Seems like the Panera Era is nearing the end. The prices are higher, the sandwiches seem smaller, and the quality and care is unarguably lower. My sandwich (Roasted Turkey & Avocado BLT) was just slapped together in a toppling pile that was uncontrollable once the toothpick was removed. The turkey and avocado weren't sliced, just huge chunks. The bacon wasn't particularly good and wreaked of being pre-cooked on arrival or old. Carolyn F's 9/26/2014 review stating the same thing was spot-on accurate. Here's what it is supposed to look like https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/menu-categories/sandwiches-panini.html#roasted-turkey-avocado-blt. The level of difference in appearance was akin to fast food advertising vs. reality. Sure it was quick, but I'd rather wait a little longer. Almost $15 for a soda, small sandwich, bag of chips and cookie is not cheap, so if the quality doesn't match I'll go elsewhere. The star of my whole meal was the chocolate chip cookie, though it's odd that I ordered from the display case, and they gave me one from elsewhere that was already in a paper sleeve. I wanted the one that was behind the glass (and more protected). Continually stocking a case is not that hard. I won't be back, at least not to this one. read more

Was spoken to rudely by staff and manager. Curbside pick up parking spots were not marked. Despite my apology the staff member who brought my order out spoke to me rudely because I hadn't parked in one of the correct unmarked spots. Completely unnecessary. read more

This location consistently runs out of menu items. I ordered the turkey avocado BLT on white bread instead of the sourdough bread. They were out of avocado and white bread. This is also the second time I have come to this location to have them run out of avocado. They were also out of apples. This store could really use better inventory control. read more

Did you know that Panera Bread sells power salads? We didn't either but we had to try one. You won't find Power Salads on the Panera Bread menu in their restaurants but if you want to order one, just ask them. I tried the Mediterranean Chicken Power Salad last time I visited Panera Bread. It was chocked full of good things like romaine lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, hard-boiled egg, Applewood smoked bacon and loaded with lots of grilled Citrus & Pepper chicken. Instead of dressing they added a little bit of light olive oil and put a half of a lemon on the side so you could squeeze the juice on top. I had never really thought about using a lemon for dressing but it really worked. The whole salad with chicken came to only 360 little calories. read more

Panera Bread - Mediterranean Chicken Power Salad - Sandwiches Near Me - Waterford, Connecticut

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We love Panera Bread, however, this location is pretty notorious for taking forever on orders. Even on rapid pick up, I order 20 minutes early and still have to wait an additional 15 minutes inside to actually get my food. The quality was not great and some of my salads were only half full. When waiting inside, I see multiple customers have to come back inside because their order was incorrect or not labeled properly. read more

I love this place! We have been here several times and have always loved the food. Their BBQ chicken salad is fantastic! It is difficult to find a table to sit at; it is a busy place--for good reason! The food is very good; the food is prepared quickly; and the prices are reasonable. You order, pick up your prepared food, seat yourself, and put up your dishes afterwards. So, it may not be where you want to go on a formal date, but it's one of my favorite dining places. read more

This review is for this specific location only. I LOVE Panera bread! I love their food! I eat here fairly regularly, am a rewards member and have their app on my phone. UNFORTUNATELY, this location has made the worst impression on me possible. I am new to the area and have been to this location twice, and both times they have failed to get my order right. The first time was maybe a week ago, I had ordered through the app and didn't realize anything was missing until I got home. They forgot my husbands sandwich, his main part of his meal. The manager was wonderful and offered to send us a gift card to make up for it. So we tried again tonight with one of the gift cards. I ordered in person at the store and again when I got home I found problems with our order. A loaf of bread ripped in half and thrown in our bag (not typical of how I usually get bread with any meal) and no salad dressing for my Fuji apple chicken salad. I guess I should have checked before I left. For this to happen once is understandable, mistakes happen, and the manager handled it well. But to have it happen twice in a couple of weeks? I really have no interest in coming back here after this. Frustrated since I love their food but don't want to keep wasting money on missing items. read more

We stopped here for a quick and inexpensive lunch. I had the broccoli and cheese soup in a bread bowl and my husband had a chicken salad sandwich. This location was extremely clean, had large selection of fresh, delicious-looking pastries and breads available for sale behind the counter, had a very friendly employee at the front register taking our orders, and was definitely a step above a typical Panera. Overall lunch was pretty tasty and the staff was courteous and very friendly. I would definitely return to this location when in the area. read more

3.5/5 Gluten free options available upon request, but fairly limited. Good salad, soup wasn't great but it's okay. Good service, nice decorations, friendly and caring staff. It's a casual place to eat. read more

Panera Bread - Salad requested to be gluten free at Panera - Sandwiches Near Me - Waterford, Connecticut

What I ordered- you pick 2, French onion soup and half a turkey bacon avocado sandwich on multigrain bread . What my husband ordered- you pick 2, broccoli cheddar soup, half a turkey sandwich on white bread. What we got once we took our food out (had ordered in the restaurant but to go)- a cup of French onion with no crouton and shredded Parmesan cheese, my sandwich was on white bread and made with chicken instead of turkey. My husband received his sandwich on multigrain bread and actually made out as he paid for a half a sandwich and received a whole one. I guess we should double check our meals before leaving the restaurant instead of assuming they would have been correct. Super disappointing! read more

Not very warm. Could hear the associates messing around loudly. Cashier was so kind and attentive but couldnt get my reward to work & didn't seem compelled to trouble shoot it. Wifi wasn't working so I asked and one of the workers just said "Yeah, it's crap." thats it. I work at a different Panera, & comparatively this one is average at best read more

We placed an order online for four meals and some extras at 6pm The system allowed us to select a pick up time anywhere from 15 minutes or later. We chose 45 minutes later. When we arrived at that time, it wasn't ready for another 20 minutes and they didn't have some of the extras we wanted. So why am I giving it 4 stars? Because it wasn't the locations fault. It's a national ordering system so it can't account for a local places staffing, customer flow, stock etc. the manager was working his tail off to get all the orders ready. The food was very good. I will just know to allow more time in the future. read more

Ordered a small Caesar salad, autumn soup and got the panera bread along with it. Under $10-decent price for lunch. Wasn't expecting much as I admit I lower my standards for chain restaurants. I don't lower my standards so much as to find a hair in my salad acceptable. EW! Especially since I had already eaten a quarter of it. 2 starts for the soup and bread though. Those were good. I think the next time someone suggests Panera for lunch I will pass.... read more

I've never really had anything terrible here but they usually do run out of important ingredients today they had no Splenda. I ordered a coffee and a fruit cup to go and didn't get a spoon so when I asked for one the girl looked at my fruit cup then me and said "you mean a fork?" sorry I just didn't feel like stabbing my fruit this morning. Wow, I'm sure she didn't mean to insult me but really???? Oh well the sun is out and no one will take my smile!! read more

Panera Bread - Sandwiches Near Me - Waterford, Connecticut

Staff is so nice and I love to come here with my friends after school. The food is so fresh and amazing, I'd eat it everyday! The enviorment is very friendly and its such a pleasure to come and eat here once in a while. I highly recommend panera if you want something healthy and yummy pasteries or meals. read more

I work for a business in the area that ordered lunch for 20 employees on 10/21. It got to 12pm, when the order was supposed to arrive, and our manager had to call to see what was going on. It turns out Panera had cancelled the order without ever notifying us. That's an atrocious business practice, it's safe to say we won't try to place an order with Panera again. Apparently our business isn't worth enough to them as they admitted when we called that we should've been notified of the cancellation but made no offer to right their wrong in any way. Spend your hard earned money elsewhere. read more

We recently stopped in here out of necessity when we were making returns in the area. Both of our salads looked ok, but upon digging in, the avocado on mine was starting to brown.. I was just really disappointed to bite into that, don't think I'll be stopping at another Panera anytime soon. read more

A great Panera. The service is always great and there is a lot of seating. It's one of the largest in the area. If you know Panera, you know the food. Very consistent experience. read more

This restaurant is a piece of crap. After messing up my order more than once, they provided me with half of the salad that I paid for, and then essentially told me to get lost when I complained about it. I'll stay far a away from Panera in the future -- and the fact that this location is allowed to treat customers so poorly is Avery negative reflection on the entire Panera Brand. read more

Panera Bread - I paid nearly $4 for all three tablespoons, there. - Sandwiches Near Me - Waterford, Connecticut

The bread is the only thing that's consistent. Oh and the can'd soup. This place is busy but unbelievably slow.

Be sure to double check and triple check your online order because more often than not it is incorrect or missing an item. I ordered online and as usual was missing an item and when I went back to the store to get it corrected, the associate actually started to argue with me. Poor customer service, they are frequently out of items and make a lot of mistakes. I like Panera, I just wish this one was run a little better. read more

Stopped by for lunch at Waterford Panera. Ordered turkey, bacon, avocado on ciabatta bread---1/2 size sandwich. Sounds good, right? Arrived with fat half globe of avocado, 1 small but fat slab of turkey, uncooked bacon. Chef (?) speared it with a toothpick in such a way that sandwich was sideways. A pile of small parts. Fell apart when lifted off the plate. Too much $ for half a sandwich that had to be eaten in pieces. read more

I recommend going to the restaurant Panera Bread. All of the food is extremely delicious and very filling. My favorite meal is the broccoli cheddar soup in a bread bowl with a medium green tea. I enjoy sitting at the table by the fireplace because its comfortable. Yo recomenda el resturante de Panera Bread. Todos comidas es extremadamente delicioso y muy me llena mucho. Mi favorita comida es sopa de bróculi y queso cheddar en un tazón de pan con un medio té verde. Yo disfruto se sintiendo en la mesa al lado de la chimenea porque es confortable. read more

This is the worst panera i ever been too. Do not order chicken tortelinni alfredo. The chicken looks raw

I've been here a handful of times and keep coming back because I think every place has an off day every now and then but at this point I think it's safe to say that this is the worst Panera I've ever been to. Each time that I've ordered online something has gone wrong. Wrong soup, wrong side, something missing, etc. On top of that they are unorganized and look crazed every time I go in. They are also late getting the food. Every time. After an extra 10-15 minutes (on average) over the pickup time, I usually ask if they received my order and they look at me like I'm the biggest jerk on the planet and say things like "I don't have any orders here" or "you might be at the wrong location" like it's my fault that they can't find it... But alas, each time it's been there all along and someone scurries around the corner and passes it over. No apologies, just weird looks. From now on, I'll be avoiding this place and going to another location. Way too unorganized. read more

Panera Bread - Here's a picture of a sad pickle. - Sandwiches Near Me - Waterford, Connecticut

I love this place! Everyone here is great, the food is great! It can get quite busy on the weekends, so weekdays are the best times to go, but it's no wonder they are busy! They're great! read more

Tomato and Mozzarella hot Panini! AMAZING. Broccoli and Cheese super, always good. Great coffee. LOVE. read more

Usually swing by for a quick bite to eat whenever I'm in the area, Typical Panera, clean tables, fresh food, and friendly staff.

The best service I have ever received at any Panera bread. Food was great as always (Green Goddess Cobb and clam chowder) and Agave Lemonade was bangalangin. I knocked my plate of food over and the manager personally came over and cleaned it out for me and had a new salad waiting for me within a minute or two. This was during lunch time so extra points for handling this with a decent counter line. read more

Frequent diner here due to the healthy food options and proximity to all the shopping in Waterford. Bread is yummy, but the salads and sandwiches are inconsistent in quality. This place can be unbelievably busy so plan to stand in line. If I had to choose, this would be the first place for lunch in the shopping district. read more

I always get the BBQ chopped chicken salad here and its always delicious. When it gets busy the tables arn't kept clean, but I supposed thats because of the high turnover of tables. Other than that its always good for a quick meal! read more

Yes,...as others have stated...service is painfully slow...almost as if it were an ingredient....don't try danish in afternoon...D R Y!!!should be removed after a certain amount of time sitting there.....sorry to report... my friend ordered a steak sandwich which i could have improved by drawing the steak slices with a Sharpie Marker!!!! Larger and More flavor too!... sorry for negative comments but, i guess i'll just get my baked goods earlier in the day!! Pastry Mission accomplished......! now to my salad......how does a salad look painted in the bowl..without the dressing ...NO flavor...I will, as I always do..give an establishment a second try...maybe it was an Off day???!!!....staytuned!!! read more

Panera Bread was an amazing experience. The lady who I ordered my food from was extremely nice and kind. I took a while to order because I didn't know what I wanted and she was very patient with me. When I went to get my food I after the buzzer rang she told me to enjoy my meal and actually meant it, unlike other places. I would definetly recommend this to anyone who wants to stop somewhere for a quick lunch. read more

Stopped in for a quick lunch while out shopping. Haven't been here in a long time and remembered why.......the ordering is confusing; if you are not familiar with the menu and need some time, there is pressure to decide so you don't hold up the line. Ordered the Southwest chicken flatbread sandwich for two. When we sat down to eat realized we had been given the Thai chicken flatbread. Oh, well, we like Thai food, so we kept it. If there was an ounce of chicken in the two flatbreads that would have been a lot! lots of peanut sauce, two or three slivers of cabbage and lots of peanut sauce. The flatbread has a cardboard texture which is strange for a restaurant that claims to be a bakery also. The one good thing was the pleasant person who took our order. Otherwise, too many other places to get a quick bite. read more

Horrible experience here this evening. During my hour commute home from work, I called in my order and was told it should be ready in 15min. I arrived at that time but was told they had gotten busier and it wasn't ready yet. The counter girl had me pay for the order and told me I'd be informed when it was ready. After another 15 min, I went up to the take out area tp inquire why my order wasn't ready yet. That's when they told me they had no phone orders pending ie My order that was already paid for had never even been started. Infuriating and unforgivable! I demanded my money back and will not be returning. Too bad, because I actually like the food. Ordered Domino's delivery instead and was eating at home in less than a half hour. Get your act together already Panera Waterford! read more

Be sure to check your order carefully!!! Almost EVERY time I buy food here, they forget to put something in your bag :( Unfortunately, being in a hurry, I forgot to check my bag today, and I came home with a Caesar salad WITH NO DRESSING!! Beyond annoyed that I paid for and am eating plain lettuce for dinner. Avoid this Panera!!! It's terrible!!! read more

We go here often for lunch on the weekends. I typically get a salad. The food is always fresh and they are always very busy! I love Panera because its healthy food you can feel good about eating. If you want something more sinful they have it, but its nice to be able to eat something that's delicious and good for you too! Their half salad and soup is always a go to! read more

The bowl of chicken noodle soup that was provided was cold, half full and 95% broth for $4.99. The tables were dirty, the floor was dirty and the garbage cans were stacked so high with dishes and uneaten food that the opening for the garbage was unaccessible. read more

We always order to go from the app at this location. There has never once been a mistake or bad meal. I even have changes in my Greek Goddess Cobb every time and it's never messed up. read more

One of the worst experiences . The chocolate muffie was so dry and there was not taste. Chicken panini had so much salt in it . And they were out of so much stuff. They did not even have Mac and Cheese. They didn't even have BOTTLED WATER!!! I then had to get the Green Tea which had 47GRAMS OF SUGAR!!!! Worst place ever!! read more