Pin

I am not a good cook. If I’m being really honest, I’m actually kind of terrible. Like, could probably qualify for Worst Chef in America, level. Remember that classic Cher and Winona Ryder movie, Mermaids? Long before I had kids, I saw that movie and thought – “Yep, that’s exactly the kind of mom I’m going to be.” The kind that makes appetizers as a main meal – every night, minus the slutty running around part. 🙂


Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Fast forward 20 years and, luckily, I married a wonderful man who is a fantastic home chef. However, when he’s out of town or has to work late, my two young girls know their choices are limited and drive-thru or pizza are common. That gets old (and unhealthy) really fast but they aren’t keen on crudité, so what’s a girl to do?

Then, I discovered that Panera on Indiantown delivers. Apparently this isn’t a brand new thing but it was news to me. In my old hometown the Panera near me had a drive-thru, which made it an easy place to grab a breakfast choice after drop-off. Since my morning attire can best be described as “I wasn’t planning on getting out of the car,” I haven’t visited our local Panera nearly as often (no drive-thru).

Real Talk About Customer Service

I’ll also say here that when I have gone inside I haven’t experienced the best customer service. I’ve never had any cause to complain about the food but most of the time the service was not stellar. Since I like the food, I just go not expecting much in terms of service and I never go when I’m in a hurry. It works.

For all those reasons, I was a tiny bit apprehensive about trying the delivery service. Then everyone in my family got sick and after a few days of not getting out of the house (and hubby out of town) I was in the mood for soup. I logged on and started the process.

How it Works

Step 1. Log-in.

Once you are on the site, you’ll be asked to log-in or continue as a guest. Since I already have a My Panera card, I used that to start the process.

Step 2. Choose Delivery Date/Time

You can order up to several days in advance and delivery times tend to be 11AM-8PM.

Step 3. Choose Your Food

The menu is definitely more limited than if you showed up at the restaurant, but I was able to find all kinds of choices including my usual salads, soups, and sandwiches. There are also lots of options to customize, just like in the store. BONUS: For the first time (because I didn’t feel rushed) I was actually able to think about exactly how I wanted my sandwich and discovered they have basil mayo. Who knew?

Step 4. Check-out

There is a delivery fee of $3 which they are very up-front about.

Step 5. Wait for Food

You are given the option to track, online or via text message, your delivery. I chose text message and was told when the driver was leaving the store and when he arrived on my porch. About 30 sec later (I was trying to get the dog outside) he rang the bell. He was dressed very professionally and was super nice. Tips are obviously encouraged.

The Verdict

Everything I ordered arrived exactly how I asked for it. The soup was hot, the salad was fresh, the sandwich was custom and delicious. It arrived on time and the service was great. I’ll definitely order again.