When your best friend works at Panera Bread for two years, you hear stories. A lot of stories. My friend Riya could go on for days, telling you about all the things people who have come to eat at Panera have done, ranging from the good, the bad and the annoying.
While you may expect the ways of a place like Panera to be pretty self-explanatory, you'd be surprised at all the things customers have done, and most likely will do again. So if you don't want to be that person, don't do any of the following things.
1. Leave trays on the table
If you've ever been to Panera, you know that it's very obvious that there is a place to dispose of your food and place your empty tray. Yet, some people still don't follow this restaurant protocol and expect Panera employees to clean up after them — which isn't how it works. At all.
2. Ask for items that are already out
It's not uncommon for restaurants to leave condiments and utensils out for customers to use — and Panera is no exception. But many customers overlook this fact. Instead, they'll pull a busy employee away from their other responsibilities, complaining that they can't find the item they are looking for, only for the employee to find the item exactly where they told the customer it was. Every. Single. Time.
3. Cut the line unnecessarily
Whether it's to ask for a spoon, a cup or a napkin, many customers think that it is okay to budge in front of other customers waiting to order to make their request. And if someone is already mid-order, they will stand right next to the person and once they are finished, the budger will immediately start talking.
Not only is this incredibly rude to the other customers, it distracts employees from doing their job, usually unnecessarily because the item they are looking for is most likely already out (see #2).
4. Look over the barrier at the barista stall
At Panera, there is a glass divider between the person making the drink orders and the customers. But some nosy restaurant-goers don't understand the fact that this divider is meant to keep them out.
On multiple occasions, customers have leaned over the divider to tell the employee how to make their drink, including any changes they would prefer. Not only is this super annoying and rather unsanitary, the customer could also just tell the employee the changes they would like from the correct side of the barrier, and their drink would still turn out the way they want.
5. Ask rather self-explanatory questions
While employees are always available to answer customer's questions, Panera employees get asked some... unique ones. For example, one time when my friend was working, she got asked, "Why is my Panera gift card not working at another near by non-Panera restaurant?" Nope, not even kidding. So please, think through your questions before you ask them. It'll save everybody time, and Panera employees a headache.
6. Make employees remake their food over the tiniest things
Like every restaurant, sometimes Panera will mix up orders and give customers the wrong meal. If this happens, they will gladly remake the customer's original order. But sometimes, their mistakes are simple fixes.
There may be a tomato on a sandwich, and instead of simply taking the tomato off, the customer will ask for the sandwich to be completely remade. And some customers will ask you to continue remaking their meal until they get exactly what they want. Not only is this super time consuming, it also takes away employee's abilities to help other customers. (And yes, my friend did have to remake a sandwich over a tomato.)
7. Come in at 8:58 and order food
If you didn't know, Panera closes at 9 — so coming in two minutes before closing and expecting all of the food to be there is ridiculous. By the end of the night, most of the food Panera made for the day is gone. So asking for a bread bowl is pretty useless, because by this point, they only have cups left. If you want a specific meal, come earlier, it'll save you and the employees a lot of aggravation.
8. Stay until 10 pm for no reason
If you're in the door by 9, and you're finishing up your food, that's fine, because Panera employees stay until 10 to clean up. But a lot of customers stay and talk, which delays the employee's ability to finish up and go home. So the next time you go to Panera, remember that the employees have lives too, and they don't want to stay just so you can finish up a conversation. Be mindful, and just finish up your food and go.
The next time you go to Panera, preferably before 8:58, be a good customer. And whatever you do, beware of these annoying customer habits.