I'm mainly writing this review for the catering team at Panera in Salem. I work for a company who provides free lunches for our employees every week, and due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have been trying to find caterers who can give us individually boxed meals to minimize the risk of spreading anything. Erica and Nikki are absolutely wonderful to work with. They were so helpful from day one, on time for delivery, and they set up everything without question. They even called me last week to let me know they are offering free delivery. Overall, the quality of the food here is very good, and the presentation of their boxed lunches was outstanding. We will definitely be ordering from Panera Salem again! read more

I love Panera and was happy to find out one was opening near by. My first experience with this location was horrible, but that was to be expected since it they just opened. I customized my breakfast sandwich, substituting the farm bread with a bagel. However, when I got my order it was with the farm bread. I was disappointed, but decided to give this location a try after a few months. Today, I went through the drive thru and order two bagels with cream cheese. When I got home, I was only given one cream cheese and was charged for the other. I just don't understand how someone can mess that SIMPLE order up. It wasn't even busy during the time I went. I just can't anymore.... Sadly, I will be AVOIDING this location when I have my Panera cravings. read more

What kind of panera doesnt have bread. And why would you assume that i wanted a small mac and cheese... with no side... and when i ask for butter for the tiny little roll that u gave me, i dont mean ten packets. Im not mad just dissapointed. read more

Have gone there probably 15 times in the past 3 weeks out of convenience. But i would say at least half of those times my order was wrong. Something was either completely missing, or they gave me the wrong meal. Once they gave me the wrong soup, another they gave me mac and cheese instead of a soup completely, another was the wrong sandwhich, missing pastry, etc. I know they are new so this can be expected, but it does get frustrating after a while, especially when you go there as much i do and have so many orders end up being wrong. I really am not trying to sound like a snob, but they hey need to retrain these people as it shouldn't be too difficult to follow a computer screen with what i ordered. read more

I've only been to the drive thru but service was fine. I hope the low reviews are just because it was so busy when it first opened. It's died down now. read more

It's not cheap but I love their soups the salads are also excellent. No sandwiches that I like currently.

This Panera is fine as long as you don't ask for ANY modification. I paid for avocado added to my sandwich and didn't receive it. I also asked for no tomato on another sandwich that had tomato on it. Thank God they managed to keep cheese off a sandwich (dairy allergy). That's why 2 stars. The irony is when they recite your order back to you exactly how you ordered it, and it's still way off. Good luck. Definitely working have gone back, but you can't when you're making a stop on a drive. read more

Today I went there for lunch and I got a Thai chicken salad. After taking three bites I look down inside the bowl and there is a 8 inch long hair mixed in the lettuce and the chicken. It was absolutely disgusting. Why don't the chefs/preparers wear hair nets? Most of them are females with longhair either hanging down, wrapped up in a bun or in a ponytail. The manager did give the money back without any issues, but it is definitely something to be concerned about if you go there read more

I literally come here every weekend and evening to do homework and order food. Some of the staff are just flat out rude. Stopped in today at 3:30pm, one cashier rang someone up on one register, starred at me and said nothing for 10min while he stood at another register... saw another person come in and took her before me and lied and said only one register was open when I watched him ring the lady in from of me up on a different Reg. I walked out, never plan to go back bc their service sucks. What makes it worse is the manager was there the whole time and said nothing. Ha! read more

My family and I went opening week. Food was excellent...service great...fast lines. Those complaining of a bad experience out of the gate need to understand that it takes time before a newly opened restaurant finds its groove.. work the kinks out. We continually go to the drive thru which has been a great experience as well... Only "complaint" I'd have, is this location does not have an Italian style sandwich that I've seen at other locations. read more

Big fan of Panera for what it is, but this newest location in the area remains my least favorite. I've given this store several chances over the last year. Main gripes are the dining room setup and general lack of cleanliness. On the format... if this is a new store format for the company, I hope they'll reconsider. It's not comfortable. Feels crowded. The older formats offered more partitions and privacy. On cleanliness ... I arrived at noon today and the dining room was already filthy. There were napkins on the ground, dirty tables that needed wiping, and as I sit here I see a dirty knife on the floor, within sight of a worker who sat there taking his break His break is over and he's gone... the knife remains on the floor. I think I'll continue to travel an extra 5 to 10 miles to other locations that just feel more comfortable and seem to have their act together a bit more. It's too bad. read more

Panera Bread - Dining room is not clean - Salad Near Me - Salem, New Hampshire

Picked up my order and items were missing once again. I never go back but 35.00 for lunch is a lot so I went back and explained I was missing a Mac and cheese and chips for my kids.never mind the 15 min drive back but the man at the drive through accused me of lying! I said you just waited on me. He said he had no way of knowing I was being honest? Well you never gave me a receipt! But I used my phone number so look up the order! After he was so rude I looked in the bag and once again the order was missing an item. I get it when an item is missing it's a mistake but to accuse me of lying??? Several times a week I place work orders large orders for my company, after today never again! I just can't believe how I was treated! I kept saying to him you should be saying I'm sorry to me. He just would t say it. This is how you treat a customer? read more

I want to start with I love Panera's food. It is a bit pricey but I don't mind paying because I do enjoy it. My problem with this location is the staff and customer service. They are terrible. The drive thru is a good idea but if you can't prepare your food fast enough don't have one! It moves at a snail's pace. Due to Covid 19 I decided to try rapid pick up so you order online and they bring it out to your car. Waited 20 minutes, was supposed to be 10, so I called. I called 4x and they never answered the phone. Put my mask on and went in and the girl was completely clueless! She did apologize but by the time I got it my sandwich was cold. I have been to this location at least 7-8 times since they opened and just about every time something is screwed up! Don't know if they are independently opened but somebody needs to do something about this one. read more

When to panera in Salem New Hampshire on cluff crossing road did the drive thru ordered 3 different meals got the order came all the way home and found only half the order wasn't in the bag now I have to drive all the way back to panera to try and get back what they didn't give me the 1st time read more

Walked in this morning at 10:34am and asked to order a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. Which got a reply let me check if we still have eggs?! Was told sorry we don't have any egg and breakfast stops at 10:30. REALLY!!! 4 minutes and you have NO egg! I think the egg is on your face. Lousy Customer Service will NEVER be back. read more

Great place, cool staff! There's just this one creepy customer that I always notice give the staff a hard time then glares at me while typing on an iPad. Not too long ago, I caught him talking down to a staff member and he really ruined the environment! Guy's a creep! Hoping he finds a new spot to lurk around... read more

If I could make it zero stars I would. Waited for curb side pick up for over 30 minutes when it said it would be done in 10 minutes. I had to go in to get it which isn't a problem but I could've done that 30 minutes prior. The sandwich was fine, but I get to eat my soup and there is a black curly hair in it. I tried to call to reach the manager and had to call FIVE times to get in touch with her. She was not professional at all and honestly seemed like she had no clue what she was doing. Never going again. read more

Understanding this location is new, some hiccups are expected. With that said, they haven't got an order correct since they opened. My office orders from there almost daily. Today was my day to go pick up and I mentioned the price wasn't right. Instead of trying to figure out the mistake, the cashier decided to argue. So not only is every order wrong, you speak up and they'll argue! read more

I've been wanting to write a review for a while now after previous bad experiences, however I have held off until now because I've enjoyed the food from other Panera locations for years. The Salem NH location has been hit or miss ever since it opened, in my experience. I started getting food here last summer about 3-4 times a month and the order was wrong or not satisfactory about half the time. I gave them the benefit of the doubt as they were still "new" at that time and it takes time to work out the kinks. Over the last few months however my family and I have once again started to order from them a few times a month and occasionally got delivery. We have had forgotten food or incorrect items about 25% of the time. Also recently the times we go inside to order or use the drive through, the wait time is far longer than I've experienced at other locations that prep the same menu items. The staff constantly seems confused and disorganized. This brings me to today. My husband and I stopped in after some shopping and ordered food to go from inside. The wait time was again very long for two sandwiches and two drinks. When we were finally called up the person working the counter gave us our drinks. He handed me my lemonade and handed my husband his "iced chai latte". This is in quotes because what he actually handed over looked like an iced black coffee. The drinks look nothing alike. When questioned he put the drink back next to a few others and grabbed a different one and said "I think this one is the latte" and handed it over. I can't believe someone working the counter does not know the difference between beverages, and didn't care to get it right the second time around. I had ordered a kitchen sink cookie (they are huge, the size of a small plate) and was informed they were out asked what I wanted instead. I asked what they had that was comparable in price (I'm not picky but the kitchen sink cookie is $4+). All I got back was "I don't know, I don't have a menu with prices in front of me". So I said ok I'll just take a chocolate chip cookie (assuming it was comparable). I was handed a cookie less than half the size of the one I had ordered - this didn't seem fair. I looked up the price difference once I got home and it was a huge difference. Basic customer service should have meant an attempt to replace the out of stock item with something comparable. I asked if they could give me a second cookie (couldn't hurt to ask) and he did. Even though it was accompanied by an eye roll, I will give credit where credit is due - it was nice of them to oblige. When I got home to eat - my chipotle chicken avocado melt was disappointing. It had huge chunks of chicken unevenly distributed (usually the chicken is shredded) and instead of avocado slices I got a massive chunk (about 1/4 of an avocado) on one half of the sandwich. Although it was difficult to eat, it did still taste good - so I'll give them credit for that as well. Overall though, a poor experience. I ended up going with only one star since poor service and poorly executed food seem to be a trend as far as my experiences go. read more

Panera Bread - Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt - Salad Near Me - Salem, New Hampshire

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I'm torn on the stars. First it's a beautiful, clean new Panera and there is comfy seating and a great place to get a quick healthy bite or enjoy some dinner, but it feels like a mix of cafeteria seating on one side and cosy dining with a fireplace on the other side. The food is always fresh, and they have a great looking bakery, so I would give it 4.5-5 stars but the staff always seems to be 'out of it' or not interested that you're there. I've gone through the drive through several times and my order is usually incorrect, and when I asked for a pickle that should have been included with my sandwich, they looked annoyed, and it was not the best customer service for sure. If they could improve and increase the customer servive and encourage the staff to be more engaging both in the drive through and in the cafe and less robotic (and annoyed) that would improve the overall experience and people would feel more welcome here and 5 stars. Overall, I enjoy coming here however, I would like to see more smiles. ") read more

I am a huge Panera fan and was so excited that we were getting a Salem location. Each time I've gone, part of my order has been wrong - and I usually just get a salad and a coffee. On today's visit, uniformed employees were hanging out in the dining area surrounded by filthy tables- one actually appeared to be asleep, head down on the table. The light roast coffee (only one available) smelled sour and had tons of grounds floating in it - It was as if someone had spilled an entire filter's worth into the container. I pointed this out to an employee who seemed unsure what to do with this information and was not concerned. When I was heading out the door, at 10:30 on the dot (the breakfast cutoff time) I witnessed the cashiers arguing with a lovely looking elderly couple about why it was now too late for them to order from the breakfast menu. How nice. It is a shame that this location can't pull it together. read more

The food here is always on point & on time. Great place to grab a quick bite. Love the sandwiches & salads/soups.

worst panera I've ever been to... put in an order online for a bowl of soup & a caprese sandwich with extra mozzarella cheese (that I paid for)... my sandwich was 2 slices of tomato & no cheese on plain bread? thanks for a waste of $10. not hard to read instructions is it read more

Panera Bread - Salad Near Me - Salem, New Hampshire

I got a grilled cheese they left the paper on the cheese and made my grilled cheese . go Panera.

Good food way understaffed. You should not have to wait ten minutes to get waited on when you are the only one in line. The new dining area is very nice but that doesn't make up for a 25 min wait start to finish and a high price. read more

I don't get it. The Salem NH Panera has horrible service. They gave me two cold pieces of bread with unmelted cheese, and tried to pass it off as a grilled cheese sandwich. Mind you it was $5 for 1/2 of a sandwich, and it was horrible. The worst part is the girl that answered the phone and tried to pass herself off as the manager didn't care. Dead silence when I told her what I received. Words she should learn...I am truly sorry...what can I do to make it right? I told her I was calling corporate(and I did), she refused to give me her name. I know it is new, but the Derry location is 100 times better. Let's face it Panera is not cheap so it should at least be good, and the service should also be good. read more

I have given this Panera so many chances but I am disappointed 90% of the time. They slap together the sandwiches and are VERY VERY skimpy on ingredients...very disappointing considering how pricy their sandwiches are. I love the Blueberry Peach Smoothie but it's a different consistency and color every time I order it. If you go to the drive thru in the morning they are EXTREMELY SLOW and seem to be fooling around/not taking their job seriously. It's very disappointing because I love Panera's food. Unfortunately it's a huge waste of money and you have a very low chance of getting what you ordered made correctly. I do not recommend this Panera Bread. read more

I absolutely LOVE the Panera in Salem. I order every Thursday night and the food is always fresh and delicious. In addition, I had a situation last week where, because of an emergency, I could not pick up my pre-ordered food. When I went in the next night and explained what happened, the manager was kind enough to re-create my order and give it to me for free. It's nice to have someone with compassion for another person's troubles. read more

Went to this location for the first time since it's so close to home and I was craving a pick 2: sandwich and soup. I sat at the drive thru speaker for what seemed to be forever (actually close to 20mins) and once I ordered I was told my total would be $34...which was wrong. I go to the window and ask the girl why a pick 2 came to $34 and she argued that i ordered 2 sandwiches and a soup. I correct her politely, which she proceeded to say I was wrong and that's what I ordered. I finally got her to ring up the correct order and I paid and left. The food wasnt worth the argument. read more

I love Panera the company but I've given up on the Salem location. I've been there 6 times since they've opened and each time they find a new way to mess up my order. Today as I waited, I watched three separate customers come up to have their order corrected. For my time and money, I'll be driving to the North Andover or Derry location. Looking forward to trying again once they work out the issues they still have since opening. read more

Awful. My Cobb salad had a cup of onions and brown avocado. Not worth the money. I would reccomend going anywhere else.

We as a family like Panera and we're so excited when one opened up in town . We didn't go right away well, you know we wanted to let them work out the kinks . The first trip in went really well. Order was correct, food was hot . . The staff is very friendly , but everyone seems to be saying at the counter that they don't know the answers , or they are new . Which is fine , I have patience for someone who is just learning, but I would think they would have at least one person up front who DOES know the answers/ or how to ring certain things in . Second trip in was for takeout soup and I got the low-fat chicken noodle ! It had exactly 2 noodles and no chicken! I KNOW it was low-fat but seriously? Will go again .... read more

Would've given it a 1 star but I like the food. Shouldn't have a drive thru if you're going to take 5 mins just to say hi to the customer. I have this problem everytime going through it. I have such a short break at work and the reason for a drive thru is to speed up the pace but it would probably be less of a wait time if I went inside read more

I don't love writing negative reviews but this does not reflect on the food or really the staff but possibly Management. I've had the same issues both times I've been to this location. Both visits were on a Saturday afternoon (during Covid, it's not crowded). But is there any reason they have maybe 6-7 people preparing the food and 1 at the counter taking orders? I waited 18 minutes in line to place an order at the Register, there were only two people in front of me. And, once you place your order, the wait for the food is also super long. Staff was nice, place is clean and the food was fine but it's definitely not working as efficiently as every other Panera I've been to. Panera is supposed to be like fast-food, maybe not quick like McDonald's but if you are ordering to take-out, it shouldn't take more than 1/2 hour. One last thing, they advertise "hot chocolate chip cookies", which we ordered two. When we opened them, they clearly were days old and hard. Sorry to do this, but this is a great location, clean, etc., but Management needs to step in and figure out the kinks. I say this kindly - again, staff super nice. read more

I was excited to try the new Panera. Earlier that day I was at target and we were deciding what Panera to go to. We suddenly realized that there is a close one. Let me tell you this...that was the only convenience. When I got there, I tried to use the tablet ordering system, which wasn't working. We were wondering why the line was so long. The worker at the counter did not give us fountain drink cups and when she asked if I had a rewards card, I said no, I have a gift card and she RUDELY said "that is not the same thing". When the buzzer finally went off, I went and waited near the food ready section. When I asked about the food, they told me to wait and it wasn't ready. When the food finally WAS ready, it was waiting for 5 minutes since no one had informed me. There was no seating inside, so we had to sit outside. When we finished our food this employee tried repeatedly to take the only plate drop off section when it was barely even full. We had to remind her that we were all done and ready to drop our plates off before leaving. She then walked away and came back. I was left standing with dirty dishes. Overall the Panera experience was not up to par compared to every other Panera I have ever had in my entire life ever. read more

my go to food place for a quick meal. newly renovated and a very safe environment. i recommend getting the mac n cheese, and also the bread bowls are very good. love coming here with my friends and family. also they deliver!! read more