Panera Bread

I stopped by Panera Bread in Ithaca (located at 748 South Meadow Street, right near the bustling downtown area) for a quick to-go lunch on a chilly February afternoon. As a local Cornell student always on the run between classes, I appreciate their efficient drive-thru and online ordering system via the app—super handy for avoiding lines. I opted for the Rustic Potato Soup and a salad with grilled chicken and banana peppers, both customized for takeout. The Rustic Potato Soup arrived piping hot in a sturdy container, sealed to prevent spills during my short drive back to campus. It had that comforting, hearty texture with chunks of tender potatoes, smoky bacon bits, and a creamy base infused with subtle herbs—definitely rustic in the best way, evoking homemade vibes without being overly he

Recently the drive-through has been incredibly slow. I have waited over 30 minutes for food orders to be completed and brought out to my vehicle which seems insane considering this place costs more to eat at then sitting down at a restaurant. The last visit my family had an extra 30 minutes before an event so we stopped in considering we had the 30 minutes to spare. It took 45 minutes for two sandwiches, a grilled cheese and three smoothies to come out. They clearly made a little less smoothie than they needed so they topped mine off with about 60% water. I spent over $40 for this meal and most of it was terrible. The free muffin tops they gave us to compensate our time were so stale we couldn't eat them. The next time my wife mentioned Panera I took her down the street to Old Mexico and w

I eat here often and quite enjoy the food, but I've decided to start leaving a 1-star review every time there is any chicken in my salad. I'm a vegetarian and regularly order a salad without chicken. If there's chicken, I can't eat the food, and have essentially wasted some or all of the $10 paid for the salad. This has happened multiple times now. Hope this improves.

The price I was charged was almost double what it showed on the menu. $13+ for soup and 1/2 a sandwich is pretty steep. The food was good, however. It took a long time to get my food ready.

Waited at register about 10 min without any acknowledgment by staff. No ability to place order in person ended up moving to kiosk ordering. 2/3 of the dining room was closed and was unable to sit where I wanted. When I attempted, the staff acknowledged me for the first time to scold me for trying to sit told that area is closed. Very negative experience. When I asked to sit there anywhere was told dont you know what closed means. Will not be returning.