An OK first job. - Cashier Panera Bread Employee Review

2.0
Aug 18, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Free baked goods at the end of the night, if you're closing. No previous experience needed. They paid me slightly above state minimum wage when I worked there. No *specific* uniform, other than a hat, although there are rules: you have to wear a solid polo shirt and non-jeans pants/capris. I got some coffee experience here which led to my next job as a barista. Decent discount on food there - I think 40% or 50%.

Cons

WAY longer hours than I had been led to believe at interview. There's a very high employee turnover rate - can't say I'm surprised. Pay is dismal for the amount of work done. Physically exhausting. Scheduling was different from week to week and asking for time off was like pulling teeth - even though at the interview they told me they wanted my school activities to come first, I was given a hard time and fired shortly after taking 2 weeks off for the performances of a school play I was heavily involved in (and had been for months). I came back post-firing to collect my last paycheck, and one of the managers asked where I had gone -- not even the management communicated amongst themselves! He hadn't known I had been fired and seemed pretty annoyed that I had been.

Explore other reviews about Panera Bread

5.0
Jun 24, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good customers, pay, and opps

Cons

None at this time yo

3.0
Apr 18, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

GM at this location is very on top of things, because it's the busiest Panera in Queens. Consistent hours. Shifts go by very quickly, especially in the morning.

Cons

Location is extremely busy so it gets very stressful, especially in the morning when someone is out / there is no second cashier scheduled so the single cashier in the morning has to clean the coffee counter, refill coffees, make drinks, stick bagels in the oven & serve those bagels, check and bag up RPU/delivery orders, get bakery items for barista screen, and ring up customers. It can get really intense when many people come in, which is most of the time. You will be running back and forth like crazy. Customers can be impatient, rude, demeaning, and nasty when the line gets too long. Not recommended for people who are sensitive, with high anxiety. As for Panera the company, this chain keeps making bizarre and difficult changes to the menu, all of which make employees' lives harder and harder. With every change comes strange, dismaying, and borderline impossible expectations for frontline staff that cascade down through management who cannot do much to alter the hard policies. You can tell the company is struggling greatly to keep itself relevant with the younger crowd (a solid 80% of customers are old people). The CEO and everyone making company decisions at Panera is extremely out-of-touch. EXTREMELY. With every nonsensical menu & operations adjustment, you can tell these people haven't actually worked at a food service job in like 40 years.

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