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Panera Bread is trash and expensive!

DosGamer

Member
Panera Bread just added a location where I work, so I figured I would go and try it out for lunch. I spent 20 dollars for a precooked chicken sandwich, drink and a hard ass piece of bread. Absolutely floored at the cost. I made a comment to the cashier about the price and she said... "you do know that Panera donates all of its uneaten bread to the homeless?"... My smart ass mouth kicked in and I replied with ... "that is actually bullshit, because the price you charge the common customer more than makes up for what you give away. The customers are feeding the homeless.
What an absolute ripoff.
 

Esca

Member
I like their tomato soup a lot but I get that at the grocery store. I agree their prices are a joke
 

AJUMP23

Parody of actual AJUMP23
I think their breakfast is good, bagels and pastries. Their lunch is garbage. Sandwiches use to be great, but I will not eat there anymore.
 

YukiOnna

Member
I had a sandwich there once and it had the usual toppings + diced onion. Unfortunately, all I could taste was onion... never went back, lol.'

I hate onions.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
I haven't had Panera in many years. I used to go there to study a lot and I enjoyed their snacks and tuna sandwich.
 

Mr1999

Member
I see a lot of that now, prices being too high. I remember when I used to spend $2 for a burrito, its like $5 now for one. I just don't give them my business anymore, I go to local diner now, 6 oz burger with cheese and all the fixings, large order of fries, and a homemade milk shake for like ten bucks. As for Tacobell and the rest, Id rather go to outback steakhouse and have their bloomin onion and some beer at that point.

Some people dont care though. I used to work with this guy who would buy $25 salads every single day, and this was before the prices increased. He wasn't even making that hourly. I told him to do the math and see he was spending a car payment on salads alone every month.
 

Dural

Member
I used to go to Panera all the time, the wife and I would have lunch there when we were dating like once a week. The prices have gotten so high that the only thing I go there for now is a french baguette. I'll pick it up on my way home when I have a soup going in the crock pot. The baguette is still reasonably priced and tastes great.
 

Mr1999

Member
I don't disagree there, but it literally tasted like a chicken sandwich you could get from a gas station. lol... I mean I lived off of hot dogs from the gas station when I was in college... so it is what it is... but I was expecting more I guess.

That's another thing, Gas station food. Almost all gas station sandwiches ive bought in the past, it was like $4 to $5 and it was not even edible, would just throw it away, sometimes it was just bread with little to no meat. Even the bread was soaking wet and they kept selling that as if there was nothing wrong with it. Never again.
 

IntentionalPun

Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
I like the soup and never really had issues with the bread.

The rest of the menu is bad though.
 

Vyse

Gold Member
Panera Bread just added a location where I work, so I figured I would go and try it out for lunch. I spent 20 dollars for a precooked chicken sandwich, drink and a hard ass piece of bread. Absolutely floored at the cost. I made a comment to the cashier about the price and she said... "you do know that Panera donates all of its uneaten bread to the homeless?"... My smart ass mouth kicked in and I replied with ... "that is actually bullshit, because the price you charge the common customer more than makes up for what you give away. The customers are feeding the homeless.
What an absolute ripoff.
Couldn’t agree more my friend.
 
Panera Bread seems to have followed the cable company model. They aren't attracting new customers, so they've "boiled the frog" by slowly increasing prices over time to milk their existing base.

Which leads to first-timer sticker shock like OP experienced.
 
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Embearded

Member
Season 4 Help GIF by What We Do in the Shadows
 

Meicyn

Gold Member
A chicken tender sub from Publix 🙌
Dude, their chicken tenders are absurdly large as is. Then they cut up three of those bastards on there for the sandwich. It’s practically an open face sandwich, there’s more chicken than there is bread and there’s no room for anything else. I of course, have them add more.
 

Chuck Berry

Gold Member
Dude, their chicken tenders are absurdly large as is. Then they cut up three of those bastards on there for the sandwich. It’s practically an open face sandwich, there’s more chicken than there is bread and there’s no room for anything else. I of course, have them add more.

Every single time I order a whole one because Im starving and I think im going to inhale it.

....and I can never eat the whole thing. They're more filling than you think.

If you want a hack, ask them to cut up one of those rotisserie chickens instead. Add the meat, skin, some light mayo, black pepper and some cheese. Absolute bliss.
 

DaciaJC

Gold Member
I like their cheddar broccoli soup, but otherwise, I can't disagree. Anytime I bother ordering a sandwich from there, I'm left more or less disappointed.
 

haxan7

Banned
You have to play their system for decent priced food.

  1. Gift cards are roughly 20% off about once every month or two. Just load them on your account and pay with the app.

  2. their app regularly gives unexpected coupons.

  3. 4 trips on the app gets you a discount

Seriously a bunch of lunch noobs here.

oh and don’t be a fat fuck who drinks soda
 
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Mistake

Member
I saw they have some unlimited coffee deal, like a membership, but their coffee is awful. No thanks
 

eddie4

Genuinely Generous
I saw they have some unlimited coffee deal, like a membership, but their coffee is awful. No thanks
It's their drink 'membership.' Unlimited drinks, as in once every two hours. Includes coffee, lemonade, soda. It's pretty much everything except some 'fancier' drinks. They gave me two months free through the app, I worked close to it so i would always come in and grab a drink, the funny thing is no one verifies anything (at least not in this location) so after my two months were up i just kept coming in and grabbing a drink.
 

dispensergoinup

Gold Member
Used to get their pick 2 with half napa almond chicken sandwich and a random bowl or salad but once they raised prices I dipped out.

I did take advantage of that one month free unlimited sip club but haven't been back since.

Their food isn't bad at all, they just run out of the breads I like every time I order.
 

Dural

Member
Supposedly drinking one of these is equal to drinking 11 and a half cans of 12 oz. coke.

It's not as much as you think, the large is like 250mg of caffeine or 2-3 coffees depending on where you get it from.


Go to culvers instead. It's legit good.

Culvers is great but their prices are also pretty damn high. The family size fry is a great deal to share rather than everyone getting a meal.
 

EverydayBeast

ChatGPT 0.1



So many better choices (Penn station, jersey mikes, firehouse etc.)
 

Raven117

Member
Yeah… nah. Your wallet will thank you if you plan a bit and not eat fast food. (As well as your waist line).

But yeah, I’m shocked at how expensive some of those “slightly upscale fast food” joints are now.
 
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