Pros
Overall, Panera is a nice place to work. It's cleaner than most fast food restaurants, it has a nice atmosphere, most of the customers are pleasant, and most importantly I like the people I work with. Most of the managers are fair and do a good job communicating with associates.They're very understanding when school/personal/etc issues arise and usually find someone to cover your shift. At the Panera I work at we're kind of like a big family and there's not a lot of drama which is nice. The training process is very good and other associates are very helpful when you first start out. Basically the people you work with determine whether or not you like working here, which is the same for all jobs.
Cons
As a cashier/bakery person/barista, rushes can get pretty hectic. You get blamed for a lot of things that aren't your fault. (For example, a lady grabbed the wrong to-go bag down on line and I got blamed) I often have to find a manager to do any kind of discount/coupon or to void something if a customer changes their mind at the last minute. Then the managers get stressed out because we're always bothering them during rush. If they would allow cashiers to do coupons it would be a lot easier. I'll work my butt off and nobody notices but if I do something wrong I'll hear about it. Different managers tell you different ways of doing things. I hate when a customer comes in and assumes we can read their mind and know they want a U pick 2. If you come in during rush and say "I want a smoked turkey sandwich and a bowl of broccoli cheddar" I'm not going to take the time to ask/explain a pick 2 because there's 30 people in line behind you.