Why I think Panera Bread is overrated

After walking out of Panera Bread the other day I actually regretted eating there, and I never…I mean, never regret eating. I love food! Who doesn’t? But after thinking more about my lunch I actually got mad. I just spent $17 on mediocre….actually, worse than just mediocre food, in my opinion. Restaurants like Panera, Chipotle, etc. are known as “fast casual restaurants,” because they’re supposed to be a step up from McDonalds and Burger King. These restaurants are very popular right now, but honestly when it comes down to it, I don’t think these restaurants are much better than regular fast food places. They still make your food quickly, so it’s either microwaved, or come in a pre-packaged bag, filled with preservatives, and the ingredients aren’t as great as they make them out to be. After thinking more in depth about it, these are the reasons why I don’t like Panera Bread: 

 

1.) They aren’t healthy.

Their signature chipotle chicken on aritsan french bread is 830 calories!! 37 grams of fat, 12 grams of saturated fat, and 2,180 mg of sodium! According to the FDA, the average adult shouldn’t consume more than 2300 mg of sodium per day, and just this sandwich alone is over 2,000! After looking at the calories and the ingredients in their other sandwiches I couldn’t believe it…they were all around 700+ calories.  

 

2.) Their portions are small (especially for what you pay!)

I know everyone is counting calories and watching their portion sizes, but for the amount of money I pay at Panera this isn’t worth it! Every time I walk out of there my pockets empty and I’m still slightly hungry, which I think is a rip-off. I don’t want to spend over $10 for three scoops of macaroni and cheese, and a teeny tiny salad. 

3.) Bad quality food

Well we know the quantity is is lacking, but not only that…so is the quality! We all know going into Panera that we are getting food that is a step above fast food place, but after being named one of the healthiest fast food restaurants from several sources (Health Magazine, cbsnews.com, etc.) let’s be honest. The mac n’ cheese comes in a microwaveable bag that is stored in the fridge so you can just pop it in the microwave, the salads are pre-made, so the sandwiches, etc. I recently started reading a blog called Foodbabe. A woman named Vani Hari started blogging about the harmful ingredients in the food we eat. She investigates restaurants ingredients lists and has gotten over 350,000 signatures on petitions pushing food company’s and restaurants to remove these ingredients from their products. Vani wrote an article about Panera not too long ago, where she educated her readers about the ingredients Panera uses in their food. According to Vani (and Paneras ingredient list online), their Fuji Apple Salad is heavily processed. The greek dressing has the ingredient propylene gycol aka ANTI FREEZE in it! If you want to read more about more of the foods and ingredients they use read FoodBabe’s blog here: http://foodbabe.com/2012/04/16/panera-bread-the-healthiest-fast-food/

4.) Sit down restaurants vs. Fast Casual (Panera)

The thing that I think is crazy is that Panera is a fast casual dining restaurant, which is very convenient for everyone nowadays, so it has become very popular recently. Thing is, I could pay $17 at Panera and get a mediocre, small portioned meal OR I could go to a sit-down restaurant and pay the same amount for bigger, more filling portions and much better quality food. Are they leaving us all hungry in hopes that we’ll buy a pastry?  While paying for your meal at the register the cashiers always ask, “Do you want to add a pastry for .99 cents?” as if that isn’t tempting enough, your hunger after your meal might change your mind. 

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After contemplating all the reasons why I wouldn’t go back to Panera, I hope I have shed some light upon this restaurant which was deemed “healthiest fast food restaurant.” If they were to change the quality and quantity of their food I may think about going back, but since Panera is such a popular place right now, I doubt they will be willing to do so. Unfortunately after this past experience I have had, I would not like to go back here to eat because it is a waste of my money, along with my many other reasons. 

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