Kitchen Oil: Varies with each product
Spoon Rating: 2
Recommended for: Soy ( That said menu options are limited and potential cross contamination must not be an issue for you)
The King's taster was in the mood for fast food that didn't come with a guilt trip so we headed to Panera in Brookfield with high hopes. Before ordering we went over our food allergies with the cashier who immediately noted that they would need to have their manager come discuss our allergies with us. The nervousness on the part of the cashier at the very mention of "food allergies" was palpable and their instant reaction to bring over the manager made us feel like they were expecting us to drop a law suit on them at any moment. Now normally this might just be chalked up to an odd cashier who was a bit of a nervous nelly but they made it clear that their company policy had changed and that now anyone with food allergies must speak directly to a manager regarding any food allergy questions. While we are glad that at least someone on site was able to answer our questions it would have been nice to be treated with a little more tact and why Panera doesn't feel that it is necessary to increase all of their employees knowledge of food allergy awareness is beyond us. So off to the side we were skirted while a large binder was procured that had the ingredient list for each and every item on their menu. We were pleased to see that they did have detailed information on-site for their menu items. The first section of the binder had a chart showing any major allergens that may have either come in contact with or are in each food item and then that chart was followed by ingredient lists for each food item with major allergens called out at the bottom of the page. That said DO NOT choose an item by just reading the major allergens that are listed at the bottom of the page. More than once we found a baked good that claimed it did not contain soy only to find that after reading the entire ingredient list there was soy in the product. That goes to show you that you should always double check ingredients whenever possible. Finally after reviewing the binder we had some safe menu options to choose from and we were able to place our order but with two antsy kids waiting to order food this binder method left us feeling safe but stressed out.
After our meal, which we did enjoy safetly, we had hoped to pick up some baked goods for a friend of ours with nut allergies. That's when we noticed the signs, the These food items may have come in contact with, blah, blah, blah kind of sign, which of course are teeny tiny. In other words if you have peanut/ tree nut allergies do not buy the baked goods that are made fresh in store. Interesting enough they do sell some prepackaged goods that are actually made off site and then shipped to the store. These may be a better option for people with peanut/ tree nut allergies and the ingredients are listed on the box.
Following our visit we reviewed their website hoping to find allergy information there in order to avoid the awkward off to the side binder review we struggled with during our earlier visit. This is where Panera Bread is really lacking; there is only a blanket statement or what we like to call an allergy cop out on their website and you need binoculars to find it because the print is so tiny! Here it is:
Allergen Statement
Many of our products contain or may come into contact with common allergens, including wheat, peanuts, soy, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish and shellfish.
At this time, this nutrition calculator does not identify allergens for added ingredients.
MA notice: Before placing your order, please inform your server if a person in your party has a food allergy.
Canada notice: Many of our products also contain or may come into contact with common allergens, including sesame, sulfites, and mustard.
This is obviously completely unhelpful and honestly is just a cover your #$% kind a move.
So if you are thinking of visiting Panera for the first time bring some help along so that someone can watch the kids while you sift through all of the menu options. Don't even bother with their web-site and if cross contamination is an issue for you then this is not the option for you.
