I worked at one in the mid-2000s. The bread was literally baked on-site overnight (there was a 3rd shift that came in and baked bread through the night), and we fresh-chopped ingredients every morning (I still have PTSD from how much basil I had to cut half-asleep at 6am). Hot sandwiches were pre-prepped in the morning simply because of volume, but the trick was if you wanted something different from the base recipe (i.e. no onions, no mustard, etc etc), then we obviously had to whip one up fresh on the spot.
I was there when breakfast was a new thing, and eggs were cracked fresh (no boxed eggs etc) and put on sandwiches with also-fresh-baked rolls.
Yes, the soup was bagged and essentially sat in a sous-vide machine, but never microwaved or any garbage like that.
EDIT: Also, any unsold breads and bagels were picked up after close and delivered to soup kitchens/food banks/etc.
I can't be mad when I see soup in a sous vide machine or warmer. Can it go bad after long enough? Yeah, sure.
But the types who insist on only freshly prepared soup are insane, the level of difference between 1 hour and 12 when using the same quality ingredients is so minimal.
The Broc Cheddar would only last about 20-30 mins max during the lunch rush, so it was always fresh. Even then, I think we had something like a 90 min (don't quote me) cap on the less-popular bags (minestrone etc), and often wouldn't even break it out until the first order for one came then, then just told them they'd have to wait ~10 mins so we could get a fresh batch out.
My “signature” dish among friends and family is a gumbo that I do a pretty good job at making. And it consistently tastes the best after one or two days in the fridge
When I was in culinary school at the Culinary Institute of America in 1995 the soup at St. Andrews Restaurant was prepared and rapidly chilled then portioned. When an order came in it was microwaved and garnished. Soup sitting on a bain Marie all day is drastically less nutritious than the previously mentioned method. Most of the restaurants since then, that I have worked, have had the soup sitting cold without any pasta or starch and reheated per portion with the starch and garnish added to order.
This depends on the texture you are going for on meats. Chicken breaks down and turns grainy as it cooks. I prefer most my soups that have meat for the meat to be cooked separately and stirred in at the end
Panera was also my college job around the same time. It didn't pay well and I worked a TON, but because I was friends with the bakers, they'd often bake an "extra" something special for me, and if I closed, the food kitchen guy let us everyone take some of the bagels. Plus, we got a free pick-2 meal and drinks if you worked at least 6 hours. It went a long way for a broke college kid to have some good food pretty regularly, so I always had a soft spot for Panera. Nowadays, yeesh.
I worked at one from 2019-2021, almost everything you’ve said here was the same except that we started using boxed eggs for the scrambled egg sandwiches, we would still use fresh for the fried egg sandwiches. We also donated unsold bakery items to churches/food banks/etc
The most wild thing is how much the quality somehow had dropped off and the prices have shot through the roof. A sandwhich and a drink is like minimum $15 now. I think most employees now just don’t care about the quality and will throw sandwiches together half-assed. It was still pretty reasonable when I worked there but I would never eat there unless I was getting my employee discount.
In college I used to work at a gas station (college town) and we had an employee there who also worked the bread shift at Panera and would bring the college kids that worked in the store some of their extras. Hope she’s doing well, I always looked forward to working with her.
Kinda irrelevant and a personal antidote but yeah I haven’t been back since they announced the switch. Since it’s kinda lost the meaning for me.
The mental health center I went to years ago would get a massive box of bread from Panera once a week, and gave out large bags full of them to the clients after appointments.
In retrospect thats obvious but i was so shocked at the decline of panera’s french onion soup i thought they originally made it on site before the takeover
It was still largely like this when I worked there 2018-20. Quit about a week into Covid, and then went back a year later to eat and it was COMPLETELY different
i worked at a nonprofit for a few years and our local Panera used to bring their unsold pastries to us almost everyday to distribute to our staff and volunteers. At least partially responsible for keeping me alive through that period
The only good thing I still see Panera doing is donating their unsold baked goods. I donate blood at my local blood center every now and again, and they're always fully stocked with cookies, breads, and other baked goods from Panera.
I grew up in St Louis where it first began. They used to make their bread fresh every day along with their soups. What it is today is not even the same place. It is complete garbage. Also some of the highest levels of glyphosate in their food, FYI.
I first had it around 2007 I believe and it was pretty good even for someone like me that isn’t a typical customer. Then it got expensive but still good when I was in college around 2011 and died slowly since then. It’s a shame.
I took so many dates there. You can tell who they are by what they eat. I myself was a frontega sandwich and the Asian zing salad or whatever If your date orders a pb and j sandwich combo you’re in for a wild time.
It was the place to go and hang out in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Nowawadays, the place seems like your usual abandoned fast food joint where you have to struggle to get someone to give you your 15+ dollar microwaved sandwich before you go back into the hospital.
I first had in ~2005. Their bakery had some good stuff like the cinnamon bagel, but everything else was terrible IMO. I got a cup of chicken noodle with no chicken in it, a dry sandwich, and a coffee that tasted like broccoli.
I was a kid in the mid 2000s. My parents would take me to a Panera that was in the lobby of my doctor’s office building so I always have had fond memories of it. I tried it many years ago, probably post 2016 and it was nowhere near the quality it used to be. It’s a shame because Panera used to be considered a higher end fast food alternative at my house. Now it’s just overpriced microwave food.
It’s dropped off hard but they hang on because they’re STILL one of the only major fast food options that isn’t just burgers, fried chicken, or cold subs.
There’s a few more options than there used to be like Chipotle, various slop bowls, etc. but I don’t think there’s a ton of serious direct competition besides some regional chains.
The online consensus is that nobody eats there anymore but they’re always busy around me..
Even 3-4 years ago I had a favorite salad that I ordered constantly. Salads are easy but they were big and hearty and a great meal when I needed to grab something on my way home. Then they eliminated 2 of the main ingredients I always got. The salad was no longer the same and I haven’t eaten there since.
I’m old enough to remember going there when is was cheap and better quality. Soup and sandwich was cheap and amazing. Now I can’t remember the last time I went to one.
I gave up on Panera around 2003. I went to order a sandwich and they claimed they couldn’t remove the mayo because they are pre made. First and last I ever went in one.
I remember 15 years ago, one of my high school teachers was over the moon because they opened a Panera in our town. She brought the whole class bagels. It's a shame how they've declined.
Iirc they got sold around then or had leadership shake up. A friend did some marketing work for them and I remember him mentioning something about that to me.
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u/CivilBridge7792 9h ago
Panera