Complaints

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

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Panera Bread Co has 402 locations, listed below.

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• 

  Panera Bread Co

  3630 S Geyer Rd STE 100 Saint Louis, MO 63127-1234

• 

  Panera Bread Co

  600 E Ogden Ave Milwaukee, WI 53202-2604

• 

  Panera Bread Co

  4807 Ramsey St. Fayetteville, NC 28311

• 

  Panera Bread Co

  8905 Lake Ave. Cleveland, OH 44102

• 

  Panera Bread Co

  1195 Woodstock Rd Roswell, GA 30075

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:11/06/2023

  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.

  The morning of Friday November 3rd, 2023 I placed a website order for a loaf of bread ($5.79) to be picked-up 12:55 pm at **** **** *******, St Paul, MN 55116 ***** ******* this order was prepaid on my credit card ending: ****. I received a text message reminder that my order was ready for pick-up when I drove to the location (4.3 miles away from my home) the cashier could not find my order, it took inquiries by other employees. I saw my order / bag found in front of the store it had been "Ripped" open and the contents were taken or eaten. I was LIED to by the store who told me they were out of my bread type. They did not bother to Bake another or replace it as they had FOUR Hours (4) from my 9am online order. They did not bother to call and tell me they were out. I also discovered that my bread was "Taken and/or Stolen" by the store and re-sold to make expensive deli sandwiches for a very Gluttonous over-crowded restaurant. That's also called theft. I did see my receipt on the floor, neither the cashier nor the Idiot store manager DID NOT APOLOGIZE to me!! I drove total of nearly ten (10) miles roundtrip for nothing!! I called the Corporate Number to make a Complaint against this store.

   

  LOCATION INVOLVED:

  **** **** *******, St Paul, MN 55116 ***** *******

  Business Response

  Date: 11/07/2023

  Hello, 

   

  This guest did contact our team regarding this issue. This was shared directly with the leadership teams that oversee the cafe location for immediate addressing. While we can not promise the manager will contact the guest and apologize, we can assure this was addressed. I also can confirm that the order was refunded in full. The funds should reflect within the next 7-10 business days. A $10 reward was also added to the guest MyPanera account for the inconvenience of this all. 

   

  Thank you, 

   

  ****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/09/2023

  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:      Of the disgusting nature in which Panera in St. Paul, MN conducts its' business by Lying to customers!

  They had four (4) hours to call or text me to say they were out of product but did not instead they took my pre-paid money and never apologized!

  This is a horrible business that I will never return to.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  *** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 11/09/2023

  We're sorry to hear the guest's response and will share that with the team that oversees the Saint Paul location so we can work with them on training. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/03/2023

  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.

  Hi, about a month ago, I had an awful experience at the Panera's in **********. I called to complain. I was given a 15 reward. However I was never able to use it. Every time I tried, it didn't work. I called a couple and was told someone would look at it from technical support and would hear back from someone. I never heard back from anyone.

  *****************
  Normal
  IL
  61761

  Business Response

  Date: 11/03/2023

  We can extend the lifespan of the rewards if needed since they are still good for another month. But will will check with the tech team on the status on this issue and follow up with the guest. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/13/2023

  Complaint: 20817966
  
  I am rejecting this response because: they never contacted me
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

  Business Response

  Date: 11/14/2023

  We're sorry that no one has reached back out to him yet. We going to be reaching out to the guest with a alternative resolution for now. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/31/2023

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  I visited your restaurant, as evidenced by the attachment. Your staff purposely refused to give me the Kitchen Sink Cookies I ordered. There was no interaction. They also purposely ignored an old man, who needed their assistance. It took 13 minutes to get my order together. As such, I am very upset with the service at your location. You need to run the cameras and return the $27.15 for failure with performance of duty.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/01/2023

  We will reach back out to the guest to work on a resolution. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/02/2023

  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:10/23/2023

  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.