A good place to begin. - Anonymous employee Panera Bread Employee Review

3.0
May 18, 2011
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There is free (bakery) food at the end of the night, if you close. The pay is competitive for an entry-level retail job. You work with a lot of different people.

Cons

When closing the store, you are often rushed to get the job done quickly to either save the company money or get the managers home faster. They make you bus tables, clean toilets, mop, etc.- NONE of which was in the job description when I was hired. You, generally, start at the absolute lowest (cleaning toilets) and work your way up to a mere cashier or line member. Managers often don't praise good, hard work and are quick to nit-pick work. I know of two verbal harassment cases based on employee's sexual orientations (being harassed by the same person) and the management has done NOTHING when notified. Promotion to "associate trainer" happens frequently but promotion to management positions rarely does.

Explore other reviews about Panera Bread

5.0
Mar 10, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great work environment, management was great

Cons

Tips were not consistent every week

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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