Sep 09 2008
Coffee at Panera Bread
I’m at Panera Bread having coffee this morning……..A great way to start your day. Actually it’s not just a today thing, it’s almost a daily ritual. The coffee is good and even better, the refills are free! They have 4 different kinds on their self serve coffee bar, as well as cream, sugar, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and all the blue, yellow, and pink packets of stuff you are brave enough to add. I really like that it is self-serve and I can just get another fill-up whenever I want without having to feel guilty because the waitress gives me that “are you still here look”. They also have tea and those fancy lattes and frozen drinks as well if you aren’t a “do it yourselfer”. And if you don’t know a foreign language or you haven’t caught on to that “tall is small” thing you can just order small, medium, or large……..Quite a concept, huh?
Morning Coffee
I have a special mixture; first I fill the cup half full with decaf, (I always strive for that half full not half empty attitude), then I add a few sprinkles of cinnamon, next I fill the rest with the hazelnut blend, leaving plenty of room for cream. The decaf makes me feel better about all the stuff you hear about caffeine, the cinnamon taste makes me think it’s not decaf, and the hazelnut coffee just because I like it. And the cream, I’d like to tell you I just add that for the calcium, but the truth is I just like coffee that tastes creamy and besides if it was for the nutrition I would just drink skim milk. But I have to tell you that some of those health gurus say that cinnamon will lower high cholesterol, cure arthritis, diabetes, and maybe even cure cancer and besides that it’s a natural food preservative so it could keep bacteria down and if you smell it your memory will improve. So even if you don’t like a little sprinkle of cinnamon in your coffee it might be smart to have one of those great cinnamon rolls they make at Panera Bread, you know, just for health purposes.
Besides the coffee with free refills, they have free wi-fi too. Several tables have outlets by them in case you stay longer than your computer battery lasts. Sometimes students come to study, or at least pretend to study while they surf the internet. What a better place to study, free wi-fi, free refills for your coffee, food you don’t have to cook yourself; and you don’t even have to clean up before your study group comes over.
They have a basket by the fireplace where you can recycle your newspaper for someone else to read or you can usually find one there if you didn’t bring your own, (something else for free). I’m starting to sound like a commercial for Panera Bread, maybe I should buy some Panera Bread stock. I’ll check that out later, right now I think I’ll just have another cup of coffee.
I have given PB a try and I will second the notion that you can’t beat the ambience. They have some great soup and sandwichs as well. Don’t take my word for it…go by and give it a try.
I agree. I have been to Panera Bread, I am not a coffee drinker however I LOVE their soups. The french onion soup is delicious
The fireplace is nice and the whole setting is very homy.
Panera Bread is a great value, and the quality of food is good. I like that the prices aren’t high but it has casual and relaxed atmosphere and not a fast food kind of place.
That’s a good point Amanda. You are right, definitely no feeling of a fast food place at Panera Bread.