I keep going back to Panera bread because I'm hardwired to go back to chain restaurants out of convenience or something. Every time I go I think to myself that it's just not worth it. Hopefully this review will knock some sense into my brain, because even in Santa Maria there are better places to get a sandwich or some salad than Panera. The bread is always slightly stale, the soup (especially the broccoli cheddar) tastes and looks like it's right out of a can, and the salads are underwhelming and limp. And all of this, for $10? Nah, just not worth it. Too many local businesses I would rather support, with much tastier options. read more

Hit and miss. Food doesn't change much but I'm okay with that. Love their order online or phone service so your food is ready when you want it. Love the cheddar broccoli soup, Thai chicken salad (+avocado), or steak and white cheddar panini. Don't love when the order is wrong and I either have to forget or correct it (I'm talking about you, missing candy cookie). Don't love when they're out of the basics like bread rolls, and don't mention it thinking you won't notice. If you have time, they'll fix it, but I'm usually on a half hour lunch so I don't have time to make sure it's right. read more

My visit at Panera Bread was my first, ever! We stopped here on our way back to the Bay from a wonderful weekend getaway in L.A. My Aunt wanted was a bread bowl of broccoli cheese soup. Being that it was my first time, I wanted something familiar, and that was a bowl of tomato pesto soup. Her bread bowl and soup were yummy, better than my tomato soup which I found to be a little watery and almost all that. Perhaps I'm a tomato soup snob because I LOVE it so much, my bowl was satisfying but not something I'd care to get again. I'm down for some broccoli cheese soup and maybe I'll try another soup the next time I visit a Panera Bread. Counter help at this location was super, very friendly and helpful. He was patient with all my questions and answered with a smile, always. The dining area was very clean, also! Oooh, and an observation from my Aunt, she usually gets a bread bowl and ups her side to a fruit cup for less than $1 in Mountain View but here in Santa Maria to do the same it was at or around $1.50 to do the job. So prices vary according to location, apparently, lol. read more

I know it is a chain but this place is great. Good food and fast service. The location is nice and so is the staff. Everything was clean and organized. I had the half sandwich with the cup of soup (baked potato) and it did not disappoint. I also added the pastry for only a buck and took it home to the hubby and he loved it. The drinks were well stocked (the have a wise variety aside from sodas) as were all the breads and pastries (Yummy). It was noisy during the time I went but it was fun people watch. Also I didn't know about thie reward program but my cashier let me know and just for signing up i get a free gift which was a pastry coupon :) I will be going back soon to collect. Very happy we moved near a panera bread FINALLY read more

Avoid the Rigatoni San Marzano! That is unless you like the taste of eating black licorice with a smattering of tomato! This the ONLY disappointing menu item I have ever had at Panera - the 1/2 Steak & White Cheddar Panini was awesome! read more

I've been here twice, and i absolutely love it! The first time I went I ordered the Salmon Club Criossant. I looooove love love salmon, and i thought it was perfect. The second time I went, I ordered the Salmon Caesar Salad. I love that the salad was entirely coated with dressing (tasty dressing!) and wasn't so insanely huge that I couldn't finish it. It was the perfect portion and had a decent amount of salmon on it. Nom nom! One waitress came around with samples of the bear claw. Ick. I haven't had any other baked goods from here, but the bear claw was just....nasty. :o) The staff is really amazing, they're all very nice. The entire place is clean and has lots of seating. If you come here at night, the ambiance is really cool. read more

One of the better food establishments in Santa Maria. Considering its a chain, right? the staff are somewhat friendly, it seriously depends the the day. bread and baked goods and all items are fresh, consistent and tasty. Also, panera offers a tranquil and comfy place to relax with your friends while enjoying a variety of items that it offers. Worth a stop. read more

The food is fairly consistent across the chain but it definitely is on the pricey side. I ordered a bowl of soup and 1/2 a salad combo which ended up to be $10. The salad came in one of those standard small To-Go containers and my soup came in a little cup. I had the Lemon Chicken soup which was very "lemony" but it was fine. I also had the Thai Chicken salad which was tasty. It had edamame in it which was very different. Overall the food was pretty good but I was still hungry after having the soup and salad. Oh and I guess it's been a while since I have been to a Panera but they discontinued the Sundried Tomato spread. Why???? Even the cashier said that it was one of the most popular and people ask for it. I had really wanted a bagel with that spread - was soooo bummed. read more

Waste of money and over priced. Small portions. Long line. Credit card machine didn't work. Horrible service-gave me the wrong drink cup. Not enough food. read more

Panera Bread - Look at what I got!!!! What a joke!! Turkey Cranberry Flatbread Sandwich - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Typical panera. That being said the customer service and cleanliness of the place are lacking. read more

The service was awful, it took them forever to ring me up and get the food, no coffee and they got my order wrong. The place was a mess trashed everywhere especially behind the counter . read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Maria, California

I was surprised that Santa Maria had a Panera Bread...you folks are lucky! For a quick sandwich/soup/salad this is pretty good. The staff was nice, although they seemed a littel overwhelmed with a crowd (of 3 folks in line). If you've never been, try it. It isn't bad. The one thing I will tell you...the desserts look AMAZING...BUT THEY ARE NOT!! Don't be fooled by the looks, nothing in their baked goods was worth the calories. read more

I have been meeting here for a while now. At least 5 times a month. This has really been a great place to bring clients and prospective clients with a lively atmosphere. The free wiifi has been great too. I especially like the hot drink selection and the option of a mug or to go cup. Edward Tomilloso read more

Friendly staff, good service, a bit messy. Jut tried the new Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich and it was "out of bounce" to quote that chef guy... Bread was fresh and soooooo soft. Had if with a side of warm tasty Mac n cheese... Very tasty. read more

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Yesterday, I was in Santa Maria on business and decided to get a quick and easy to order online sandwich from Panera Bread so I could take a conference call in my vehicle (COVID). I ordered the Whole Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt sandwich to go. Ordering and pick up was fast and easy. Unfortunately, when I took my first bite of the sandwich I about spit it out it was soooo salty. The foccacia bread had big chunks of salt on the top like a pretzel. I scrapped off as much of the salt as I could, but the salt taste was still very strong. I wasn't sure if the other ingredients were any good because all I could taste was salt. Since I was starving and my 12:30 call would last until 2 pm, I ate parts of the bread that was not covered in salt and just the chicken, avocado and cheese from between the bread. I don't plan on getting a sandwich from this Panera again. I've had their catering sandwiches before and there were good, but this one stunk. read more

Love Panera but this location is terrible. The "rapid" pick up service is a joke. My order is never ready at the time it should be and is NEVER correct. There is either an item completely missing or they didn't put bacon on my bacon turkey bravo. Orders/food is sloppily put together. It doesn't matter if it is a busy day/time this is always the quality I get from this location. read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Went to Panera at 10:45 am and couldn't get a breakfast sandwich the employee straight out Said no didn't even called a manager. Wow I'm how amazing how everything is a NO what had customer service come to... it was a sale they lost. read more

One of my favorite chain restaurants... great because they have healthy options! The You Pick Two is a great deal. Half sandwich with a small cup of soup or small salad for $8-$10 (also comes with either an apple, bread, or chips). Their summer smoothies (mango, peach, black cherry, strawberry, etc.) are delicious! Of course, you have to wait in line next to all the delicious looking pastries... which are hard to resist. They also have acai berry iced tea and iced coffee with free refills. Service at this particular location is only average, which is my reasoning for the 4 stars and not 5. read more

The restaurant was not very clean, the floors could have used a good cleaning. The bathroom was filthy, and my soup had a price of plastic in it! read more

Me and my husband got the Pick Two special. I got the apple salad which was really tasty and had perfect amount of dressing, the candied pecans were good too. I also got the Mediterranean sandwich which was TINY even considering it's a half portion, although I enjoyed the sandwich. My main reason for not giving more stars is simply the tiny portions for the price. It was $27 and change with drinks for us both to eat. I don't have a problem with not having giant portions but the price just doesn't reflect the amount of food. read more

Don't go in during the evenings unless you want poorly sliced bagels and cold mac&cheese. Usually at least a 10 minute wait, sometimes longer. read more

I have lost interest in Panera Bread. We use to order from them all of the time at work but the last few times we've ordered from them I've been disappointed. They have forgotten a few of our meals and the last time they couldn't even find our order, I had to show proof that we even placed an order. When they finally found it I felt like they were blaming me for it because they had the wrong name down. read more

I tried ordering through the website for pick up and for some reason the website kept on glitching over and over and over again while I was trying to hit continue after I had everything in my car already and I was ready to check out and pay it refused to let me continue so I could put my card information in. Then when I tried calling the business to talk to the manager he or whoever is manning the phones does not answer it keeps on ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing. On the website I noticed that a lot of things that they usually have in stock their bakery items most of them were not available and that is because of poor management I know this because I'm a manager myself. I really wanted Panera bread and I was going to have a family member pick it up because I am sick currently and it's not appropriate for me to go into a store and subject anybody to getting my cold. My kids are not happy and we will be going somewhere else this is some bullshit. Never again! read more

Wife and i love coming here for lunch for the past 3 years, food is perfect and the bread and treat selection. I do have to say though the tables and chairs and the store as a whole are in very much need of an updates/ face lift sone sears and tables are worn and the tops of the booths sets are torn...panera corporate need update read more

Our first experience here was not a rave review but we decided to give it another chance. There were 3 people in line ahead of us with one register open at 11:20 am. After 10 minutes there were 10-12 more people behind us and we decided to leave but I approached the manager first. She tried to brush me off on someone else but I told her that I would like to speak to her. I told her that whatever their criteria was for opening another register had to be surpassed by all the people in line and that we were leaving. I got NO apology nor any offer of assistance. She said "I'm on my break so there's nothing I can do about it now". I was astounded and said "That's the worst customer service I have ever heard!" She shrugged and looked away. We'll never go there again and I will spread the word. read more

Food is great and staff is friendly, but the consistent errors with my order makes me not want to continue ordering from this location. And although they offer to make the order correct, this is not possible when picking up an order to only find when you return home that the food was not prepared correctly. To return to this location would require a 16 mile or 20 minute round trip when this could all be avoided by paying attention to what ingredients are added or delete within the order. read more

I ordered on line and when I arrived my order was ready. That was the good part. My Goddess Dressing salad contained wilted spring greens and old kale, a couple pieces of chicken, rancid bacon and other crumbly stuff for $11.99. This is not the quality of food I enjoy and will not be returning to Panera Bread for a wonderfully fresh salad. Once This was my go to place for a yummy salad. No more. read more

Panera is pretty much the same everywhere. The location is A+ and the atmosphere is great. Lovely for coffee dates and study groups/get togethers. However their food... I just can't help but imagining that every dessert and bread/ muffins/cookies are over 500 calories and high in fat/sugar. Pretty much in every department that isn't so good for your health. It's tasty though, i give you that! I've had their soups and tomato paninis, even their breakfast coffees. I like their pumpkin muffies when it's fall time but other than that, Panera is just good for their inviting atmosphere (which pretty much keeps them in business) read more

I've ordered many times from here....most of the time my order has been missing things or you order extra of something and they barely put a normal amount let alone extra. I have dealt with it bc I like Panera food so much and it's easy to get a large order for my employees to show them my appreciationof their hard work. This morning was the last straw for me. I ordered a breakfast sandwich and the part of the egg that was sticking out of the sandwich was wet when I bit it and literally tasted like dirty towel water. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING!!! AND UNACCEPTABLE!!! ESPECIALLY during COVID when things are supposed to be even more sanitary than normal! Will NEVER be back here and this has ruined dining out for me and my family knowing people working around food can be so careless and unsanitary. You can take every precaution for preventing COVID and it takes one careless person like this to pass it to you through your food. No thanks. read more

This doesn't even come close to a star ,I ordered a steak and cheese sandwich I got bread a small piece of cheese and hardly any meat ,very disappointing, I spent good money on this for very little food ,I shouldn't waste food but I did throw it away, there was really only bread read more

I purchased a loaf of sourdough bread and watched the employee throw the ends in the trash. My bread I paid for and they throw the best part away. Someone must have trained him to do this I wonder why? Stupid! Stop this procedure. read more

I typically work really long shifts at the Starbucks next door, so every once in a while I'll get an hour lunch. Today I went in and they were handling the lines smoothly and my food was great! But what I'm writing this for is there was a young man named Kegan (spell check that) with blonde hair, this young man was the most polite employee I've come across at this location! I sat and worked on some homework and he came and gave me my food asking me if everything was okay and once he noticed I was finished he LITERALLY CAME AND CLEANED EVERYTHING UP FOR ME giving me more time to relax and wrap up my assignments. Absolute sweetheart with the best manners! I wanted to speak to the manager about him but I just didn't have the time! THANK YOU BEST VISIT YET. read more

I eat at this restaurant often and have never had a problem until today. I ordered curbside pickup. After waiting in my car for over 10 minutes i decided to go in the restaurant. There was one person behind the counter taking orders and I couldn't get her attention. Another employee walked from the back and checked the tag on the one order to go and walked away. I followed her to see if they was my order. Of course it was. I asked the employee why she didn't walk the order outside. She said the nAme in the order wasn't the same. The same as what?? I hadn't even given her my name. She was very rude to me and got so flustered that she stomped off into the back room. When I asked to talk to a manager they other employees said she is the manager. If she's the manager I will never shop there again. Her name is Stephanie and does not belong in the position as Manager. Please get rid of her now!!! Really bad for business!! read more

Waited 45 minutes for my son's sandwich before going up and getting a refund. Barely a "sorry" from the manager. This used to be a good fast-food option, but after tonight I won't go back. read more

I live within walking distance to this location. I tend to go at least once a week. The place is clean and regardless of how many customers are there, always seems to be plenty of seating. I think I tried most items on the menu. I recommend you try the following: Lunch/Dinner Bacon Dijon Sandwich Greek Salad French Onion soup Breakfast any of the Souffles any of the breakfast sandwich's Bear claw Coffee is great! read more

Very good customer service. Messed up my sandwich but immediately made me a right one and offered me a free pastry.

I have to admit after visiting Arroyo Grande Panera the one in Santa Maria is well ran. Great Parking, clean seating. They have new faces and very friendly at that. I had the chance to interact with a couple employees that stood out. One of them was blonde I believe her name was Diana she was helping a very rude customer infront of us in line, she remained calm & collective & you can tell customer service was what she cared about & she made sure that rude customer left happy like that was her ultimate goal. She kept a smile on her face (yes through the mask)! I was next in line & I had a couple questions about their new items on the menu she was very very Knowledgeable. What made her stand out was her friendliness, her positive attitude, & the attention she gives the customers, she asked my coworker & myself "What are you in a mood for? A hot sandwich, Cold sandwich, warm soup or a fresh salad?" Because i was undecided. She helped us pick out something that we were really going to like & we did!! She offered me the best deal & when my rewards and discounts weren't going through she made sure to double check with someone else to see if there was anything she was doing wrong or if she can fix it! The woman that she asked she introduced her as Gloria one of the managers on duty & this woman was very very rude and said right infront of me "I DON'T KNOW & I Guess we just can't give him a discount" she shrugged her shoulders & stayed there hovering being of no help at all (she was an older lady with very short hair in a very tiny ponytail) so then another lady (thin with gray hair) came by she did not know what she was doing either , So when Diana couldn't get help from neither women she asked another one i believe her name was Adrian & she was another one that stood out she also did her best to make sure i was taking care of & was very helpful & Knowledgeable ! Diana could've given up but she knew there was a way & she wanted to make sure i was satisfied & a returning customer. THANK YOU BOTH. I will definitely be returning because of these ladies. I hardly do reviews but the ones i do are because they were really meaningful & made my experience the best possible. I just hope your managers get to read this because we need more people like you 2 that care about your customers & go over and beyond with your customer service. It doesn't go unnoticed & the Panera in Arroyo Grande can take more than a few pointers from these 2 ESPECIALLY higher management over in that store they are very very unprofessional!!! Thank you Panera Santa Maria I highly recommend this store it's clean and I hope more customers are able to get the same customer service i did. read more

At this Panera as I write this. As always, the food here is very good. Unfortunately, the employees working the front/registers ruined the experience with their surly, unhappy & borderline rude attitude & demeanor. Specifically, employee Kelsey(?) was so unpleasant that I almost skipped buying the food. In fact everyone seemed to be pissed off that they were there. Management really needs to see how that kind of a reception impacts their business. read more

Not super happy that I spent $9 for mac and cheese that my kid wanted because she had her wisdom teeth out, and it's half empty. read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Santa Maria, California

We went to Panera today around 2 pm. The line was long, but there didn't seem to be many in the dining area. There was only one person at the cashier's station and she was slicing bread and bagels and making specialty drinks as well as taking orders. The turkey chili, that I've had in the past, was more "broth" than usual. There were several dirty tables and trash on the floor near the drink station. The container for used personal trash in the women's handicapped stall was overflowing as was the used paper towel container. There was only one runner and I believe they needed more assistants or the manager needed to be visible read more