Panera Bread in Lakewood

Honestly, food was great, but this location needs a lot of work!The food was good as always and literally only took about 10 minutes for our sandwiches and soups to be ready. I ordered to steak and white cheddar sandwiches with broccoli cheddar soup!The total for both meals came out to $30, which I didnt find to bad at all.Now what I did find bad was that most of the tables were all dirty, the carpet was disgusting and filthy, same with the bathroom!Looked like someone walked into the bathroom with stuff they stole at the mall and just made a mess inside. Filthy place, I wont be back.

Went here to try their new chicken sandwich. Disappointed. Basically a bland mushy sandwich. Large enough chicken piece so the portion is good. Just the taste was forgettable. They have these Parmesan chips in the sandwich thats supposed to provide some taste and crunch, and on its own it does that, but in the sandwich it gets lost.The salads have lost its touch too. Smaller portions, weaker greens, not worth the price anymore. But still 3 stars because the bagels and desserts are still fire and location is clean.

The food is acceptable and the service is relatively quick. The thing i am disappointed with is the state of the facility. I dont know if they are understaffed or just dont care but the place is usually filthy, tables are never wiped down, there are rips in the seats (they obviously need to be reupholstered), and a lot of the seats have lost their cushion making it an uncomfortable experience. Panera as a restaurant is one of my favorite places to read, work, and eat but this one gave me the ick. Will not be coming back to this establishment.

Food is good. I like the Sip Club membership where you can get a cup of drink every 2 hour.Negative: Mens restroom always stink and the smell come out to around drinks area as well. You can already smell the restroom when you are in the drinks area.***Regarding the smell of the restroom, this message is not just for the restaurant but also the mens restroom users, please be more considerate in terms controlling your pee spatter and flush after yourself. Thanks

EDITED: I have visited a few times after the experience described below, and they are good. This experience limits my 5 star, but 4 stars is good.TLDR: Usually great experience but their coffee cups need structural changes, desperately.I love Panera and their food and generally have a great experience here and I usually only write positive comments (5 stars) but I have to say, I am a little disappointed after todays visit. I was early on my route to work today in Long Beach and decided to stop by the Lakewood location for a coffee. It was a treat because I usually like to make my coffee at home so this was a splurge. (This point adds to the disappointment) Friday morning, very excited, I get the Madagascar Vanilla latte and 2 kitchen sink cookies. I also add on danishes for my office staff. The girl at the register was kind and patient and that all went well. I picked up my coffee at the counter and excitedly went to my car and proceeded to drive the rest of the way to work. This is where my complaint starts. I placed my coffee in the cup holder of my car and upon arrival, when I went to pick it up, the top fell off and it slightly dripped everywhere in the cup holder. I thought, oh, no problem. Let me just reattach the lid to the cup and wipe the cup holder. So I reattach the lid (pressing on it tightly so it wouldnt detach again) then rest my coffee on my seat while I wipe the dirty cup holder. Okay. Phew. Time to go into work. NOPE. As soon as I carefully pick up the coffee again (taking care because when I raised it out last time there was spillage due to the lid), the lid still falls off but this time, surprising and disappointing because I made SURE it was tight, A LOT fell out onto my seat, a non-wipable surface. :( This one was on me for maybe resting on my seat while I cleaned and, although upset, mostly because the lid did not stay a second time, I realized ok, it could be worse and I shouldnt have put it on the seat. After that seat mishap, everything went well when, suddenly, for a 3rd time and in the worst case scenario, the lid fell of again. See picture. It spilled EVERYWHERE in my office seat. I am sad. I took the time to write this long message because I want to be fair to Panera but also ask to please make sure your lids and cups match better and have a better grip mechanism because this was not the best experience. 😔

Always double check your bag before you leave, specially if they dont do the check list. This is the 3rd time that they forget to put an item in my bag. It doesnt matter if they are busy or slow always check. And they never pick up the phone at this location.

I always forget how meager the portions are at Panera. They certainly price things like there should be more food, but the actual amount for any plate (other than baked goods) is a tapas portion at best. This location is okay, the parking lot is a bit of a beast since its at the Lakewood Mall, but if you come for coffee and to get some work done, itll probably be a good spot for you.

We always have to wait for the coffee to be rude so we can get a second cup theres times where it has taken 30 to an hour literally to get another cup there has been times for they do have people working and tables are dirty after customers have left. Very little acknowledgment. It doesnt feel like a welcoming place.

When theyre not lazy the food is enjoyable. Th food is good at Panera. But the sandwich making at this location is sloppy. Its just a mess, not just on one occasion. Be neater.

After multiple sour visits to this Panera bread I have to write that as a person of color they will treat you different when you pick your mobile order up, than if you were not. They’ll quiz you about every detail on the order, ask you for almost everything even almost your mother’s maiden name, and the last 4 digits of your social to get your order.The drink fountain is almost always bustedAnd don’t even think about buying gift cards here they don’t have an actual person taking orders just the kiosks.