and I ate here for the first time today. Big mistake! I want to go back tomorrow. We tried their pasta and 1/2 steak sandwich. Then had a cinnamon roll for dessert. Every bite was wonderful. The icing on the cake was the employee that waited on us. He bent over backwards to help us. It's wonderful to see a young man with such a great work ethic. read more

I love the food here it is so delicious. It's a little pricey. When I come here I get the broccoli cheddar soup it's a good time.

Panera opened in Merced today, so we--along with half of the town--went there for lunch. There was a line of people waiting to order, but a helpful employee handed us menus to review while we waited. After only about 2 minutes, another employee asked if we were ready to order, and took us back to another area to order. We ordered, paid, got drinks, and actually took the last free table. I would say we waited about 7 to 10 minutes for the food, but it was worth it. Our party ordered chicken tortellini, a bread bowl filled with clam chowder, and a smoked ham sandwich. All of our food was prepared as ordered, and came with an unexpected piece of bread. All in all, it was a positive experience. We will be back! read more

I've been going Panera Restaurants for more than 20 years. Ten to twenty years ago, they had delicious sandwiches, soups, salads, breads, and pastries. Since they've been expanding their franchises and business west, it seems like the food and quality have suffered. Such is the case with the Panera Restaurant in Merced. I ordered a half Napa Almond Chicken Salad sandwich with a Greek Salad. I had one small spoonful of chicken salad on my sandwich with a lot of bread, lettuce, and tomato. I don't think there was any almonds in it because the portion was so small. The salad was a lot of lettuce. My husband had the Turkey Bravo Sandwich. He felt gypped. It had little meat and the bacon that was supposed to be on it was so paper thin that it was translucent! We paid almost $30 for this meal which was worth more than $8 total. This is nothing like the fond memories of the food that I enjoyed at the Panera Restaurants back east in years past. I am very disappointed and will not return. read more

I've given this Panera two shots this month, and both times have been really, really disappointing. I love other Panera cafes, and I was really expecting better. I thought the first issue might've been a one-off deal, but... not really. So the first time I went, I got a pick-2: salad and sandwich. It took 15 minutes for my order to come up, packaged to go. When I got home, I realized that the salad was half-full, mostly of wilted, iceberg lettuce. The flatbread I ordered had a stray piece of spinach, so I'm not sure if it was supposed to have veggies, or none at all? The 15 minutes wouldn't have been a big deal, except that I watched several others order, receive, and leave in the process, with similar orders. Might've been a one-off. I tried again last week. I got two hot chocolates. It took somewhere between 10-15 minutes. In a non-peak time. With orders, again, going through around me. They actually marked my order as "Complete" about three minutes in, to keep the queue and their numbers down. I also witnessed another employee stopping by the food area to advise the head food person that "that old b*** complained to the manager". Not to mention, I paid an extra $1.50 for my two hot chocolates because they were large. Even though the menu board says larges are $3 something. It was marked as a 0.75 "+20oz" upgrade... In no world should two hot chocolates and two cookies cost $12. I just don't get it. Every other Panera I've been to has been quick and professional without skimping on quality. read more

Just would like to thank you for your donation to our friend's group at the old courthouse where homeless are fed. You are awesome!

The Drive through on this place is Horrible, they always forget something on my order, I mean every F#*+{%n time. I drive from Atwater so to find out my order is wrong is really bad read more

Panera in Merced is Terrible! I was so excited to have a place to stop at on the way to school. Ever since they opened and even now, they are always out of the things I try to order. Ordering the simplest plain bagel and cream cheese, they seem to never have. They hardly ever remember to put the cream cheese and knife in the bag. Then they up charge you for another kind of bagel if they don't have it. Chai teas are never available, sugar cookies, smoothies you name it they never have it. They can't even give you your total when you go through the drive thru, it's once you reach the window they tell you. The girls that work the drive thru are rude and very short mannered. They don't try to fix any situation and when asked to speak to manager, they ask why. I've given them plenty of shots and I'm done. I much rather go spend a few extra bucks and go to Bagel Time. read more

Love the food, environment and always helpful and friendly staff! My boyfriend knows if he wants to make me happy, take me to Panera!

This panera was unfortunately a total disappointment. I use to work at a panera in San Diego so I know how to properly treat a guest that comes in. I go in and order food from the Manager and he was so passive aggressive and rude. I ordered a thai chicken salad, hold the chicken and a tomato mozzarella panini. I get my food to notice my panini is burnt but the cheese was cold and not melted, but I didn't really mind I didn't want to make a big deal. Then I bite into my salad to find chicken in it when I said no chicken. I go back to tell the manager and he looked so mad I was scared to talk to him, it wasn't my fault you put chicken in it so why are you mad at me? I get my new salad back a few minutes later and they forgot to add my avocado! I was like seriously what's up with this guy. Is it too hard to check the screen to make sure you made a proper salad? This salad was horrible. And so was the rude manager and rude employees. I paid $12 for some crappy food and even crappier service. Go to chipotle next door instead! read more

I seriously think these people working here are messing up orders on purpose to get revenge on people or something lol the order is NEVER right read more

Service is always great! The drive thru is always fast for me and I love the food. I tried the Summer corn chowder for the first time and love, love, love it!!! read more

First trip to this Panera and they messed up my order like many of the other reviews. I read the menu item off the menu word for word but the cashier must have heard turkey and just picked a turkey sandwich at random even though it wasn't the one I told her. After they delivered me the wrong food I checked the receipt and realized the cashier had made the mistake not the cook. Otherwise the food and service was fine. read more

if you're looking for a good place to steal from somebody without consequences this is the joint for you !!!! I had decided to go eat at this establishment with somebody, while we were there $300 was stolen from their wallet. I had asked the manager to see the video footage but 'unfortunately there are no cameras facing the dining area'. Nothing ever came of that, my friend never heard back from Panera. Which was just the start a month or so later my mother and I decided to get lunch there, where she didn't like her food (got the cheese tortellinis with chicken and it tasted like hotdogs) which she went to tell a manager having well over half her food on the place. In which they didn't refund her the money and gave her a pastry of her choice in compensation for her $13 meal. not refunding her money back. This establishment has the worst costumer service I've ever experienced and everybody that goes there should be warned. read more

Very disappointed. I ordered the buy 2 items. 1/2 sandwich and 1/2 pasta. My turkey sandwich was so cheap looking. The bread hada big hole in it. They stabbed 1 hard end of a lettuce piece with turkey I could hardly see. 1 tiny piece of bacon maybe 2 inches long and an avocado that was almost bigger than the bread!! I was better off buying a subway or Togo sandwich for the price I paid! Unless they improve, save your money and go someplace else. Merced needs good places to eat, but so far this isn't it. read more

We have gone here a few time for take-out and so far I haven't been disappointed. I suggest trying the Strawberry Poppyseed & Chicken Salad the next time you want something delightful. read more

Soooo, I assumed that since I have had panera bread before in the bay area I thought the panera bread in merced would be fine as well since this was my first time eating here. I ordered their pesto pasta last night like I have always done in the past at another location and I have to say I was disappointed when I got the food it didn't look like the whole. But anyways I ate the pasta and around midnight I started to experience some really bad stomach issues. It is now almost 5 o'clock in the morning and I have had maybe less than an hours sleep and I am still have some bad stomach issues. I will NEVER eat at Panera Bread again. read more

Nice place to go, hang out and use the wi-fi. Sandwiches are generally very good, and their soups are great. I enjoy the broccoli cheddar soup the best. The steak sandwich and chicken panini are also favorites. As far as the salads, I tend to like the fuji apple salad the most, but have enjoyed the chicken caesar as well. For a chain restaurant, the local version is consistently good with nice decor and vibe-- something we need to have in Merced. read more

I often go here, and generally like Panera but yesterday, my diet soda tasted like soap. I poured it out and got a different soda - which also tasted like soap. When I asked the woman at the counter, she said the restaurant knew about it, but any action "has to come from corporate!" That is NOT how to run any business. read more

When I was in LA, my friends and I stopped by an outlet to shop. My sister and I were hungry so we decided to stop by Panera because it was the closest to where we were. We had no idea what kind of establishment Panera was so we spent a while looking at the menu. I finally ordered the Smoked Turkey sandwich... the cashier asked if I wanted chips on the side and I said yes. When I got my sandwhich, I was surprised as to how big it was because my sister and I could have easily shared a sandwich. The cashier had charged me for a whole sandwich for $7 but it was okay because I was satisfied. I was excited when I heard that Merced was going to have a Panera. The first time I went there, I ordered a panini and wasn't satisfied with it. Today, I decided to give it another try and ordered the Smoked Turkey SANDWICH because I figured it would be the same as the one I ordered in LA. I asked the kind cashier if it came with lettuce (just to be sure) and she said NO? She asked if I would like to add lettuce to it but isn't it supposed to come with it already because the one I ordered in LA came it with so I said sure. When I got home, it WASN'T the sandwich that I was expecting to get. On the Panera website, it clearly says that the Smoked Turkey Sandwich comes with lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, salt and pepper... and the one I got came with bacon, cheese, lettuce (that I asked to be added), and turkey. I did not enjoy my food at all and gave it away. Sorry to say but I won't be going back there since I've spent way too much there for food I end up not even eating. I love the Broccoli Cheddar and Cheese soup and Lemonade but I can get that elsewhere. Maybe I'll give Panera another try out of town but not here. read more

i normally like Panera. However, today I went through the drive through and ordered the Turkey & Avocado BLT. I got home and opened up my sandwich to see half an avocado on one side of my sandwich with the skin still on it. Not cool. read more

Got an egg, sausage and cheese sandwich, for the first time ever and they didn't put sausage in! I will never order from here again!

Panera Bread: great tasting, extremely overpriced food. The Starbucks of soup and sandwich joints. Pass.

I like their chocolate chip cookies. They are pretty big as well. Love the location and the atmosphere. :)

It was either 2 or 3 stars so I decided to be a little lenient. I came here on a chilly Monday morning at 9:05 am. They don't have soup yet, they don't have anymore soufflés , they only had 4 different bagels and didn't seem to care to make any more of anything. I assume it was the manager I first spoke with since she was in a blue long sleeve. Once I told her I needed a minute after seeing there was no soup to see what else my dad wanted, she just walked away. The next girl who helped me was very nice (curly hair, name says melida on my receipt) she was friendly(only reason I'm leaving the extra stars) she also brought me the bagels to my table after toasting them. But then at 9:25 I went back to see if the soup had been at least started so I could order it at least & the same manager didn't even know what soups she had & then once she turned the menu board around to see the list she said "I'm not sure if this is today's or yesterday's" and the same nice employee told her they were right. Point is= manager needs to be more friendly & knowledgable , at 9:05 am you should make more efforts to have breakfast items & the customer service from the curly haired employee was nice. read more

Visited this Merced Panera location for the first time. When I walked in, it wasn't very busy and the interior was very clean. We were greeted as we walked up to the counter and our orders were promptly taken. I ordered a plain bagel and cream cheese and my husband ordered a breakfast panini. We also ordered 2 regular coffees. We didn't have to wait long for our orders and we were happy about that. My only vice is that as we were going to put creamer and sugar in our coffee, all that was left was 0-calorie sweetener. We asked one of the cashiers if there were any sugar packets left and she looked a bit frazzled trying to find them. After a couple of minutes, she refilled the bowl with sugar packets. By the time we sat down though my bagel was cold. I guess that could be because we were waiting for the coffee "bar" to be restocked. It's okay though, I will return again and maybe skip the bagel and try something else. My husband also enjoyed his breakfast sandwich, although small for the price . read more

Panera Bread food is good. But their service sucks big time. They will gladly take your order and money very fast but waiting for your food is a joke. Today I had to wait almost 10 minutes to get a smoothie...The staff making it started it and then walked off in order to stop and talk with another employee. And wait on someone else. I head the blender stop and started timing her. Well instead of finishing my order she walked over to the corner to check her cell phone and text someone. It took another 5 minutes for her to finally finish my order. Guess if I have extra 10-15 minutes to wait on an order I will go back. But it won't be anytime soon!!! I thought I would give them the benefit and try to order at different times of day. Nope service sucks whether you are there morning, noon or night. Management needs to have the staff leave their cell phones at home and make customer service come first.. Also I don't want to hear about your boyfriend calling and texting you(while standing there waiting for my order) read more