This is my all time favorite Panera!! Located at Christopher Newport University, it is easily accessible by students and visitors (free and easy parking). They prepare the food here better than any other location. Their staff, such as general manager Ms. Julie, will make you feel like family. In college, I visited this Panera every day as a member of the Sip Club. Because of the quality of food and drink and wonderful service received from this Panera, I am still a sip club member over 4 years later!! The ambiance is nice with lots of indoor and outdoor seating and great smells of bread. read more

Panera Bread - Drinking Hazelnut Coffee at the best Panera... Thanks for the coffee Mrs. Sharon!! - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

Excellent service!!! I joined the sip club and ordered an ice coffee they offered free delivery of I had an order of 8$ or more so I ordered dinner a delicious turkey club with chicken wild rice soup My total with a tip was 11$ With the club membership I got my ice coffee and delivery charge for free The manager called me immediately because they were out of the bread they usually use and she gladly offered to substitute it with a different bread. The tomato basil bread made my sandwich way better read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

We love Panera Bread. However, at this location, the bread came out cold and not crusty. The French onion soup had barely a sprinkle of cheese. The broccoli cheddar soup had almost no broccoli in it bacon turkey bravo was about par for the course, but not great. Service was average at best ambience was a normal Panera, except there was a person blasting their music in the kitchen. Overall, not great. read more

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[The following review was independently written by a professional writer who volunteered for this endeavor--the first in a review series covering all 21 of Panera Bread's recently released New Menu in the months to come.] PANERA BREAD CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY (PB CNU or Cafe 1138) General Manager (GM) Amber Land 12368 Warwick Boulevard, Suite 101 Newport News, Virginia 23606 757-595-4447 TWENTY-ONE NEW-ITEM "PILOTS" and PANERA'S NEW ERA Today's Review: CHICKEN RANCH SALAD and TOASTED ITALIANO Reintroduction + Invention = Reinvention. There's a bumper sticker summary of Panera Bread (PB) recently debuting or rather bringing back 12 oldie-but-goodie menu items. They also introduced 9 new soups, salads, and sandwiches. If my wow of a Pick Two tastily indicates the overall quality of the other new "21 pilots" (think pilot study or test case new)--then dive into the menu at your local PB, and your brain will be hitting "Like" at First Bite (as I did). The "New Era of Panera," as the marketing collateral proclaims, kicked off for me at the PB CNU. Not simply because CNU is my undergrad alma mater (Class of '94). More importantly, I was there for my writing-editing Day Job, which allows me to vocationally haunt such beautifully unique places as this--for the ready-set-remote work. (For one, the store's floor-to-ceiling glass façade and perfect-height bar and comfy stools mean one can munch on, say, the Chipotle Chicken Avo Melt, sip endless java, and do one's best-work-now in view of the gorgeous, movie-set-like CNU campus.) Settling easily into the Pilot Number One seat--as recommended by the vivacious GM Amber to kick off my Pick Two--was the new Southwest Chicken Ranch salad. Crunchy fresh lettuce. Tiny, tender chicken strips seasoned with some spicy paprika sort of heat that probably has an exotic name like Shawarma Seasoning or the like. Ripe baby tomatoes that pop on bite. Tiny tortilla strips that snap-crackle-pop in the whole mix. Speaking of: This, spotted on PB's own website, in answer to the "Why We Love [This Salad]": "That Blue Corn tortilla crunch." There's more to the Southwest Chicken Ranch, but like a good TV-show pilot episode that I have seen but you haven't yet--I can't give it ALL away. Okay, two more words: Chipotle aioli. That just-right amount of savory heat--that doesn't overcompensate. It.will.change.your.life. The item that won the day as Pilot Number Two for my Pick Two: the Toasted Italiano sandwich. If the pics of it here seem a tad in-your-face, it's because that's exactly where this entire sandwich will move pronto once you lay hands on it. "French Baguette." Doesn't enunciating that evoke perfectly baked bread--you know, that tasty flaky tension in the crust then spongy breadiness in the middle, where the soft texture meets all of the yummy interior of Black Forest ham, soppressata, and-- Nope. That sandwich got me monologue-ing again and almost giving all the "juicy" details away. These lips with baguette breadcrumbs on the edges are now sealed. Okay--two words more in closing on the Italiano: Pepperoncini peppers. How that sweet heat plays into the delicious density of this sandwich for the spring. And the summer. And...well.... Don't take my words for it. Get to a PB ASAP to begin your own foodie journey across the luscious landscape of the new "21 Pilots" menu. And if you should happen across the CNU location--my personal favorite, may I say, among all of the Paneras I've ever been in (and I've been in many)--prepare to be galvanized by (1) the spacious yet cozy layout, with pockets of booths and tables that whisper YourSpace; (2) the laid-back university campus atmosphere that makes you want to read a book even if you don't really read books or have time to; and (3) the stellar crew--starting with the solid leadership, from the magnificent duo of GM Amber and AGM Julie; over to the hard-workin' moxie of Assistant Manager (AM)/Team Leader Sharon, then the marvelously multitalented AM Jen, and the studiously helpful and congenial Raygen (love the spelling!). There are so many more cool, noteworthy staff there...I'll trail off here. For now. On my way out that day of my inaugural Pick Two of the New 21, immensely satisfied from the meal like few I've had at any Panera in years, the big table of family and friends next to me kindly answered my parting question as to whether any of them had themselves enjoyed a New Item. One cheery lady piped right up, "Had the Tomato Basil BLT, it was incredible!" Cheers to the "incredible edibles" in your near future, at a PB near you... Dave Dave Bounds BrandNewSkyLLC@gmail.com LI: /davebounds5150 An Invitation: Care to share from your experience with a New Menu item--and land your quotable quote here? Email me 500 words max. If your blurb is really good, I'll announce that "winner" when that review posts--and your free lunch is on! (Photos, all the author's, on iPhone) read more

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My go-to restaurant. Food is awesome, staff is nice and service is great. Everything's great.

Nasty ew, I did not like the flavor of the smoothie at all yuck. I definitely should have gone to tropical smoothie instead of Panera to get a smoothie. read more

Great! I've always liked this place. The food is great, service can be a bit slow but mostly good, the place is well decorated, and overall pretty good. read more

Service was poor and my name was never called out for my order. They messed up my order and had to remake it. The Mango Smoothie lacks flavor and tastes like plain yogurt. My sandwich also tasted gross and was practically overfilled with peppers. The ambiance of the store was off and a man came in and began to bother us. He attempted to sell things to us and the workers did nothing even though we were visibly uncomfortable. He left and came in once more to talk to people, the workers still did nothing. read more

I ordered curbside ahead of time to be ready when I got there. A simple order of 3 bagels. I still waited about 10 minutes once I checked in so it was not ready at the time it said it would be. When it finally did come out the staff member was very nice and friendly. The order was correct, fork, napkin, cream cheese, bagels in individual bags. read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

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I'm not sure why this Panera gets such a bad rep here, but it's a consistent go-to for me, so I figured I'd write an update. This location is right across from CNU, so it's super convenient. Since COVID, they have added a lot of new features that I absolutely adore -- the app is awesome -- easily place your order and pick up ASAP. They have both pick up (right inside the front door, so you don't even have to go through the dining room -- before you had to go in and walk all the way to the back to pick up) and curbside delivery. Can I RAVE about curbside delivery for a second??! I mean, it's great. Pull up, mark that you've arrived, and they bring your order right out! I have been using this liberally lately. For breakfast, my go-to is the bacon egg and cheese on the ciabatta, and I always sub out the egg to get the fried egg. It's a great sandwich - always filling and tasty. I have tried some other items recently including the steak panini and the BBQ chicken sandwich. Both pretty good. Pro-tip on the BBQ, sub your bread for something other than the basic white. Another feature of the app that's awesome - you can customize ANY order! Oh, and my kids love the sugar cookies here, which change seasonally from hearts to tulips to flip-flops to pumpkins to mittens. Overall, for a fast food experience, you can't really go wrong. The only real complaint you might have is that some of the meals are as pricey as a dine-in, made from scratch restaurant. So - convenience, def 5 stars, quality of food usually around a 3 for the price. Settle it on 4 and call it a day. read more

Whenever I want something other than what's available at work, I order take out from this Panera location. I typically get the choose two option with the roasted turkey, bacon, and avocado on sourdough with the green goddess salad. They're fantastic. Very fresh and made with care. The first time I ordered, everything was perfect. I was surprised at how great everything was. I came to pick up after the lunch rush, but the restaurant seemed pretty clean still. Some of the items weren't stocked, but they gladly went to the back to get me what I asked for. They were very nice about it as well. The only complaint I have, which is the complaint I have of all restaurants, is how dang expensive things have gotten. The choose two plus a green tea was almost $20! Just for me! Wild. This is a special treat for lunch so I will come every now and again, but whew. I'd rather grab a steak at the roadhouse than lunch for $20 lol. Great food, great atmosphere, great experience...sky high prices. lol. I'll be back tho. read more

This Panera is a Christopher Newport haunt as it's positioned across the street from the school. Evidently my first visit was not memorable enough to write a review. Parking is in front of the strip of businesses which I suspect can be difficult to come by during weekday afternoons. There was debris on the sidewalk. The first "sign"that the visit would be a bit rough is the clap board outside the door that said no baguette. The visit was around 8, there open until 10. Order taken for three and the staff person was friendly enough and confirmed no baguette with our meals which is a big deal with soup. The case of pastries was a joke and almost empty. The buzzer goes off for pick up. This store does not deliver to your table which I love. It ended up they did have a baguette for one of us, but that's it! Sigh. The dining room had few customers and ones there had nothing from Panera, they were using the tables as a library with laptops open studying. The floors needed swept. The ice machine was broken. A bucket of ice and scoop was to the side. My order of broccoli soup was good, but luke warm. Apple bruised up. My sons fettuccine Alfredo was also luke warm. His side of grilled cheese messy and cold. His strawberry/banana smoothie was good. My wife's chicken noodle hot. We all thought the taste was alright, just temps off two of the bowls. After spending 15 hours at the pool for a swim meet no one was getting up to complain. We still had a 45 minute drive home in the rain too! We bussed our own table. The dish bucket was empty and trash was within its boundaries. However the bucket to put dishes in was filthy with food and drink every where. I frequent Panera a lot, but I would not return to this store or recommend. It's an unfortunate trend in the chain, but I continue to see an overall decline. I really hope that the GM looks at reviews because there are many sub pars as I review recents. read more

Panera Bread - Bakery - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

Update: Not impressed. First dine in experience and I'm deeply disappointed. Nearly broke my teeth biting into the small baguette end I was served with my turkey chili bowl, which was sloshed into the bowl in front of me, silverware almost thrown onto the tray... Speaking of mess - most tables were dirty with crumbs everywhere. I understand it was after the lunch rush, but it was quiet at 2.30. What is happening!? And why such a difference between take out & dine in service? The chili was the only thing that saved this review from dropping to one star... It's a no from me. I'll stick to take out. read more

Panera Bread - Turkey Chilli bowl (take out) - don't judge by its looks, super tasty! - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

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One of the cashiers just has a "blah" attitude on numerous occasions between my experience, my mom's experience and a coworkers experience.

For the last few years what I could always depend to have have cut above was a great salad. That is not the case anymore. Sandwiches used to be great now they are awful. My ultimate disappointment came this morning when I ordered a bagel and cream cheese. They used to have the best tasting bagels ever. When I would treat my coworkers for breakfast I would always spend the extra money at Paneras because they were worth it along with wonderful cream cheese, not matter what flavor it was better than anyone's. Today was a cheap tasting run of the mill bagel. Like out of the grocery store or the competitors. Such a shame the quality of products has gone down hill so much There needs to be a follow up from these CEOS to check on these franchises. They are destroying the name brand and will be going out of business down the road for this reason read more

We just went to this location for the first time and never again. The bread was stale, the rice in the grain bowl tasted powerdy and not cooked. The grain bowls had bad tomatoes in them and was the most disgusting tasting sour white slop on top. read more

The server was friendly enough. The bagels were, well, bagels. Selection was ok. I asked for the cheesy stuff separate from the sweet ones. What? You think this is Burger King? What was I thinking? read more

Good clean location. Employees are nice but straight to the point. No extra conversation. They have a lot of pickup traffic during the morning rush. We sat down to eat and used their internet with no problem. Good internet connection. Food was good. Overall a good visit. read more

Panera Bread - Front area - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

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This place used to be clean and I enjoyed coming, however, I've noticed a decline. The cashier was wearing her mask under her nose, the floors and service area are filthy. My Napa chicken sandwich was lettuce and tomatoes and maybe a teaspoon of chicken salad. I hesitated to get my drink from the drink station, but in the end, I did. One does not have to be a germaphobe to realize this place needs a dedicated person to clean. I saw one of the guys handle a broom and dustpan them go handle drink cups without washing his hands read more

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Got my order on time but the pasta and broccoli are overcooked and My food was very mushy. Spoke with the guy and requested if i can get new one because its overcooked.. the guy came in with the same batch of my order... I mean when customer said the food was bad why would you serve the same food from the first batch?? whats the point of asking a new one?? Food was bad and customer service was bad too.. This happened 6/3 afternoon. The phone keeps ringing. seems like employees dont care when someone is calling the store. Customers are calling you. Someone has to pick up that phone if you want your business going... read more

Panera Bread - broccoli mac and cheese - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

Horrible delivery service, rude and uncaring about their low level of service. Called and spoke to a manager (Eric) about the experience and he seemed to care less about the issue. Pressed for a follow up call, he said he'd follow up. Instead I got zero, zip, crickets...hence my review. Maybe he quit, maybe he trains delivery personnel, or maybe he didn't care enough to follow up. Maybe all three. Not caring seems to be trend at this location. Hey Panera Corporate are you paying attention to this location, they seem to need some refresher training on customer satisfaction and service with a smile instead of a smirk. read more

Last week my boyfriend got food poisoning from this location. Our food was delivered to our house almost an hour later than it was supposed to be. Thinking nothing of the temperature the food had come to, we ate anyway. About an hour later he was so sick. I called the store a little later in the evening and was told I would be given a fuller refund. I gave a week to process and then called again today. The manager immediately told me that the Illness was not from Panera. She argued her point for 10 minutes eventually telling me she would give me a refund. Before we got off the phone she "assured" me it was almost impossible it was from Panera as it take 18 hours to kick in. We hadn't eaten anything else that day and had the same foods the day prior. I did not get sick. She was insistent on me not returning to anywhere else we had eaten in the past couple days as she knew it wasn't Panera. I can assure her that I will not return to her store. Not because of the sickness but because of how the situation was handled. Found on Web MD and a few other sites that food poisoning illness symptoms can start within an hour of ingesting contaminated foods. Own up to your mistakes. read more

Panera Bread - Food poisoning. The manager told me it was almost impossible it was from Panera as it take 18 hours to kick in - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

The family continues to go to Panera Bread for morning bagels, muffins and other well made bakery products. Although I am only here twice a year, I have visited often enough to be promoted to Duke (for the moment). Although the variety of bagels continues to change, and my favorite onion has not reappeared, I have noted the well trained counter people working together as a team, and a more positive attitude all around. Looking at the occupied tables it seems the other patrons are experiencing the same things. The little bonuses for birthdays and other special occasions are a nice touch. It seems I have become a fan. read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

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Went here because I was craving a apple chicken salad, plus they are close to the house so why not. No line, and the place was super clean. The cashier was new and mixed up my order, though I didn't even notice the mistake, when it was noticed the manager corrected the order and blessed my bag with an extra bag of chips. Great customer service guys! read more

Delivery was slow and bread left out on soup order which arrived cold I realize it's Friday but 1.5 hours seems a bit of a stretch so I'm not surprised soup was cold! read more

My standing question is how do you order something that's not available and still get charged for it I don't understand why this is a recurring issue at this Panera location. There is a lack of communication between workers between. Forgot my pumpkin muffin, and I am deeply offended by this. I will never be visiting this location again, unless I am starving and on the streets. read more

Service sucks, there always out of something. I can on a Saturday at 1pm for a hangover bagel and they literally had none left.... Um ok. The food I have had there was pretty much bad. I got a simple flatbread pizza and the put a sprinkle of cheese on it. I usually love Panera but this location was bad. Not to mention the 90 year old looking staff member and the creepy manager... read more

Ordered a salad with customizations through rapid pickup from work. I pickup the salad, get back to work open it up and notice the salad with the correct ingredients, but witn no salad dressing. The receipt had all the ingredients with a check mark beside them. The next day I order the same salad but I order it from the lobby. I walked over to the rapid pick-up Lobby and watch the process. The "QUALITY CHECKER" glanced in the bag and asked the person who made the salad, "Is all the customizations on this salad?" and then proceeded to circle all of the ingredients and on the receipt stick the label on the bag and put it on the rapid pick-up shelf. Why? Explains, every time I'm missing a baguette, drinks, or any random item. read more

I had the French Onion Soup and Southwest Chile Chicken Salad, both were tasty. My Salad had flavor all over the place and my portion sizes were perfect. read more

Panera Bread - French Onion Soup and Southwest Chile Chicken Salad - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

My mom lives in the area. I've notice that this restaurant seems to get every order wrong every time. Even when it's through the grub hub app where there is less confusion due to no verbal communication. I've noted that they seem to be out of items that are basic and should be in stock. I get saving on cost by not over production of slower moving items. However the French baguette should never be out of stock. Keep that in stock! Aside from that my mother is vegan. Imagine her frustration every time she asked for no cheese and every single time they would put cheese on her sandwiches. With very few vegan options it doesn't make sense to mess this up. Some vegans are not vegans by choice but for health reasons. I truly want to like this location. It's in a good spot and should be better than the Jefferson store. Yet sadly it's one of the worse performing Panera's I've ever been too. For the price you pay quality should always be the highest priority. Customers return due to convenience of location and repeat good service. Over all much room for improvement but I know and trust that this location will get better and be the better of the rest soon. Thank you for reading. read more

I'm not particularly a huge Panera fan however I will admit I frequent the business often because my wife likes it. The employees here are nice, the store is clean, and food is adequate if they have it. That's the only good thing I could say about this location l, they constantly run out of things in their bakery at all hours of the day. Just a moment ago I was there 40 minutes before they closed and one of the employees was asking if they should serve customers. If the management at this location actually looks on yelp, which it would seem they do not seeing all the similar complaints, you should do better. If not for the people that work there do it for the folks that come there assuming they are walking into the same quality of store they are used to across the franchise. read more

Where do I start...came in today at 830a and the cashier Emily was super rude (name tag says trainer so I can only imagine the regular workers) I asked for a cinnamon crunch bagel and she said they didn't have any more and I asked what time would they make more so I can come back she was very rude and stated we aren't making anymore and I stated okay I thought because they were made fresh that there would be more and she goes "no we make an amount and when it's gone that's it" the only 2 bagels to choose from was a French toast or grain bagel. I decided to get the French toast when I got my bagel the top slice was completely burnt and hard also ordered a $3 fruit cup that came with 4 pieces of honey dew, 2 cantaloupe pieces, 3 pineapple pieces and 4 grapes....would not recommend this location...normally visit the location by bland Blvd and they are amazing only came here today because it is 2 minutes from the doctors office I work at read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

I got the pick 2 option. First choice was the 4-cheese grilled cheese sandwich, which was decent but as soon as I took a bite I wished I'd had them add tomato. The second item was the breadbowl with broccoli cheddar soup. Very tasty, but I'm continually annoyed by how much the price of the soup/breadbowl has gone up. I remember when it was only like $4.50 and now it's about $7. Like, I get inflation, but daaaaaamn! As for the side, pretty sure it defaults to a chunk of french bread, and there's enough carbs in the bread bowl and sandwich already so I recommend the chips, they're tasty and can easily be saved for later. I highly recommend ordering from the tablets by the door if you're like me and want to take time figuring out what you want without a line of people huffing at you. read more

This isn't the first time they've messed up an order. I'm a vegetarian so I ordered a Modern Caprese. Instead, I got some shredded chicken thing with cheese and 2 skinny slivers of red onion. What is this even? I'm done... I won't be coming back to this place for anything. Good luck and hope you get better in the future. read more

Love this location. I've spend many writing days sitting in the booth and working away sipping on bottomless mugs of coffee. The manager is always super nice! read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

this panera is ok. it's very close by and convenient to where I live, and the food is really good, so I come often. however, I am not always pleased with what I get. I have had problems such as hair in my soup which was so gross- but that only happened once and is bound to happen to everyone at least once no matter where they go. my biggest problem is my orders aren't correct half the time. the other day I got to go soup and the soup was wrong and I didn't realize till I got home. today, I ordered a bowl of soup and got a cup. when looking at my receipts i've noticed half the time it's the servers/cooks giving me the wrong thing, and half the time is rung up wrong. frustrating but not the end of the world. the food is always great! read more

Food is always delicious and kiosks makes the process go faster. We used to be able to get a free cookie when we used the kiosk, but that has ceased. Parking is difficult, but it's do-able. I come here often, but not as much because of rising costs yet smaller portions. read more

My food had hair in it and the manager was rude about it. I will never return to this Panera. Eww read more

Panera Bread - Broccoli and cheddar soup had hair in it and the manager was rude when I called up to let them know - Sandwiches Near Me - Newport News, Virginia

I haven't eaten at this Panera Bread in a while, but I was surprised at how few customers I see here this morning. It used to be packed any time of the day! I ordered their new Mediterranean warm grains bowl for $9.19 (no meat) and it seemed like a child's portion. Thankfully it comes with a side! The quality was ok. Coffee was ok. When my food was done, they yelled out my name three times while I was walking up to the counter. I guess they thought it was funny? For their prices, quality and service should be more than just okay. read more

Upon entering I noticed that there was no handicapped-accessible door so I had to wait for someone to open the door for me. The door frames are very narrow as well as the space inside(Wheelchair User) I attended a meeting here and it was a perfect place for that however I didn't really find anything on the menu that was worth me spending the amount of money that it required. I will not be returning for any other reason than a future meeting. My review is based on it being handicapped-accessible bring that I found not order food. I did not get a change to go into the bathroom. read more