In honor of the saying, you learn something new every day I decided today would be no exception and this review would not only serve as a restaurant review, but as a lesson of sorts. The place that inspired this higher education was Panera Bread (panera is a Spanish/Italian word meaning bakery, or so I've been told as the manager didn't really know).

Despite lacking an English definition the one thing Panera is definitely NOT in need of is employees. Every time I have stopped in the first thing I notice is how the staff almost always outnumbers the customers. Now as much as this can be a good thing sometimes the excessive amount of help is a hindrance. In Panera's case there is typically a lot of staff members behind the counter as well as in front of it. Again only a good thing if as a result of this the tables are clean, the ice teas are full, and the staff is seen and not heard. But in their defense all 1,500 employees (okay I might be exaggerating by about 1,485) that are there on a daily basis they are always very friendly and eager to help (first lesson: ayuda means help in Italian)

However, my second lesson of the day goes out to the managers. Especially the one behind the counter that was so loud he could be heard hollering to customers his favorite phrases over and over again, "give me just a minute" or "sorry about the wait." Again completely understandable, but not when your store is bursting at the seams with employees just waiting to be told what to do. However, it WAS the manager who remade my Turkey (tacchino in Italian) Fresco ($5.95, made with cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, and creamy cucumber sauce on Ciabatta) after I asked that it be made minus onions and wasn't; the manager was the one who took my sandwich back and made me a new one. It was nice to see that he didn't just pull the onions off and hand it back to me. But I did notice that whenever something was done wrong the manager was quick to turn to the person whose fault it was and demand to know what happened. Normally this would be expected but here the customers are in full view of everything. Luckily my friend had no problems with her Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich ($5.95, served with pickle spear and chips) with smoked Gouda, leaf lettuce, tomatoes, and their signature dressing, on Tomato Basil bread.

Now as much as I'm harping on this particular Panera I'll admit its great food every time. I'll definitely be going back for their Asian Sesame Chicken Salad (ensalada in Spanish, $6.45), which consisted of grilled chicken tossed with romaine lettuce, fresh cilantro, sliced almonds, sesame seeds, green onions, crispy wonton strips, and an Asian sesame vinaigrette dressing. I just wish that the experience at the Hoboken location was less like their chocolate duet cookie with walnuts ($1.59)… delicious but a little nutty, and more like their lemonade ($1.49), perfectly sweet and something not to be missed!

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