easy high school job, college job - Associate Trainer Panera Bread Employee Review

3.0
Nov 4, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- great food - great people working there (most of them) - understood you were a student - VERY flexible hours

Cons

- i thought the discount sucked, i mean its food why should you pay - its minimum wage so that sucked - managers have their favorites - management cant seem to agree with each other - example from my store: the managers literally all ganged up on one manager to try and make him look bad . he happened to be the ONLY manager the younger employees could get along with. - audits and checkups for the most random and annoying things - if you are a girl it definitely helps - favorite saying from one manager: "just stand there and look pretty" - customers can be really nasty - someone can come to you with an empty bowl of soup and DEMAND their money back for not liking it - i felt really bad for management panera bread was definately becoming their lives

Explore other reviews about Panera Bread

5.0
Jun 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great people management treats you well

Cons

Hours inconsistent pay is low

3.0
Apr 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

GM at this location is very on top of things, because it's the busiest Panera in Queens. Consistent hours. Shifts go by very quickly, especially in the morning.

Cons

Location is extremely busy so it gets very stressful, especially in the morning when someone is out / there is no second cashier scheduled so the single cashier in the morning has to clean the coffee counter, refill coffees, make drinks, stick bagels in the oven & serve those bagels, check and bag up RPU/delivery orders, get bakery items for barista screen, and ring up customers. It can get really intense when many people come in, which is most of the time. You will be running back and forth like crazy. Customers can be impatient, rude, demeaning, and nasty when the line gets too long. Not recommended for people who are sensitive, with high anxiety. As for Panera the company, this chain keeps making bizarre and difficult changes to the menu, all of which make employees' lives harder and harder. With every change comes strange, dismaying, and borderline impossible expectations for frontline staff that cascade down through management who cannot do much to alter the hard policies. You can tell the company is struggling greatly to keep itself relevant with the younger crowd (a solid 80% of customers are old people). The CEO and everyone making company decisions at Panera is extremely out-of-touch. EXTREMELY. With every nonsensical menu & operations adjustment, you can tell these people haven't actually worked at a food service job in like 40 years.

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