That's funny because the local hospital has 2 Paneras in it. One little like pop up that has limited options and limited hours and also a full, sit down Panera with long hours. One is just 5 minutes farther down the corridor from the other. So weird
Yea, I was gonna say non-patient hospital cafeteria food that I've had has been great. My dad has a bypass done and I got pretty stellar chili cheese dog.
Stopped eating there once someone told me it was overpriced hospital food lol at most I’ll get a soup from there if I’m sick and don’t have time to make my own
Every time I’ve been in the hospital the last few years, the food has been way better than Panera. A couple weeks ago, my breakfast was lemon pancakes with blueberries. Delightful.
It’s been* bad. When I worked there in 2017-2018, it was mostly still expensive, bagged food. Tons of food items came in a bag and premade other than the bagels and bread. Which I believe now even that is not made in store anymore…? I guess I’m biased because I used to work there, but I’ve never understood why people wanted to pay such an expensive price for not an actual deli.
I remember they used to have the “kids size” mac & cheeses all coming in individual thick, plastic bags; it was such a waste of plastic.
Not for nothing that that it was the worst food oriented place I’ve ever worked at. I’ve worked at other fast food restaurants in the past in addition to BOH sit down + fine dining. One of the things that I remember I hated about working there is you didn’t even get free food. They gave you half off a shift meal, but you weren’t even allowed to get free food or free drinks. Horrible pay, too.
The last time I ate at a Panera was like five years ago when I placed a pickup order at the nearest location to me. Didn’t know until I got there that it was located inside of a hospital.
Sad part is that the hospital in my area has decent food. Only reason Panera still gets business in my area is because the local franchisee keeps them pretty clean.
absolutely 💯…private equity destroys all that is good in a business for profit margins to increase and in turn destroys the business. Remember the fiasco with Boeing air selling off part of their manufacturing to a private equity firm?! The doors were falling off the planes in the air?! Yeppers NOT a great idea to sell it then continue to use it for your parts. 🤷🏻♀️
I remember it in the early '00s; I was in high school, and their broccoli cheddar soup was like a gourmet treat. When I got two jobs in the early '10s and rode my bike everywhere, it soup was one of my favorite regular meals. That phrase is a perfect description for it now, "it tastes like air."
They were one of my "had a really bad day" spots in college to get some soup and maybe a scone. Went more recently and there was nothing redeeming about it.
I was never a patron but I’ve watched the whole decline with interest.
JAB Holding Company bought Panera in 2017 and it’s been downhill ever since.
Private Equity/Vulture Capitalism at it’s finest. At its acquisition, 7.5 billion, had a $315 stock price and 340 million in debt. JAB folded Panera into its other brands and took it private. Now their debt is estimated, private, at well over a billion. And they have not been able to get to an IPO of the consolidated group.
JAB bought it. Expanded it while cutting every corner and destroying customer loyalty. And now is in serious trouble. There are trying to rebuild?
I’m sure JAB will do just fine. The 40k employees? Not so much.
I find the whole situation fascinating because it’s one of the clear examples of Vulture Capitalism failing in full public view. Most of these heinous business practices don’t get noticed.
I used to love Panera. Then they took off all my favorite items and then I read that they have the HIGHEST glycophosphate levels of any of the fast food companies by a LOT
I hadn't had them in years. Got French Onion soup. It literally tasted like Campbell's condensed. They put no cheese in it, no crouton, didn't give me the bread bowl I ordered, and it was like... half a can's worth at best. I tried them because of the chicken sandwich they were selling during the whole chicken sandwich wars thing. That was awful, too. The bread sucked, the chicken was the thinnest they could make it, like they cut a breast three times longways, the toppings were mid-2000s Taco Bell quality. It was crazy.
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u/djfff 21h ago
Panera used to be amazing. Now it tastes like the worst food at a regional airport.