Going to Panera Bread Instead

For several years I've been actively avoiding Panera Bread. It's one of those things where you're not really sure why or when it happened, but your face crinkles when someone mentions the name and you immediately repeat it back to the person speaking it but with a hint of disgust and a question mark at the end. This has been my relationship with Panera, people asking or recommending I go there and me just saying, "Panera?" and shaking my head.

Today I'm rushing and tired. Outside, the weather is getting cold and the sky is grey. It's sleeping weather and although it's only 3 p.m. I'm ready to plop down on the nearest couch and close my eyes for awhile. Unfortunately I still have work to do and sleep has to wait. What I need is a cup of coffee and I need it now. Of course as I think this, I'm also driving by Panera.

"Panera?" I ask myself in my head. It's either that or pull off to the side of the road and take a nap. I choose Panera.

The first thing that strikes me as I walk in is that the restaurant is filled with natural light. I am a big fan of sunlight over fake light. It has a noticeable effect on how I feel. There are other places I go to get coffee and they seem a bit darker, gloomier. The furniture is a shade of light brown that is warm and friendly. Panera is the opposite of everything I thought it would be.

I order a medium hazelnut coffee. The girl at the counter hands me an empty cup and points behind me to some coffee dispensers. It's self-serve, which I like because I can efficiently monitor the levels of cream per ounce of coffee. I fill up the cup with coffee and then cream and then a little more coffee and top it off with cream.

I sit down and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi. They have plenty of tables, a few comfy seats, booths and a couch. There’s even a fireplace.

I quickly check my email and suddenly remember reading something awhile back about Panera in St. Louis. At that location, customers can take what they want and there are no prices. They just leave whatever amount of money they can afford or think the food is worth. The motto is "Take what you need, leave your fair share."

Thinking about this practice makes me happy. It's such a cool concept and probably helps feed some people who couldn’t otherwise afford to eat. I wondered why I held such a grudge against a place that seems to care about making a difference in the world. And has affordable coffee, comfortable chairs and free Wi-Fi.

I close out my email, take a sip of my perfectly mixed coffee and head for the door. On the way out, I kick myself for making a snap judgement based on no facts and wonder how many other places I've been missing out on.