Panera Bread

My sister.and I went here, her choice.
It turned out we both had gift cards and didn't know it! I had a tuna sandwich with a diet soda and chips.
She had half a sandwich and soup combo (tomato).
We very much enjoyed our food, the ordering process was very simple and up very quickly.
Consistently good.

Sadness, sadness, oh sadness.
How I was looking forward to trying one of Panera's flatbread pizzas -- because they look so good on the app! A good flatbread pizza can be very satisfying and that is what I was hoping to have on this visit. Well.
Not so much.
If you're looking for "FlavorTown" with the pepperoni flatbread pizza, then you won't find it here.
It's the most flavorLESS flatbread pizza I've ever had.
The crust had no flavor.
The sauce had no flavor.
The pepperoni had no flavor.
And the cheese had no flavor.
Weird.
Very weird.
You'd expect that combo to be very flavorful and satisfying, but ...
no.
Sadness. In addition, the Lemon Drop Cookie had barely any lemon flavor at all.
Again, no FlavorTown here.
I guess the Diet Pepsi was OK. As for the service, there was none.
I ordered online and came to eat in.
I went to the pickup counter and there was my order, but nobody said hello or acknowledged I was there.
I just took the food and found a seat to eat the gooey mess. The place isn't much for ambiance, either.
I didn't hear any music playing.
That would have been nice.
Anyway, just sadness on this visit.

I've eaten here once before and simply wasn't impressed much, so it's not a place l would call a regular favorite, but since l had an hour long wait on a tow truck, l thought why not try it again while l waited. Upon my entry I was immediately and warmly greeted by a very enthusiastic staff member named Caidyn who was running the front register. The line progressed quickly and soon l was having my order taken.
The menu is impressive in size and scope, leaving loads of opportunities to second guess on which selections you really want to try.
By time l arrived at the register I'd already changed my mind a dozen times, thankfully Caidyn assisted me along with abundant cheerfulness and a note worthy willingness to assist me as l stumbled thorough the menu. I knew l wanted the French onion soup as l had recently read about it and it had some impressive reviews, so that was a given.
Additionally l observed the Ham and Gouda melt sandwich on the menu board which sounded equally tempting.
Combined with a bag of potato chips, l felt l had chosen wisely and would soon be enjoying a real treat. As l filled my drink at the self serve soda bar l noticed one of the staff members bussing tables.
It didn't appear that tables remained unaddressed for very long.
As l toured the dining area trying to find the best seat, l noticed that the seating area appeared clean and free of any unsightly issues. My food arrived in short order, delivered table side by another highly enthusiastic staff member who cheerfully extended her assistance if needed.
Additionally upon delivery of my order, she had provided me with plastic tableware and abundant napkins, this rare seldom seen mastery of common sense allowed me to remain seated and immediately start enjoying my food without having to undertake a treasure hunt to aquire any necessary accessories to start eating. l was extremely pleased with the foods inviting presentation.
It demonstrated that the kitchen staff had actually applied some pride in its production. I found my French onion soup to be deliciously delightful.
Right on cue with those hefty reviews that l had recently read.
Chalked full of flavorful caramelized onions in an equally delicious broth. My sandwich was equally delicious.
While not stuffed with ingredients, it certainly wasn't lacking for anything, including favor.
My bag of house brand chips were tasty and free of any deficiencies. Overall l truly felt treated and valued as a guest by any staff members whom l came into contact with.
Additionally l found the dining area to be clean and free of any noticable deferred maintenance issues.
I found my food to be hot, fresh, flavorful and extremely delicious. I truly felt that on this visit, it more then made up for the numerous short comings on my previous visit. I would gladly revisit this store for a nice meal. Panera proudly honors a 🇺🇲 military discount.
🇺🇲 This is a restaurant that l can easily recommend visiting.