Business Profile

Restaurants

Panera Bread Co

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

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Important information

Customer Complaint:
BBB has received consumer complaints about Panera Bread Co which allege receiving incomplete or inaccurate food orders, or not receiving delivery orders at all. Consumers also complain of difficulty obtaining a refund and poor customer service.

Complaints

Name: Panera Bread Co
Address: 3630 S Geyer Rd STE 100, Saint Louis, MO, 63127-1234, USA
Telephone: (855) 372-6372

This profile includes complaints for Panera Bread Co's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

Customer Complaints Summary

280 total complaints in the last 3 years.
85 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

If you've experienced an issue

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The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

Initial Complaint
Date:10/23/2023
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
On 10/20/2023, we ate lunch at Panera Bread in Champaign, Illinois. Upon reviewing the receipt, I noticed the restaurant had charged us 11.5% sales tax. Illinois sales tax is 6.25%, Champaign County and city taxes are a combined 2.75%. I brought the discrepancy to the manager's attention. He looked at the receipt and told me it looked about right to him. I explained that I had been charged an additional 2.5 % sales tax. He said it was the first time he had seen that and it must be a mistake. He advised he would give me the telephone number for corporate and perhaps I could get a refund. On our bill of $65.19 we were charged $7.50 sales tax. Our tax should have been $5.86-- a difference of $1.64.
Business Response
Date: 10/23/2023
The guest will need to call Panera Guest Care at ************ to create a case for a refund to be initiated.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/23/2023
I called the number and spoke to "****". He advised he would have someone contact me. No one ever contacted me. Based on public information, if Panera is overcharging 2.5% for every transaction at all of their restaurants, that is $120,000,00.00 dollars.
Business Response
Date: 10/24/2023
The agent the guest spoke to actually reached back out to collect some further information on the order to have this escalated since the order information was not listed on the case and the information on this BBB Feedback was not available at that time to the agent. Since we have that information now, we can have this inquiry reviewed by our Tax team and we'll update the guest accordingly.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/22/2023
Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Dear Panera Bread,I am writing to express my disappointment and frustration regarding a recent email I received from Panera Bread. The content of this email has left me feeling misled and dissatisfied.On August 19, I received an email with the subject line "You've won a $99 ****************** Annual Membership for you or a friend (new or lapsed subscribers only)*! How exciting!" As a Panera Bread enthusiast, I was naturally thrilled to be a chosen recipient of such a prize. However, my excitement quickly turned to confusion when I realized that this "prize" was not actually free, as the email seemed to suggest.The email mentioned that I had won a $99 ****************** Annual Membership, but there was no clear information regarding any associated costs or conditions. Upon further investigation, I discovered that this prize was not free but actually a cost of $99, and not more than a 20% discount. What a shock when I gave it to a friend as a gift and they told me it didn't work as expected. I was so embarrassed.I find it highly disappointing that Panera Bread would use language such as "You've won" and "How exciting!" to promote a prize that is not genuinely free. This comes across as misleading and deceptive advertising, which is not in line with the transparency and honesty I have come to expect from your brand.As a loyal customer, I believe that ********************** should strive to maintain clear and honest communication with its valued patrons. I hope you can understand my frustration and concerns about this matter. I kindly request that you review your email marketing practices to ensure that they are more transparent and accurate in the future.Thank you for taking the time to address my concerns. I value my relationship with Panera Bread and hope that you will take this feedback into consideration to improve the overall customer experience.
Business Response
Date: 10/24/2023
Case 03804002 was created and the guest was contacted via email. We thanked the guest for their feedback and provided them with four $15 rewards to use towards future orders.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/24/2023
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Sincerely,

*******************
Initial Complaint
Date:10/17/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
UnresolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I placed order #********* online on October 3rd. The order was to include 2 8oz tubs of chive and onion cream cheese. When I brought home the bag, I saw that instead 8 single-serve cups were provided. I would have preferred the form factor of the tubs, but also noticed that by weight 10 cups should have been provided, not 8. This was a minor issue that I thought I’d address with the online Panera customer service email option. I reached out to address this issue and to voice that I was not a fan of the bread provided with my order. Panera support replied that I should address the issue at the Panera location. Given that I wasn’t sure when I’d return and I wanted to utilize the online support offered, I responded asking for the issue to be addressed online. Panera reiterated in response the next day (October 5th) that it would need to be addressed in person. I asked again if there was a way to address the issue online. From October 5th until October 10th, I received no response, so I followed up via email again. I received no response still until October 14th, so I followed up yet again. I finally heard back on October 16th (11 days later) with the same response that this would need to be addressed at a store.
Business Response
Date: 10/18/2023
Good morning,
Guest **** has received this message. We've contacted the guest through their existing case file to explain the situation.
Thank you,
Em
Guest **** Leadership
Customer Answer
Date: 10/18/2023
Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:

Panera has responded as pasted below. They point to the location being independently owned. However, I placed the order online through the corporate application, so the issue should be resolved by corporate without my need to return to the store. They also gloss over the issue of no response via email for 11 days.
“Thanks so much for your patience. I wanted to assure you that we received your complaint through BBB on your concerns with your recent order. Since this cafe is one of our locally owned and operated cafe locations, we kindly ask that you return to or call the cafe to speak with a manager directly who will be happy to assist with your concerns. We apologize for any inconvenience or frustration this causes, and we appreciate your understanding. I hope you have a great day.“

Sincerely,

******* *******
Business Response
Date: 10/18/2023
We have reached back out to the guest and advised that the Bakery-cafe is the best equipped to help him with his concern. The Cafe managers will be happy to help him address any concerns that he has.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/20/2023
Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:

I did not receive any further contact since the last message I pasted here previously. I will reiterate that I placed the order online through the corporate application, so the issue should be resolved by corporate without my need to return to the store. And that they gloss over the issue of no response via email for 11 days.

Sincerely,

******* *******
Initial Complaint
Date:10/13/2023
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
We live in ******. My wife's identity was stolen in June. The thieves were unsuccessful in opening credit cards and loans in the San Diego, CA area. Their only success was getting into her Panera account and ordering $64 of food delivered to their home San Diego with the credit card stored in Panera's system. We did not order food for someone in California. We disputed the charge with the card company who issued a credit but took it back when Panera claimed it was a legitimate charge because it was entered through their system. We have a Police report that has been sent to the card company and have been bouncing back and forth with the card company and Panera for 4 months now. The card company won't reverse the charge as long as Panera falsely claims it to be a legitiment charge. Repeated calls to both Panera and the Credit Card Company have resulted in nothing but fingerpointing.
Business Response
Date: 10/16/2023
Good afternoon,
Guest Care has received this message. We cannot locate any case files with our Guest Care team regarding this concern, but we are happy to look into the situation. We've created a case and asked the guest for more information.
Thank you,
Em
Guest Care Leadership
Customer Answer
Date: 10/19/2023
Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:
Previous Panera case file that they can not seem to locate.
********* and ********

Sincerely,

******* ****
Business Response
Date: 10/19/2023
We have reached back out to the guest and advised that they will need to dispute this charge with their bank since they will be better equipped to assist the guest on this going forward and issued a couple of Guest care rewards for the inconvenience.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/20/2023
Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:

We have reached out to the credit card company 3 times The first 2 were denied because of false information provideby Panera. In the first they tried to claim the charge was for valid because it was for "Subsciptions and ongoing charges." That is totally false. In the second case they claimed it was a valid charge because it was made thru my wife's account and was "consistent with her previous record of charges". Again, false. It was made by someone that acted into her account, but is was totally not consistent with her previous charges. Her only previous charges were 3 monthly charges for 4.99 for a trial offer on their sip club, and possible one food charge of less than $10 at the Woodstock GA cafe near are home. A $64 charge at a cafe 2000+ miles away is not consistent with her previous history. The 3rd dispute with the credit card company is still pending, but will probably be denied if Panera again provides false information.

Sincerely,

******* ****
Customer Answer
Date: 10/20/2023
I have been puzzled as to how some was able to get in to my wifes account at Panero, but now I know. As we have told Panera and as stated in the police report her identity was stolen about June 1. Someone managed to get into one of her credit bureau accounts and removed the freeze. They also somehow managed to gain access to her email account. Panera uses a very unsecure methed to process "Forgot Password" request. All they do when someone hits the Forgot Password button is send an email to the registered email with the reset. No vericication required. Their lax security is what allowed this thief to occur.
Initial Complaint
Date:10/09/2023
Type:Service or Repair Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Staff at Atlanta airport was nasty and derogatory and threatened me after I simply pointed out their staff m**ber had cut in front of my in line and I have it on video.
Business Response
Date: 10/10/2023
Good afternoon,
Guest Care has received this message. We've created a case and contacted the guest for more information so ensure we share this experience with the proper teams.
Thank you,
**
Panera Bread Guest Care Leadership Team
Initial Complaint
Date:10/03/2023
Type:Delivery Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
Ordered online & paid online at Panera at *********************, mA. Manager '****' said order never came in and I should order again in the store so I did. I ordered at the location at ************ and paid AGAIN. Realizing later i was in fact charged for 2 orders I called and '****' said he'd credit my account. HE NEVER DID. Then I contacted Panera via email and ******** messenger. ******** messenger said they'd 'review' my case while the email response was that they'd offer me a 'REWARD' - I don't ant a reward. I WANT MY MONEY THAT THEY BASICALLY STOLE from me back. I don't appreciate ****/the manager lying to me either. Thank you for any/all help.
Business Response
Date: 10/04/2023
Good afternoon,
Guest Care has received this message. I've located this guest's case with us from 10/1/23, and our Refund Specialist confirmed that the order was refunded by the cafe in full on 10/3/23. It can take 7-10 business days for this to complete processing, although the time frame largely depends on the guest's specific financial institution. Thank you for your patience.
Thank you!
Em
Guest Care Leadership
Initial Complaint
Date:10/02/2023
Type:Billing Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
hello i am having issues with the below sip club charged twice in Aug 2023 that I am unable to get it resolved with customer care team.case num - *********** - created my subscription number -************ (MEENA)i see that in Aug 2023 when i was changing some credit card auto pay account around the renewal time, something didnt go right and i was charged in both of my below cards. account ending 8018 was charged 6.41 in aug 2023 -08/25 ( also -this card has been reported lost and it is now as card ending 3196 with me)account ending 5795 was also charged 6.41 in aug 2023 - 08/24.so charged twice for Aug 2023 please look into this and resolve thanks *****
Business Response
Date: 10/03/2023
Hello BBB,
I see the guest did contact us 10/2 about this matter and we did send the details to our tech team to help locate a second account for the guest. We are waiting for them to investigate further.
Initial Complaint
Date:09/29/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I placed an order on 9/23/23 from Panera and I didn’t receive one of my items. When I contacted Panera for a refund. They refused and only provided a credit to my account. This is a regular occurrence with this company. If an item is missing, they will not provide a refund and only provide a credit that expires in 60 days which ultimately means that I must spend the money with them. If not then I would lose the money spent even though I never received the item I paid for and ordered. Additionally they don’t credit you the full amount. My last item that was missing cost $10.39 (before tax). Panera only credited $10 and would not even credit the full amount which should be, $10.38 + tax. I cannot believe this company is able to operate continuously by skimming from all their customers this way. If this logic is applied to all customers, Panera is skimming and profiting from this practice of not providing refunds, rounding down to the lower dollar amount, and keeping tax dollars that were collected from customers. Please investigate this fraud and scam by Panera.
Business Response
Date: 10/02/2023
Hello,
I do see the guest reached out and we have offered more rewards or a refund of the order if the guest declines. The matter is already being addressed with the guest and agent.
******
Customer Answer
Date: 10/04/2023
Complaint: ********

I am rejecting this response because:

I have not received any correspondence regarding a refund from Panera.

Sincerely,

****** *****
Business Response
Date: 10/05/2023
We will reach back out to the guest to resolve.
Initial Complaint
Date:09/28/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
ResolvedMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
At 6:13 pm on 9/13/2023, I placed an order at the drive-thru at this Panera Bread location. I ordered two identical Fuji Apple Chicken Salads (whole), substituting feta cheese for the standard gorgonzola on both salads. My mother and I each ate these salads that night. We both noticed the salads didn't taste as good as usual (we often order them). I did not consume the salad dressing, but my mother did. In the middle of eating my salad, one bite was extremely spicy (I couldn't identify the source). When I dumped out my salad dressing, I noticed a very strong, off-putting odor. In the middle of the night, my mother vomited. The next morning (9/14/23), my mother vomited again five or six times and I had to take her to the emergency room that day. She did not eat anything unusual; she complained that the salad didn't taste right. My mother has not vomited in years, and all indications are that she got food poisoning from the Panera salad. Because of her numerous bouts of vomiting, she became dehydrated and had to be rehydated at the hospital. We spent five hours at the emergency room before she could be released.On the evening of 9/14/23, I called the same Panera location and spoke to someone who identified herself as a manager. I explained everything, and she said a more senior manager would contact me. It is now 9/27/23 and nobody from Panera has contacted me.We request compensation and an apology for the physical discomfort and emotional distress my mother experienced, and which required me to take off almost an entire day of work.Please contact me at ************ with any questions. I have the receipt from this food purchase - Order Number *******. The cashier's name on the receipt is "********".Sincerely,***********************

LOCATION INVOLVED:
Panera Bread
***********************************************************
************
Business Response
Date: 10/05/2023
Appropriate Team has been notified with the updated information provided here.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/16/2023
I just received an email regarding my complaint #********. In the message, I was informed that the business had reached out to me with a resolution. However, that is not the case. I have received no communication from Panera Bread, or from BBB with an offer of a resolution on their behalf.
Business Response
Date: 10/16/2023
The leadership team that oversees the cafe where the order came from, as well as Panera's Risk Team, have been notified that the guest has not received any contact and request has been made that they be contacted regarding their issue.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/18/2023
Complaint: 20665776

I am rejecting this response because: the only contact I received was from "Flower", who identified herself as an employee of ********************* Flower did not make me any type of offer. She made it clear she was not authorized to refund the amount I paid for the salads on 9/13/23 ($24.24), and that she is not authorized to refund any of the money my mother is out for medical expenses relating to this incident.
Flower said she would forward my concern to the Panera ***************** and to the local Panera Bread cafe where the incident occurred. However, ****** said there is no guarantee I will receive a response from either.
This response is not acceptable as my mother suffered a great deal because of Panera's improperly prepared food. I'm also very disappointed that nobody from Panera contacted me after I left my message with the woman who identified herself as a manager when I called them on 9/14/23.

Sincerely,

***********************
Business Response
Date: 10/19/2023
A refund of $24.24 has been issued for the guest's order on 09/13. Guest has been notified by ********** the refund process has started and could take 30 business days.
Customer Answer
Date: 10/19/2023
Better Business Bureau:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. It would have been nice, and a gesture of goodwill on the part of Panera Bread, to offer an apology for what happened.

Sincerely,

***********************
Initial Complaint
Date:09/25/2023
Type:Product Issues
Status:
AnsweredMore info
Complaint statuses
Resolved:
The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
Unresolved:
The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
Answered:
The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
Unanswered:
The business failed to respond to the dispute.
Unpursuable:
BBB is unable to locate the business.
I paid 12.23 at Panera Bread and ordered extra baguette and I only got a 1/2 inch of a baguette Iasked for it to be fixed and it was only 1/2 bigger, and I also ordered a pizza but it was very greasy. When I contacted the manager for refund she never responded and ghosted me. I would like to contact the regional manager, before I file a complaint with the FTC for fraud, since this place is a scam.
Panera Bread
**** ****** **** **
Jupiter FL, 33458
***** ********
Business Response
Date: 09/25/2023
Good morning,

This was initially sent up to our franchise partners for further assistance and addressing. We will follow up with those teams, so that can follow up with the guest.

Thank you.

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Panera Bread Co is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.