Panera Bread

We decided to give Panera another chance. We used to go the one in Arlington Heights but, not surprisingly, it went out of business.
The feel of this Panera is nice. There is a variety of seating options and even though there were customers at 90% of the tables, it did not feel crowded. Our meat was prepared quickly and was a good value and not bad as far as taste goes. We will probably return and try out other items on the menu — until then we will hold judgement on the food.
Our visit was on a Saturday evening and we noticed a few groups of AHS students at the tables some eating some just hanging out. We also noticed families with small children and even a couple laptop workers. It was nice to see the variety of customer types. We are supportive of places that are tolerant of teens hanging out — there are so few places and the AHS students, from the football players to the kids with nose rings were all under control and really respectful of older customers like ourselves.
Atmosphere is really important to us, and we had a nice relaxing meal that was well prepared and a good value for the money.
Parking is a real challenge in Lexington Center on a Saturday evening and be aware of all the pedestrian crosswalks. Not all are well lit and not all pedestrians realize they are invisible in all black clothing. On the other hand, Lexington is one of the few communities that seem to enforce crosswalk laws and safety. This may not seem relevant to our dining experience but most of the parking in Lexington is on the other side of Mass Ave. A good dining experience can be degraded by a near miss in a crosswalk getting back to your car.

really nice place: clean comfortable warm. I particularly like their self-​service ordering station with GPS buzzers that you just place on your table and wait comfortably while sitting down. then someone will bring you your food directly to your table. great workflow. I will coming here again.

Love Panera! My kind of fast food. Healthy options with calorie counts included in description. Consistent. I’ve been to many Panera’s and Lexington is my favorite BECAUSE you can order your food via kiosk/​computer which allows you time to peruse the options and customize your order. ALSO — the food is delivered to your table!!! Genius! Why aren’t all Panera’s doing this? Such a simple thing that makes a huge customer service improvement. Great seating options and great Lexington Center location has become a town gathering place.

Service is polite, friendly, and fast. I had the Mediterranean chicken quinoa salad. It was nice and fresh, but there was so much sugar and vinegar in the dressing that it was barely edible. Sugar in a vegetable and meat salad? Yuck!

Good food — comes out right. Nice dining area — clean and bright. Good service — they make your order right if it’s not and are friendly about it.
I did find a string in my food once.
(Eaten here more than 5 times)

A good consistent Panera. Lots of seating. Kiosks to order and your food is brought to your table. You can even sit down and order food from your PC and have the food delivered to your table.

I have a general disdain for any restaurant that knowingly puts their logo on a highway hospitality sign when they are located nowhere near the exit…
This offender happens to be almost 2.5 miles from the highway.

I have nothing against Panera as a chain restaurant but this Panera in particular I will never, ever go to. This is because they have rights over the parking lot in the back (which not long ago was be open for use by people going to any business in Lexington center) and they actually have a man who stands in the parking lot, harassing people as they leave their cars, to make sure they are going to Panera.
I parked there and was going to one store and Panera after, but because I turned to walk to the store he literally stopped me, harassed me about where I was going, and then watched me. When I walked back from the store and had to pass him I watched him, watching me, to make sure I went to Panera. I walked through that Panera and bought nothing, and never will.
My sister had the exact same experience just today. To make it better, she has twin infants (which she was carrying all by herself). He stopped her, pressured her about where she was going, and when she did not immediately go into Panera, she returned to her car to find him standing there and an aggressively mean note on her windshield.
Is this Panera’s business model? To harass and intimidate customers into buying their product? This, in my mind, is totally unacceptable.

Got here Sunday 7am with family.
Service is thin. Tables and floor are clearly from the previous day.

Don’t be afraid of the long lines all day. They are the fastest Panera I have ever been in…
Order from app and they bring to table… Quickly and well prepared. I had classic chicken salad and fruit cup, both very good and fresh.

They have organic coffee, believe in sustainability, and this place in particular has lots of seating. Panera breads usually have lots of seats but this place has a separate room that gets outdoor lighting. I’m not exactly sure how the food is at panera bread but for the price it looks reasonable.
The stirrers are wrapped in paper individually; this is a great idea because it takes nimble fingers to grab these small items so people may end up touching a few before picking one successfully.
Free wifi

Bad service. I thought they were known for efficiency? Ordered a crossant and frozen lemonade for my 9 year old. After 15 minutes I asked about the lemonade. Said it would take 1 minute (no apology). Took another 10 minutes 25 total. You just can’t do that with a kid.
I hope they get their act together. They are the keystone cops right now.

This place sucks a d**k!
Avoid at all costs.
Horrible people working there, inedible food, and a general «f**k you» attitude.
Agreed about the over zealous parking attendant in the back.
I couldn’t have a had a more horrible experience and will NEVER go near a Panera again!
Absolute worst!

Great gathering place in Lexington center. They do get crowded at lunch time but if you use the tablet (about 5) it’s easy to skip the line! Just head straight to the tablet, swipe your Panera card (optional), and go ahead ordering. Then take a pager and find a seat, the food would be ready in less than 10 minutes and delivered to you while you surf the web or chat with friends. OK you may not like the computer ordering, and if that’s the case you might end up waiting in line as there is usually only one person behind the counter.
There is a large room with lots of windows facing the street, a cozy fireplace, also a couple of outside seating.
Brian W must be looking at a different location. This Panera is at Lexington Center, not Waltham, and has been open for more than 1 year.

The parking attendant in the lot behind the building is extremely rude and harasses customers. If he suspects you are going to a different business he will yell and accuse you of lying. I will not return to this Panera location!

This is a brand new Panera that opened about a month ago in a new little shopping plaza in Waltham. I was working late and wanted something healthy to pick up and bring home for dinner and figured Panera was as good a spot as any. I like how they put the calorie counts on the menu board and they do have several healthy options. I went with the Thai chicken, which is always good, even with a strange combination of spices.
The restaurant was virtually empty, but the people behind the counter couldn’t have been more disorganized. I waited at least 15 minutes and the worst part is you wait in front of this screen that shows how long others are waiting. There was one open order for 45 minutes! That didn’t give me much comfort.
They literally ran out of bread. When bread is in the name of your store you probably should make sure you have enough of it. They also ran out of boxes for salad, which meant I ended up with 2 little boxes instead of 1 big one. This portion control worked to my benefit because I ended up with dinner for 2 nights instead of 1.
I hope this Panera gets its act together soon.

Don’t go here expecting quick service. Cashiers are robotic and slow. Preferential treatment is given to online orders over in house orders. A toasted bagel ordered at the counter will take 8mins for the kitchen to prepare even when store traffic is minimal.

It’s Panera. it’s expensive but the quality if almost always good, so it’s usually worth it.
I almost always get salads and customize them to give myself some extra protein. This is easy to do at the kiosk as well as ordering with an employee.
If there is a line here (and there almost always is) bypass it for the multiple ordering kiosks. Once you use them once you will have mastered the interface and will save yourself a bunch of time and frustration.

Friendly and quick service. Quality food. Always a favorite.

Quick service, clean, nice location, tons of seating. Great!