An Open Letter
Dear Customers of Panera,
I work in a dining room setting and wanted you to know some important things:
1. We want your experience to be pleasant. We will do anything within reason to be sure your order is correct. This does not include changing your free side to a $3+ entree, or adding an item for free.
2. If an item touches your table it MUST be consumed by you, taken home by you, or thrown away. It can not be re-sold. Often, that means that if we make a mistake with your order you will get to keep the mistaken item. Often is not always.
3. In keeping with rule 2: ANY napkins, sauce packs, chip bags, salt packets, etc. will be thrown away when you leave. You are not doing us a favor by taking 7 extra napkins and then leaving them. Either take them with you so you can have them in the car, or don't take them at all. At Panera each tray comes with 2 napkins. Please keep this in mind. Also, each food item is sauced and garnished to order. If you want extra mayo we can do that, so you don't need to take 3 packets.
4. Yes, we will offer you bread. No, you do not HAVE to have it. You can have chips, an apple, a bagel, etc. If you do not want a side, don't feel pressured to take one and then leave it behind. Waste is sad, especially since unsold bakery items are donated to charity at the end of the day.
5. We offer table clearing services. You do not need to tip, but if you do leave money it will be donated to Share the Bread. This does not make it easier to clean your broccoli cheddar soup from the back of your booth, so please try to eat neatly. If I came to your house I would not let my child throw food across your dining room.
6. Free WiFi is free. We do not charge you if you want to plug in your laptop and work for a few hours. We will even check in to see that you have everything you need. This does not mean we want you to hold a business meeting at our largest table for over two hours during lunch rush when NOBODY has ordered food. Please be considerate of paying customers.
7. This is a nice place to work as well as eat. That doesn't mean we always have good days. We will do our best to be courteous to you despite our circumstances, so please return the favor. We do not need to be cursed at, belittled, or have things thrown at us and it makes you look bad if you do so.
I hope you will see that this list of information and reasonable suggestions is to help both the employee and the customer to have the best Panera experience.
I work in a dining room setting and wanted you to know some important things:
1. We want your experience to be pleasant. We will do anything within reason to be sure your order is correct. This does not include changing your free side to a $3+ entree, or adding an item for free.
2. If an item touches your table it MUST be consumed by you, taken home by you, or thrown away. It can not be re-sold. Often, that means that if we make a mistake with your order you will get to keep the mistaken item. Often is not always.
3. In keeping with rule 2: ANY napkins, sauce packs, chip bags, salt packets, etc. will be thrown away when you leave. You are not doing us a favor by taking 7 extra napkins and then leaving them. Either take them with you so you can have them in the car, or don't take them at all. At Panera each tray comes with 2 napkins. Please keep this in mind. Also, each food item is sauced and garnished to order. If you want extra mayo we can do that, so you don't need to take 3 packets.
4. Yes, we will offer you bread. No, you do not HAVE to have it. You can have chips, an apple, a bagel, etc. If you do not want a side, don't feel pressured to take one and then leave it behind. Waste is sad, especially since unsold bakery items are donated to charity at the end of the day.
5. We offer table clearing services. You do not need to tip, but if you do leave money it will be donated to Share the Bread. This does not make it easier to clean your broccoli cheddar soup from the back of your booth, so please try to eat neatly. If I came to your house I would not let my child throw food across your dining room.
6. Free WiFi is free. We do not charge you if you want to plug in your laptop and work for a few hours. We will even check in to see that you have everything you need. This does not mean we want you to hold a business meeting at our largest table for over two hours during lunch rush when NOBODY has ordered food. Please be considerate of paying customers.
7. This is a nice place to work as well as eat. That doesn't mean we always have good days. We will do our best to be courteous to you despite our circumstances, so please return the favor. We do not need to be cursed at, belittled, or have things thrown at us and it makes you look bad if you do so.
I hope you will see that this list of information and reasonable suggestions is to help both the employee and the customer to have the best Panera experience.