Production Line Cook - Anonymous employee Panera Bread Employee Review

2.0
3 Nov 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- 50% off during your lunch break if you work 5+ hours - managers are friendly

Cons

- There's no staff room. So you're expected to eat in the dining room on your break. Which also means absolutely no area for you to prepare yourself for work or for class if you are a student. Which also means no microwave or fridge available therfore it's expected that you buy your food there, and as a student I can't justify spending that much each shift when that's going towards my tuition. - applied and was hired as a line cook then put on drive through, not what I applied for or listed as what I was interested in doing - been a week of work and haven't done any actual training yet or even know what I'm being paid or pay periods - the coworkers aren't that approachable, they expected me to know what I'm doing - if you're drive through you're the one doing bagels plus any bagels for people coming in for an order to go, which means you're constantly leaving your station while there's a line up of cars waiting for their morning coffee. While the line cook isn't doing anything because no one orders soups or sandwiches in the morning. - jobs aren't outlined well, it's a free for all resulting in miscommunication and order errors because almost everything is a grey area

Explore other reviews about Panera Bread

5.0
24 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible hours/scheduling, straightforward work, and a great work environment.

Cons

Pay could certainly be a little higher for associates but besides that its been a pretty solid experience working for Panera Bread.3

3.0
18 Apr 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.

See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All