Under no circumstances apply for a Night Baker position. - Night Baker Panera Bread Employee Review

1.0
20 Jun 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

free food because no one pays attention to inventory. Can literally walk out with bags of soup if you really wanted to. Saves on groceries. No managers to deal with because they dont want to do their jobs, so they never show up.

Cons

0 communication between café and Bakery managers. BTS will make any excuse to not do their job, including taking assistant bakers from busy cafés so they can go home early. Constant changes to scheduling with little to no heads-up. BMMs do not communicate in any form with bakers. Trying to callout of work will result in no reply, no matter if it was made 12 hours before a shift. Night-bakers blindsided by $15k catering orders with no assistance or additional cookware. BTS/BMMs never answer their phones despite working the same hours as night bakers. new Assistant baker hires making $11/hr, while a fully trained Head Night Baker makes $12/hr whilst doing 3 times the work. Constant changes to the menu resulting in not only the normal pan up items, but all new test items, and online training daily for weeks, with no additional hours or pay increase, all with little to no additional assistance (generallt working alone). Told by BTS to put away truck deliveries (not my job) because someone was not scheduled to do it (laso not my job). Told to work 10+ hour shifts and do the day bakers job if they called out or did not show up, at no increased pay. No reimbursment for gas when told to work at cafés even when 20+ miles away. Forced to work in a market far outside the market in which I lived (forced to drive 20+ minutes to cafés, even though I live less than 45 seconds from a café, because I had a car and someone else did not, still not reimbursed gas). After I was promoted, took 6 months for me to get my raise, and I only recieved that after complaining to a higher up. Actively did about 50% of mu job for 3 months, BTS and BMM did not say a single word to me, esencially allowing it, because they could not afford me quitting at the time. Overall a horrible experience.

Explore other reviews about Panera Bread

5.0
2 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

General manager is kind and helpful

Cons

Rude customers, drive thru is stressful

3.0
18 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

GM at this location is very on top of things, because it's the busiest Panera in Queens. Consistent hours. Shifts go by very quickly, especially in the morning.

Cons

Location is extremely busy so it gets very stressful, especially in the morning when someone is out / there is no second cashier scheduled so the single cashier in the morning has to clean the coffee counter, refill coffees, make drinks, stick bagels in the oven & serve those bagels, check and bag up RPU/delivery orders, get bakery items for barista screen, and ring up customers. It can get really intense when many people come in, which is most of the time. You will be running back and forth like crazy. Customers can be impatient, rude, demeaning, and nasty when the line gets too long. Not recommended for people who are sensitive, with high anxiety. As for Panera the company, this chain keeps making bizarre and difficult changes to the menu, all of which make employees' lives harder and harder. With every change comes strange, dismaying, and borderline impossible expectations for frontline staff that cascade down through management who cannot do much to alter the hard policies. You can tell the company is struggling greatly to keep itself relevant with the younger crowd (a solid 80% of customers are old people). The CEO and everyone making company decisions at Panera is extremely out-of-touch. EXTREMELY. With every nonsensical menu & operations adjustment, you can tell these people haven't actually worked at a food service job in like 40 years.

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