It is part of a very successful U.S. chain. This MUST be franchised. It is not on par with the other restaurants in the chain.
It is too expensive and a quick lunch for 2 will run you over $29.00. At that price there are a lot of options in that neck of the woods. I say this for this type of restaurant, with no table service.
Since it is called Panera Bread (is that redundant?..but I digress) I did not found the bread too tasty or for that matter good. The crust was 'plasticky' as opposite to crackling or crunchy, and it was on par with a day old baguette from the supermarket. They are also stingy, they only give you a slice of bread with the soup, although in their other restaurant you get a small fresh small quarter baguette loaf.
The soups are alright but to thick. Not everything is heartier when it is thickened, but these people seem to believe that. We met some friends for a quick lunch there and the verdict was not to return. It was not bad enough to warrant inclusion on a 'black-list' but they have a lot of work to do.