10 Mistakes Everyone Makes At Panera

When you're in the mood for fast casual cuisine, grabbing a quick bite at Panera Bread may spring to mind. There are over 2,200 locations sprawled throughout the United States, so you may very well have one somewhat nearby. This makes it easy to pop in for some food, whether you're there for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a little snack — not to mention, there's a long list of drinks to pick from. Well, no matter what you're dropping by to get at the chain cafe, you might be making a mistake or two along the way. 

These errors apply to frequent visitors and occasional customers, so read through to ensure you're having the best meal possible. Luckily, these are all pretty easy to avoid, too; it is usually a simple fix once you have an understanding of the blunder and why it's happening. Save money, frustration, time, and more with these helpful hints to make your next Panera dining experience as good as it gets.

We wanted to cover the app at the very beginning, as it can be useful to get occasional discounts and change your experience. First, you have to download the app, and then you need to register your phone number; this connection allows you to collect freebies and discounts after you make purchases. Once on the app, you'll see all sorts of random offers, from a sporadic free coffee to $2 pastries to the less substantial $1 off a purchase. You can even get a free pastry for your birthday. 

When you order in-store, simply say that you want it to connect to your rewards and then provide your phone number. If you order from the in-store kiosk, it prompts you for your phone number before starting the order. The app, of course, is already connected to your number, so you don't have to do any extra steps. Set your expectations for the Panera Rewards Program, and you'll fare better. The rewards aren't enormous (like free full meals or anything like that), but the random deal can be useful if you already visit frequently. Why not save on the occasional treat?

We've all been there — you're running late and you just want to grab a bite to eat to satiate your appetite. You stroll into Panera Bread around 10:45 a.m., wanting to order a breakfast sandwich, only to be told it's no longer available for the day. It's unfortunate, but the restaurant chain has a hard cutoff time of 10:30 a.m. on weekdays for breakfast and then a slightly later 11 a.m. cutoff on weekends. 

You can still get things like bagels or bakery items (if they are still in stock), but breakfast sandwiches, soufflés, avocado toast, and the steel-cut oatmeal with strawberries and pecans are off limits. When you view them on the app or website during the "off" hours, you can see that it clearly notes that they are only available prior to 10:30 a.m., and it doesn't allow you to order them. If you want brunch, you simply won't get it at Panera Bread.

For a small fee per month, you can get hot coffee, tea, or soda every two hours via Panera's Sip Club. You can pay monthly or save a few bucks by paying annually. At the time of writing, the monthly fee is $14.99, while a regular-sized coffee is $3.79. If you get four drinks per month, it already pays for itself. If you get a large drink, it pays for itself quicker. Keep an eye out for promo codes to use when signing up for a discounted rate. Once you sign up, you can order through the app, kiosk, or at the cashier by giving them your phone number and mentioning it's a Sip Club drink. 

You can get a lot of use out of the membership if you're close to a Panera Bread, where you can quickly and frequently grab a drink. This may be beneficial if you already come several times a month to eat, where a drink can be of use. Even better, you can redeem the drink every two hours, meaning you can get a coffee in the morning, then head back in the afternoon to grab a foundation drink or lemonade (and so on). The coffee station usually has milk, almond milk, and half-and-half to add to your coffee. Espresso drinks, smoothies, and customizations like chocolate syrup or caramel are excluded.

Don't hope to get your favorite bakery item in the afternoon or at the end of the night. We're not saying it's impossible, it's just improbable given that it's probably already sold out by then. In many restaurant locations, the items are baked in the morning when the bakers did the overnight shift. So, when customers come in the morning, those bagels and bakery treats are nice and fresh. 

But ... then they just sit around the rest of the day, slowly dwindling as people purchase them. By mid-afternoon, the formerly full bagel selection looks a little sad, with only a couple of options to choose from. The muffins, scones, pastries, cookies, and other sweets are consolidated, and there's really not much to select from. Things sell out, and they are not restocked. If you have a craving for something specific, then you need to get there in the morning. We suggest the delightfully sweet and nutty pecan braid or a classic cinnamon roll, both of which were deemed the top two treats in our Panera pastry ranking.

While things like salads and sandwiches are crafted right when you order them at Panera Bread, that's not the case for the soups and mac and cheeses. No, there's nobody in the back chopping and stirring these concoctions together like they do at Olive Garden; instead, they are made off-site, frozen, and then delivered. In our experience, these items come in large plastic sealed bags that are thawed, then dumped into the soup receptacle. 

This is confirmed in a USA Today interview with Jessica Hesselschwerdt, a Panera spokesperson, who said that the freezing occurs as a way "to avoid using certain preservatives that do not meet [its] clean standards." Do with that information what you will. As for us? We're most definitely still going to get the Vegetarian Autumn Squash Soup (when it's in season), Bistro French Onion Soup, or the Broccoli Cheddar Soup — these were deemed the top three picks in a Panera Bread soup ranking.

Life's busy enough as it is — there's no need to stand in line to order if you don't have to. Instead, place your order at the store kiosk or in the app to save time. We prefer the app because you can do it ahead of time and schedule your pickup. For example, if you know when your lunch break is, you can place an order earlier in the day and select a designated time for it to be ready. Then you can pick up via the drive-thru or head in-store to snag it. 

This makes getting your meal easy and streamlined without waiting to place the order and then waiting for it to be ready. Head to the pick-up window area, and you'll see orders sitting there; it will have your name on it. If it's not ready upon your arrival, just stick around, and then they'll call the order out. The kiosk works in a similar fashion, allowing you to skip waiting for people to place their orders at the cashier. Either option shaves off a few minutes from your wait for mealtime, which can only be a good thing.

The You Pick Two is a popular way to get a couple of menu items, allowing you to choose from any two entrees — soup, salad, sandwiches, and even mac and cheese. Now, this sounds flexible and wonderful in theory, but it's not like it's the world's best deal. Some of the products are considered more of a premium item, like how the macaroni and cheese costs $8.29, while a cup of soup is $6.99. The half Green Goddess Chicken Cobb Salad is $8.99, so the two items will still run up a tab. It may be a good offer if you only want two different things, but it isn't cost-effective. That's where the Value Duet comes into play. Granted, there are only seven Value Duets to pick from, but they come at a much better price.

For example, if you did a You Pick Two of the cup of creamy tomato soup ($6.99) and half a grilled cheese ($6.29), it is $13.28, a Value Duet of the same two dishes will cost you $8.99. Just note: you cannot customize Value Duets. Yes, there are limited options, and it doesn't come with a side (baguette, chips, or apple), but it's much more budget-friendly. A couple of other options include the Turkey and Cheddar Sandwich and the Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, or you could do the Caesar Salad and Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup. Browse the menu and see if anything calls to you.

If you need more wiggle room on choices because the rigidity of Value Duet doesn't appeal to you, then don't worry. Panera is very customization-friendly. Whether you order a stand-alone sandwich, a You Pick Two, or something else, you can customize nearly anything — some swaps are free, while others come at a charge (which is to be expected). 

As an example, if you order the Mediterranean Chicken Greens with Grains, it shows that you can add hummus or extra feta at a charge right there on the order page. But then it also shows that you can further customize it, if desired. Don't want onion or cucumber? Get rid of it. If you want extra Shawarma Seasoning and Greek Dressing, go for it at no added fee. Then there are whole sections for proteins, cheeses, veggies, toppings, and dressings that come at an upcharge. The level of customization is unmatched, allowing customers to get exactly what they want.

Panera's menu is pretty vast, with everything from breakfast sandwiches to mac and cheese to salads. If one thing's for sure, it's that not everything can be a mouth-watering delight. There are quite a few items to avoid ordering at Panera if you want the most enjoyable experience. Some common issues these must-skip products face are strange or bland flavors, missing ingredients, and expensive cost for the quality of food you get, among others. 

There's no need to pay several dollars for a very sad, unappetizing, hard avocado toast when other items are much better. The Teriyaki Chicken & Broccoli Bowl is another example of poor flavors and execution; the dish is essentially submerged in a teriyaki sauce that takes over every other element. The iced tea changes each time you get it; sometimes it's perfectly fine, while other times it's way too strong, too weak, or even tastes like coffee. Some foods we can highly recommend are the ultra savory Bistro French Onion Soup, the tangy yet sweet Citrus Asian Crunch Salad with Chicken, or the hearty Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich.

In addition to limited-time options, which will inevitably go away, Panera gets rid of products all the time. Rest in peace, the cinnamon crunch scone – icon of our college days. There are plenty of other items we wish would make a comeback on the menu, though, like the Sierra Turkey Sandwich and the mildly sweet and savory Butternut Squash Ravioli. Panera also got rid of its vegetarian black bean soup to purchase in-store, but you can occasionally find it at your random grocery store. Make that make sense. 

If there's one thing you can count on, it's that your favorite item may not remain a permanent fixture on the menu. There's no telling if or when the brand will remove it, so don't get too attached. This is where it helps to explore the menu a bit, giving you some backups if your beloved soup, salad, sandwich, or pastry gets 86'd off the menu.