Panera Bread - Manteca

Amazing! This place has the best lemonade in town! However, I strongly recommend avoiding the drive-thru. You might find yourself waiting behind just one car for ages and end up seriously dehydrated. It's much better to go inside and use the kiosk; that way, you can help yourself and skip the long lines. Otherwise, you might as well take a selfie video of yourself aging while waiting! If you're quick enough to dodge the super friendly staff, you can get your iced drink at the speed you expect. For the drinks alone, I rate it 5 stars. Unfortunately, the food leaves a lot to be desired.

We both ordered the BBQ Chicken Salad, and I was delighted to see it back on the menu since it used to be my favorite before it was taken off. Although they were out of strawberries and baguettes, I understand that it's 6 PM on a Sunday, so that’s somewhat excusable. The staff we interacted with was very friendly, and the restaurant itself was clean, though the restrooms were lacking paper towels.

I dropped by on Saturday to grab some salads for my coworkers and me. The staff were fantastic, and I was really impressed with their excellent service. I’ll be back on Thursday for the chicken sandwiches. Thank you! - Richard

Panera Bread has some of the best soufflé I have had. I love the Spinach and Artichoke Soufflé with a cup of Hazelnut Coffee. My wife ordered the Summer Corn Chowder and the Steak and Arugula half sandwich. The Chowder is great and the Steak and Arugula sandwich ....yummy. This Panera had all the pastries to choose from...usually by lunch time they are sold. This store has a great clean design and you can have a private conversation without talking real loud. I just love this location.

The new Signature chicken sandwich was incredible, and the chicken rice soup was just as delightful. I highly recommend both!