Avoid Ordering The Hot Chocolate At This Beloved Sandwich Chain

Hot chocolate is a go-to cold weather sipper. But, as those chilly temperatures drop, so too can the quality of fast-food cocoa (think watery or flavorless). To help steer foodies right, Tasting Table ranked 16 hot chocolates from popular chain coffee shops, and (cocoa-lovers, be warned) we found that Panera Bread's hot chocolate misses the mark. This rating continues an unflattering quality assessment for the chain; in another recent review, we sent a taste-tester to sample Panera's latest seasonal offerings — a yuletide expedition which resulted in an appraisal titled "I Tried Everything on Panera' Holiday Menu, and Honestly ... Meh" (yikes).

The official Panera website describes its hot chocolate as "Bittersweet chocolate flavored syrup mixed with foamed milk and topped with whipped cream and drizzled with caramel syrup." If that sounds like luscious interplay (as we had hoped), don't be deceived. Quoth our taste-tester, "the hot chocolate was watery rather than rich and milky, and it left an odd, almost alcoholic aftertaste that may have been the result of artificial syrup." As for that caramel drizzle, it "might as well have been forgotten since we couldn't detect any caramel notes in the drink at all." Indeed, just over a year ago, Panera pulled hot chocolate from its permanent menu lineup, ostensibly due to changes with its chocolate syrup (an ingredient used to make multiple other beverages on Panera's menu). Since then, the cocoa has been brought back at various intervals, and is currently available as a limited holiday drink.

Today, at a location in Chicago, a 16-ounce limited, signature hot chocolate costs $4.29. It's a decidedly steep price tag for cocoa, especially considering the drink isn't included in Panera's Sip Club Membership, either. Although, last month, Panera launched a one-day-only "free keychain" promotion for the first 25 customers to purchase a hot chocolate (is the drink selling that poorly?).

In a Reddit thread, customers and employees alike discuss Panera's lackluster hot chocolate. "If you get it, ask for extra pumps of chocolate syrup," advises one commenter. Others add, "[I]t was so underwhelming tasted more like hot milk with a small hint of chocolate," and, "It's absolutely awful. I keep having customers complain about it tasting like hot milk [...] They need to remove the chocolate dispenser because it is causing more issues than sales." Regarding price, multiple comments note that $4+ "seems a bit much" and "not worth the price for chocolate flavoring." Elsewhere on social media, another post agrees, describing Panera's hot chocolate syrup as "really bad. there's no richness to it and just leaves a chalky cocoa flavor in your mouth," and "watered down Hershey syrup in milk!"

By our count, foodies are better off sticking to our ultimate hot chocolate recipe this winter season, for a cozy mugful without having to leave the house. Or, opt for McDonald's Caramel Hot Chocolate, or Krispy Kreme's Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate – the two coffee chain cocoas that topped our ranking.