Panera Bread Reviews

Pros

-amazing coworkers, managers and trainers
-thorough training
-plenty of hours
-high starting wage
-willingness to hire people you recommend
-flexibility with needing the occasional shift switch
-always get the time off I need
-variety of assignments-never gets boring!

Cons

-summer in a downtown, highly populated, tourist attraction setting is BRUTAL
-customers can be very picky and downright rude
-when assigned a dining room close, a lot of heavy cleaning is involved
-cashiering on the IRIS system was a bit difficult to get used to
-can only wear one pair of earrings and no other facial piercings
-can't wear nail polish

Advice to Senior Management

I'd love it if there was a large cart available at closing time so i could load all the coffees and iced teas at once and close faster.

Pros

most of the time the customers are great they treat you with respect and decency , the company gives back to the community by donations and charities. They are based on great cultural values and concept essences

Cons

Most of the people getting promoted to a higher position do not deserve it and lack the ability and knowledge to manage a successful cafe.

Advice to Senior Management

Promote the people who deserve to be promoted not the people who don't follow standards or don't know how to do their job properly so they go to a lower level manager and ask them how to complete assigned administrative work. Recognize the employees who follow the standards and are willing to grow further in the company

Pros

Good management, friendly atmosphere, opportunities to advance, thorough training, easy job requirements, flexible hours, company values are apparent in everyday operations

Cons

Dealing with demanding or rude customers (that's any service job, though), getting cut hours in slow months to meet store's labor requirements, long and sometimes physically taxing workdays

Advice to Senior Management

Every manager has a different style—some are more hands-on while others hang back and oversee rather than jumping into the thick of things. But the managers I like more are the ones who don't hesitate to help any person on their staff during a rush or a stressful day, whether that be brewing fresh coffee, ringing orders or even mopping the floor. A good manager listens, offers constructive (emphasis on that word) criticism and doesn't hang back. There are several such people at my franchise, and I appreciate their commitment to the job. If you want to sit in an office all day, don't manage at Panera Bread.

Pros

The staff
The treats
The 50% discount
The home like feel
The classical music in the background
Loyal customers
Smiling customers
Family environment

Cons

Early hours sometimes as early as 5 am
Management sometimes conflicted
The pastries were a little "too" tempting
Fast paced lunch schedule

Advice to Senior Management

Since I left I believe the management has changed so this really isn't relevant. But the General Manager is still the same and he is a great guy with a kind heart. I really enjoyed working at this Panera

Pros

A company with a great growth potential

Cons

Panera seems to be losing it's competitive advantage and management seems confused about what to do.

Advice to Senior Management

Go back to what made Panera great. We're not changing for the good in many instances.

Pros

It's a fast pace but fun work environment. You will learn a lot about how to deal with food and people. They have a good benefits and you will be able to enjoy 60% discount on your $10 purchase 30 min. before or after your schedule. They let you accept tips from customers as well.

Cons

Because it's a fast pace environment you're constantly moving. You might experience body pain sometimes and your expose of all kind of posible cuts and burns (if your not that careful) due to equipments used at the store.

Advice to Senior Management

Continue taking good care of your crew because they really put their heart on what there doing despite of some cons they're facing every day.

Pros

flexible hours
friendly people to work with
good training program / thorough explanation of job duties
room to move around within the cafe

Cons

not enough hours
management was not always attentive
not paid for the amount of work expected of me and my coworkers

Advice to Senior Management

i think panera would be a better place to work with higher pay and more encouragement for employees to move up in the company

Pros

Panera has a good company culture, with fun people to work with. The work is straightforward, and gives you a chance to work with people.

Cons

Can be repetitive service work, similar to any restaurant or cashier job.

Advice to Senior Management

Support lower staff to keep up morale.

Pros

hours and the free food

Cons

management is sometimes a crap shoot to who you work with.

Advice to Senior Management

figure out a way to rework tracking hours. Why in the world would you track hourly for salaried positions?!

Pros

Great people
Great experiences
Opportunities for advancement

Cons

Not always receive constructive feedback
Management changes often