Anonymous
03/05/2026 20:20
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
(Ugh, at the risk of stirring up feelings from that other recent thread) I left Chipotle the other night having paid more than that and feeling a little discombobulated by it. With double steak and adding guac, well, things got expensive.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 20:17
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
Anonymous wrote:I rarely eat out. Had a moment of not knowing what I wanted for dinner. So I went to Panera. Have not been there in years.
Got the half and half. “French onion soup” and like half a spicy chicken. Fountain drink. It came with chips (which I took home).
The bill was like $19.58 or something. Like WTAF.
Also, it was terribly mid.
"And like half a spicy chicken"? What does that mean? You said you got the half and half, right?
Sounds like you don't get out much. That price is not surprising in the least. Where have you been?
Anyway, it's well documented that the quality of Panera has gone down. Lots of YouTube videos about this.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 19:42
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
just spent $50 at a charcoal chicken place - 1 chicken 1 quesadilla and small chickpeas and coleslaw to go that's it. $50 friggin dollahz
Anonymous
03/05/2026 19:35
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I used to love those egg souffle things. Picked one up recently because I needed something quick and it was terrible. Panera overall was never amazing, but it used to be at least decently fresh and healthy (depending what you ordered) in comparison to similarly priced fast casual.
The main draw for me was always the bread and other baked goods. Now that the bread comes in frozen and has declined in quality there is no reason for me to go in there.
Hasn’t it always been like that though? It’s a chain- no way they were ever making dough from scratch in the store daily
They had regional facilities that mixed and sent the dough in fresh to be baked in the store. It was never frozen.
It was also baked in store in the early morning. Now they do it the afternoon before, so the product is more stale.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 19:33
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:It’s everywhere, price hikes and more salt. I miss good shake shack burgers below $10.
why are they adding all the extra salt. chic fil'a was always salty, but now it is unbearable. too, too much salt. yuck
Is it preservatives? Covering up cheap product maybe.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 19:32
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
Anonymous wrote:Panera got bought by PE and has slid downhill ever since. I loved them back in the day, but rarely go anymore.
Is there a list of places owned by PE? I know they try to hide the fact but I'm sure there are heros out there publishing so that we can avoid.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 19:25
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
Anonymous wrote:It’s everywhere, price hikes and more salt. I miss good shake shack burgers below $10.
why are they adding all the extra salt. chic fil'a was always salty, but now it is unbearable. too, too much salt. yuck
Anonymous
03/05/2026 18:29
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:That doesn’t seem right. I get a salad there a lot and it’s so cheap. Like $14. Soda was probably 4.
$14 + $4 =$18.00. So, nearly $20, like OP said?
OP here. There was basically a forced tip option, which made me mad. The computer said something like never expected but always appreciated. But I couldn’t figure out how to leave nothing so I left a dollar. So 19 plus tax.
I go there often. Order on the ap, they have tons of deals and never tip. They are always very nice to me.
+1. Always deals with the App. They have some great salads!
Anonymous
03/05/2026 18:23
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I used to love those egg souffle things. Picked one up recently because I needed something quick and it was terrible. Panera overall was never amazing, but it used to be at least decently fresh and healthy (depending what you ordered) in comparison to similarly priced fast casual.
The main draw for me was always the bread and other baked goods. Now that the bread comes in frozen and has declined in quality there is no reason for me to go in there.
Hasn’t it always been like that though? It’s a chain- no way they were ever making dough from scratch in the store daily
They had regional facilities that mixed and sent the dough in fresh to be baked in the store. It was never frozen.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 18:22
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
It’s everywhere, price hikes and more salt. I miss good shake shack burgers below $10.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 18:22
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
Eating out even fast food is very expensive. I got a Chik fil a sandwich and was like 'in my day this was half the price' cause it was
Anonymous
03/05/2026 18:20
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
Panera and restaurants like Panera are all at least $20 per person now.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 18:15
Subject: How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I used to love those egg souffle things. Picked one up recently because I needed something quick and it was terrible. Panera overall was never amazing, but it used to be at least decently fresh and healthy (depending what you ordered) in comparison to similarly priced fast casual.
The main draw for me was always the bread and other baked goods. Now that the bread comes in frozen and has declined in quality there is no reason for me to go in there.
Hasn’t it always been like that though? It’s a chain- no way they were ever making dough from scratch in the store daily
Anonymous
03/05/2026 18:01
Subject: Re:How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
This happened to me recently at Chipotle. I was shocked with the price.
Anonymous
03/05/2026 12:54
Subject: Re:How TF did Panera cost me nearly $20
Anonymous wrote:Yes, I went to a local "pub" recently. A burger was $18. Cheese was extra, lettuce was extra, onion was extra. Didn't come with fries or anything. My cheese burger and fries (no drink) came to $28 with tip. It's unbelievable.
There is a local burger place across the street from me that is like this too. 16 dollars, no drink, no side.