Panera Bread, White Oak, Maryland.
I had intended to eat at the Chick Fil A next door. But with the line there practically out the door and only two employees taking orders, I thought, "Fuck this;" and, I went to Panera.
My first thought after walking in, "Does this place serve any food? Or is it more like a coffee shop that also serves pastries?"
My next thought was, "This is yuppie bullshit. Honest to god, I thought that this was a restaurant."
At least it had sit down available unlike Chick Fil A which did not. The clientelle was a mixed package of upper crust useful idiots. Most had faces buried in their I phones. Some even were working on their laptops. It was a sure bet that none of them were checking tw.
Somehow, I managed to find a sandwich that they offered: a steak & white cheddar. What a damn shame that I had NO CHOICE what they put on it. There was a sprinkling of diced red onions. And a buttery, oily "something." The bread was like a flat bread, sub roll thing that actually tasted freshly baked. The steak slices were tasty too... what actually was there. The "white cheddar" was all but gone though after it was nuked. No slathering of mayo, no lettuce, no tomato slices, no green peppers, and no pickle slices. Bottom line: It was an imitation steak and cheese that was under portioned and over priced. (Almost $10)
Worst of all, the damn thing immediately gave me the Hershey Squirts. So I blasted my chocolate retro rocket in their mens' room which only had ONE pot (plus one urinal) and one fucking sink. But at least it was clean. It stunk like sulphur though only because I stunk the joint up bigtime. I would have sprayed with air freshener if they had provided any. But I allowed the guy behind me to breathe in the ambiance. I'm sure that it made his day.
The chocolate chip cookie was merely average.
The service was very good with quick order taking and a minimal wait time.
But damn, they need to provide actual food at this place.
A steak & white cheddar, Bubbler (fountain) drink (green tea), and a chocolate chip cookie set me back $13.65. The payment machine had a tip option. But I never give tips for counter service where I have to go get it when my name is called.
My grade: C. Recommended for yuppies and karens only.