Panera Bread
| Address: | 5578 Vincent Gate Terrace, Alexandria, VA 22312, USA |
| Phone: | +1 703-658-5204 |
| Site: | panerabread.com |
| Rating: | 3.8 |
| Working: | 5:30AM–10PM 5:30AM–10PM 5:30AM–10PM 5:30AM–10PM 5:30AM–10PM 6AM–10PM 7AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 9
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Zach Robertson
Im a big fan of Panera Bread. The food is good, the wi-fi is free, the ingredients are fresh enough, the bread is tasty, and the prices are reasonable. I like this store, but it is not as good as the other ones Ive been to. I agree with the other reviews on this page. The employees are ALWAYS in training, there are new faces every week (I am a regular). Management has been working on increasing the speed of their workers, but there remain three main problems: 1) As I said, there are always new employees being trained. This causes mistakes in the placed orders and a slow process at the cash register. 2) More senior employees are ripping rewards off customers. Unless you very specifically state you want your order placed on your rewards card, the cashiers will swipe their own cards on the order. This way they rack up TONS of points and can eat free all they want. Sometimes they pretend to enter my phone number, but I see them swipe their card as I step away. Shady at best. 3) They can be stingy on the ingredients/bread. If you order a sandwich, it is often light on ingredients and the baguette can be quite small. This is relative to other stores Ive been to (Ive been to Panera stores across the U.S.). I think management needs to work on recruiting longer-term employees. If they do this, they can spend less time on new-worker training, and more time supervising. They should also keep in mind that when I get an extra ounce off that baguette, I notice, and will increase my business by at least 20%. Great business idea and good place to grab lunch. This location has some struggles, but with only a couple minor changes in their management strategy, this bakery could go from "Good" to "Excellent". P.S. They offer catering, but it can be pricey for the product.
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Matilda Thorne
I really like Paneras food, but this is absolutely the worst location Ive ever been to. The store manager doesnt seem to understand or speak enough English to properly train her employees, and as a result nobody knows what the hell theyre doing. If you order multiple items from the pastry display, the person taking your order will frequently forget what you ordered, and sometimes theyll run out before you realize youre missing an item, leaving you empty-handed. Most of the employees have been there for at least six months, yet a number of them still dont know basic information like when breakfast ends or how to ring up common items on the POS (e.g. non-seasonal items, like lattes or cookies). Nobody in the store knows how to use the espresso machine properly to make a beverage that isnt scalding hot. The food preparation employees put every single breakfast sandwich in the panini press, so your fluffy, flaky croissant will be reduced to a solid, pancake-flat mess before its served to you. I like Paneras products, but this store is an absolute disaster. Panera Corporate desperately needs to come in and reevaluate the management and employees and clean house.
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James Waldrep
Im a fan of Panera, but do yourself a favor and avoid this location. Poor, untimely service. Just a few examples of what I saw during a recent trip: 1) A man given a to-go order of chicken salad, without chicken. Had to drive back to the restaurant to get what he paid for. 2) An older woman given the completely wrong order twice. 3) Several customers being told that what they paid for is not in-stock and they will have to choose something else. 4) Personally, I paid for two sandwiches ($17) to-go and had to wait 30 minutes before being served. Worse: - At 20 minutes I asked if my order was almost done. They told me my first sandwich was finished and the second was on the way. - At 30 minutes, I asked again. They said they hadnt started my order yet. - When I finally got my order at 32+ minutes, they gave me the wrong sandwich. In the future, I will go far out of my way to avoid this location... and I felt strongly enough to share my experience so that others dont have to go through the same trouble.
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Christine Zhao
Like other reviewers, do yourself a favor and avoid this place. The employees there are grumpy, with one being blatantly rude and disrespectful calling me names and intruding on my privacy, most items were not in stock, and the store seemed almost empty (probably because of the bad service). This Panera Bread cant compare to the one that I always went to in Fairfax. The atmosphere of that Panera Bread was lively, energetic, comfortable, and the store was always full no matter the time.This store, to say the least, was the exact opposite of what I usually see in regular Panera Breads. I highly suggest the manager recruit some better employees.
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A Private User
I came here once to get fifty $5 gift cards. They were extremely nice and my boy B is the man. He will treat you well. I did not see him today nor did I see the middle eastern girl with the nose piercing either. I hope they were not fired. The manager (whos name I cant remember right now is very nice) but there is a lady with black hair who always has a mean/disgruntled look on her face! CHEER UP when life gives you lemons you make beef stew.. Should be her outlook on things in my opinion.Overall a clean environment where I feel it is safe to eat off the floor despite the fact that they have tables and chairs all over the place inside.
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Stacey White
Worst experience ever with the General Manager!!! I had a problem with my order so I decided to talk to the manager to let her know why I was unhappy with my meal...well this white lady with black hair and blue eyes was so rude to me and unprofessional , she ignored me, walked away and hide in the back!!! I asked one of the cashier who was the General manager and the girl said " You just talked to her! I live next door and believe me, I will let everybody knows about the leader of this Panera Bread and the way she handle "costumer service" I left the store hungry,angry and unhappy!!!
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Sydnie Blessman
Love the atmosphere of this place. Good coffee, free wifi! Theyve upgraded their service too. Now when you order you can sit down and wait for them to bring the food to you! Theres even an app you can order from the table I think thats nifty. Fresh baguettes with butter are so good. My favorite pastry is the cobblestone OMG. Amanda, the General Manager is awesome. Its an enjoyable place to get some studying done in a cozy atmosphere. This place is great. Dont drive by without stopping in.
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Sherry Hutchinson
Ordered Greek salad at 3:30 for dinner. Puny! Toppings were ok, but there was so little green in huge white bowl it was pathetic! Also, requested wheat bread, served white had to send back. No butter, server said he had to get it out of the back. In a bread shop??? Really? Ive been here in the past (over year ago) and the salads were more generous. I dont eat meat, so this was like a side salad. Too bad because youre near my home and I planned to schedule a working lunch meet. No way now
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John Narsmar
Been here twice now and the food isnt as good compared to other locations. First time I got a cinnamon roll to go, and it was terrible. I had to throw out after a couple bites... And I really dont like throwing out baked goods... Second time I got the turkey chili, which tasted weird like some kind of cleaning product had gotten into it (soap or something). Probably wont return, which is unfortunate because its the closest to me.
