Panera Bread did it to me again.

[Freed Roger]

The thing that has the spoons and napkins is equidistant (like 12 feet) from a coffee station on one side and the cold bev station on the other side.

Inefficient for the guest. Inefficient with labor $$$.

Yes. You can't move around in there peacefully. For some reason, I get into a lot of those awkward games of Chicken with people either getting the drink or getting back to the food. And for some reason, the game of Chicken is not with a yoga-clad hotty but a Bluetooth earpiecer.

[thrill]

The best thing Panera has going for it is the self checkout/ordering stations.

[Freed Roger]

$15.99 after tax.

Decent value.

Gus's chicken Tuesday was $20 before tip (3 piece dark + fried pickles + 1 beer - whatever % their F+F discount is) and $30 after tip.

Cemitas Puebla was $24 after tip for Atomica (best sandwich on earth period) + chips + soda after F+F.

At something like 20% less than fancier/better places for B food (graded on the curve of fancier/better options) it's a good value.

/30

Chicken fried pickles and a beer.... A destination-level sandwich place.... You can give us some better value comparisons. Come on 33rd - that's like a Pete Kozma value comparison vs [insert name of most anyone in professional baseball]

[Freed Roger]

The best thing Panera has going for it is the self checkout/ordering stations.

did that for the first time the other night. had to pull over for 5minutes to work it on my phone. But yes, it saved me some loathing.

[33anda3rd]

Chicken fried pickles and a beer.... A destination-level sandwich place.... You can give us some better value comparisons. Come on 33rd - that's like a Pete Kozma value comparison vs [insert name of most anyone in professional baseball]

If you wanna give me an idea of what you want me to comp it out to, I can maybe do that. I can't really comp it out to other fast-casual chain concepts because I don't eat at those places a lot so I don't have much of a frame of reference. Though I do eat a lot of fast food--I love McD's, KFC, Wendy's but cannot stomach and will not go in to a Taco Bell or BK. I had Taco Bell 4 months ago b/c they opened one that serves booze. It, like all other Taco Bells, tasted like chemicals and made me sick.

If we're comping the quality of Panera to Gus's or Cemitas Puebla, or if we're comping it to other lunch options in my 'hood like Longman & Eagle, Johnny's Grill, Lula Cafe, Fat Rice, Cellar Door Provisions, Bang! Bang! Pie, Parsons Chicken & Fish, and Tastee Freeze, then grading on that curve and going only by quality it's a D+. C- at best. I live 6 blocks from one and it's in the same building as the gym I go to 4-5 days/week and this is the first time I've gone because it's so low on the curve. I would not go back--though to your point, it's connected to my gym, there was like 1 legitimately obese person there and an army of yoga pants, so, if you're in town, the intersection of Logan/Elston location might suit you. If I were road-tripping and in, like, North Platte, NE or something and I had to pick between Panera and a handful of other (non-McDonalds) chain restaurants, I'd take Panera happily. Based on those options, it would be great.

[jim]

For me $16 is an outrageous amount to spend for lunch. That's a full week + in lunch money for me.

[33anda3rd]

Hang in there for all the rad cameos.

I didn't really need the Soup N' Bread thing, I just figured, hey, I'm at Panera, I probably won't be back at Panera again, might as well try the soup that two people recommended. So, minus the soup, I'd probably have spent closer to $10-11.

[haltz]

That crusty roll with decent soup is totally legit. I haven't been there in years thanks to a bunch of great sandwich places in St Louis, but I do remember that aspect fondly.

[Arthur Dent]

What is the BreadCo thing you guys are talking about? Is that a Panera like St. Louis place?

St. Louis Bread Company IS Panera. St. Louis Bread Company was bought in the 90's by Au Bon Pain, rejiggered, and after local success, the model was taken nationally as Panera. Around St. Louis, the original name has stuck around.

Did they rejigger it to make it worse? When I was going to school in St. Louis circa 2002 I remember the St. Louis Bread Company branded restaurants being fairly good but going more recently to Panera, I'm kind of grossed out. Not sure if the store has changed, my standards have changed, or both.

[jim]

That crusty roll with decent soup is totally legit. I haven't been there in years thanks to a bunch of great sandwich places in St Louis, but I do remember that aspect fondly.

Not The Dubliner. Me and a friend supposedly had what some magazine called the best sandwich in St. Louis. It was mostly bread, and tasted to me what I would imagine you get in jail. At least it wasn't $16, that's about all I can say for it.

Not surprisingly, I understand that place went out of business.