Between busy schedules, noisy kids, diet restrictions, school pickups and work, planning a simple lunch out with friends can require more coordination than Angelina Jolie holding a G8 summit. For something that’s supposed to make our lives simpler, sometimes eating out is crazy complicated. But it’s important to me to find time to connect with my girls and so even though it sometimes goes awry, I still try. So the other day a group of us met up at Panera for a little girl time. It was less Ladies Who Lunch and more Sisters Who Snack (between running after kids, talking and laughing).
“Wow. Well that’s good birth control,” the young man dryly observed as he watched my friends and I herd our kids into the other day. The scene was, admittedly, a little rowdy – we had four babies amongst us and all of them were trying to bolt in different directions – but I just had to laugh. The joke was on him because between the four of us, we actually have 16 kiddos so if he thought four nominally mobile toddlers were bad, he should buy stock in Trojan. (Sometimes I swear the purpose of my life is to convince teens not to have sex. Some moms make motherhood look as effortlessly adorable as a Pottery Barn ad. Me? I make it look every bit as gory, gross and difficult as it is. Sometimes worse (I’m dramatic). Seriously, they should have me tour health classes.)
Thankfully all (lie: most) of the ruckus settled down as soon as we got our food. Delicious mac & cheese and yogurt tubes are the best baby muzzles! Because nowhere is your parenting more on display than at a public place like a restaurant. Taking children out to eat is a fraught endeavor. You sweat bullets trying to keep everyone happy, quiet and not throwing food or announcing the state of their bowels and at best nothing goes wrong. At worst… well, we’ve all seen how that goes down. And I do mean “down” literally. Food, drinks, toys, child, even sometimes the parent ends up on the floor. I know that many people think kids and restaurants go together like black socks and sandals, yet eating politely in a public place is one of those life skills kids need to learn. And that takes practice.
The first rule of dining out with kids is to pick the right establishment. My husband and I aren’t the type to take our young bunch to a 4-star restaurant with five courses over three hours. But we also don’t want to spend all our evenings eating off plastic trays in play places. So we’ve learned to find family friendly places and then make sure we’re watching our kids. It’s not a perfect solution – there was that one time our son crawled away under the table and we didn’t realize he was missing until he surfaced three tables down and asked a couple for a roll from their breadbasket. (At least he said please?) – but it usually works.
The second rule is to pick somewhere that has something everyone wants to eat – and I’ve discovered that grown-ups can be just as particular as kids. That is exactly why my family and my girlfriends and I so often choose Panera for our lunch dates. There are plenty of kid-friendly options (thankfully none of which include hamburgers or fries) but also plenty of tasty and healthy fare for grownups, especially because all of us have different dietary needs and likes. At any given time someone is vegetarian while someone else is doing paleo. Or someone has PMS cravings while someone else has pregnancy food aversions. One of my friends can’t have gluten, another is avoiding sugar and I can’t eat dairy. (Well, I can but no one will want to sit next to me if I do.) It’s tricky finding a place where all of us can feel comfortable eating! Especially when preschool only lasts two hours and so there’s no time to play the endless “What do you want to eat?” “I don’t know, what are you feeling?” game.
Cookie bigger than my head? Yes, please!
Thanks to their wide variety and healthy options, I’ve been there so much I practically have their menu memorized. Yet I hardly ever order the same thing. One of my pet peeves about casual restaurants is the lack of quality protein options. When you look at the nutritional info, thanks to sauces and dressings, the entrees often have just as much fat and sugar as they do protein. And while I have nothing against fat or sugar sometimes, if I’m scheduling a mid-afternoon crash I’d prefer it to be prefaced by a butterscotch brownie and not my salad. So this time I got a bowl of Turkey Chili with their Spinach Salad. It was delish and filling and I didn’t get the sugar shakes at 4 p.m.
And now Panera wants to know what your favorite menu item is! You can vote for one of their 5 fan favorites or submit your own favorite – MyPanera members get a chance to win their favorite free for a year! The 5 fan favorites selected for the voting feature are: The Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, Mac & Cheese, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, Cinnamon Crunch Bagel and Bacon Turkey Bravo. You can also check out Panera’s weekly challenges and share your favorite on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, using #PaneraFaves, for a chance to win weekly Panera gift card giveaways.
Come back here and leave me a comment telling me your fave pick and be entered to a $100 Panera Bread gift card, just for GFE readers! What’s the strangest thing anyone’s ever said to you at a restaurant? Any other tips for dining out with kids?
Sweepstakes Rules:
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You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
- Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
- Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
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- For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 2/26/2014-3/30/2014.
Be sure to visit the Panera Bread brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ posts!
I love the Apple Chicken Salad. Yum!
Out of those five, I’d have to go with the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, but in the summertime, the Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad is my JAM. Sooo good.
Any of their veggie sandwiches (currently the Mediterranean veggie, though the names have changed over the years). They never seem to mind leaving cheese off either.
I’ll vote for the Bacon Turkey Bravo ’cause it sounds like I’d love it, but I’ve never eaten at Panera. They opened one close to me about the same time they opened a Boudin (San Francisco Sourdough) and that’s where we gravitate. But a $100 gift card just might sway me to switch sides.
I love the broccoli cheddar soup! So good!
I’m a fan of the broccoli cheddar soup.
The Fuji Apple Chicken Salad would be my favorite.
tweet
https://twitter.com/kellysaver/status/438656059452817408
Power Chicken Hummus Bowl is my fav. Having to eat gluten free limits my choices, but the power bowls are all tasty!
Broccoli cheddar soup is my fave!
I’m not a U.S. resident (for the contest purposes) however I used to be a U.S. resident for five years. I was quite familiar with many restaurants but as I recall, Panera was not available yet.
My then-wife and I honeymooned stateside, and our travels became a tour of “Darwin’s favorite restaurants” in every state between here and…(wait for it)…Disneyland!
Which to my way of thinking is the PERFECT place to have children learn table manners as no one looks askew at events that are noisy and/or aided and abetted by gravity.
That WAS my goal…but…best laid plans and what-not.
We did travel…just did not make it that far…in that direction anyway.
But we did take our children everywhere. All four. Grocery shopping (where Daddy would juggle the produce) clothes shopping, errands. Granted my children were pretty content and fascinated by things around them and not prone to tantrums or frustration and if there was something distressing we would deal.
(The giant inflatable snowman was much less scary when Daddy told it not to bother anybody)
At times they would grab things on the flyby “But Mommy! Its a Jackie Chan movie!” (I taught them well.)
But all in all not much drama.
Polar Vortex?
Last spring we had our coldest spring in 100 years.
This year is our coldest winter in 15 years.
Yesterday it was minus 51 with the windchill in the early morning hours.
Our schools don’t close.
Buses sometimes refuse to run (can you blame them?) But our schools do not close and the recess has options for inside or outside if parental approved.
When stateside I went out one wintry morning to go to class at university.
The campus was post-apocalyptic.
An empty barren wasteland.
I found one wandering soul. A maintenance person.
“Where is everybody?” I ask.
“Its 15 BELOW!” he stated.
“Okay. And?” I was confused.
The schools are closed.
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
And…again…I don’t read your blog because of your giveaways…I read your blog because you smell like cookies.
I love the broccoli cheddar soup – I always get half soup/half salad there and have trouble picking between broccoli cheddar and french onion. Maybe they’ll let me pick quarter servings of two soups next time?!?
I love the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel! I get it for when I’m hankering for something filling and sweet!
I Love the angus steak and asiago sandwich
My favorite panaera meal is the Mediterranean sandwich, black brean soup and an apple.
We always order the broccolli cheese soup in a bread bowl, and a brownie. 🙂 Love Panera!
I order the Bacon Turkey Bravo occasionally and love it!
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad. It’s probably the only “green” thing I crave!
Healthy pick: The Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
Non-healthy pick: Cookie – I love any of their flavors and am kind of bummed they recently quit offering the peanut butter. The Toffee-Crunch is good – as long as you don’t check the calorie count online.
The cinnamon crunch bagel is the BEST.
Do you know about their hidden menu?!?! They have a whole hidden menu of protein focused meals that are perfect for most dietary restrictions including paleo (which is near impossible to enjoy eating out without being that person who has so many special requirements when ordering)
https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/articles/access-into-paneras-hidden-menu.html
So good – I love their power Mediterranean chicken salad – haven’t made it to try their breakfast since I found out about it but the steak bowl looks delish.
when splurging – definitely the cheddar broccoli soup or the chicken ceaser sandwich! 🙂
Love the Mediterranean veggie sandwich! My bridesmaids forced half of one down my throat before my wedding so I have a soft spot for it. And then they hid leftover brownies and chips in the hotel suite bathroom, which I found after the reception and were the best things I’ve ever eaten.
I voted for the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, because it was my favorite of those choices; and I do like it. However, my real favorites are the Strawberry Poppyseed salad, the Spinach Power Salad, the Frontega Chicken Sandwich, the Mediterranean Egg White Sandwich, and if I am not looking at the calories the Pecan Roll is to die for!
Chicken Fuji Apple Salad all the way! Love it! Another trick we have learned is to find restaurants with outdoor patios….the kids seam more lax in that environment and so do the other patrons. I am less apt to incessantly hush them when there is traffic or birds or whatever else going on outside. And probably not mom of the year worthy, but breweries have been sorta fun lately in the Denver area….they have BOARD GAMES and loud people and music and they are actually pretty tolerant of kids being there too (and some even have outdoor patios!)
I think I’m meeting a friend there for dinner tonight!
I usually get the “you pick two” combo. If I’m being healthy, I get the turkey sandwich and one of the salads. If I’m not, I get a panini and a cream-based soup. Yum. 🙂
i love their broccoli cheddar soup with bread bowl!
The Bacon Turkey Bravo is definitely my favorite, I get it everytime
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
Cinnamon Crunch Bagel
https://twitter.com/sweetums82/status/438752176521748480
I actually went to Panera last night and my favorite item is definitely their Thai Chicken Salad, my children love the kids grilled cheese.
Years ago they had a vegetable bisque soup that had chunks of eggplant in it. My life has not been complete since they took it off the menu.
Tweeted for a second entry https://twitter.com/mummytotwoboys1/status/438754901737222144
I actually enjoy when people let children be children as long as it doesn’t get way out of hand. My brothers and I were raised as sort of “Stepford” children. We would go to the grocery store with my mother every Saturday and each one of us had a place on the grocery cart we had to hold on to, while we walked along talking quietly with no pointing, sniffling or dawdling. We actually loved going on an adventure and seeing what was going on. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I started to realize how controlled we were and different from other families.
Broccoli Cheese Soup!
Tweeted!! https://twitter.com/AlexisB2007/status/438764965022167040
Their cinnamon crunch scone is to die for!!
Nothing like a yummy Fuji Apple Chicken Salad to make me feel happy and full!! And to keep the kiddos happy a gigantic cookie that they share with everyone at the table (not always happily).
i looooove the Fuji apple chicken salad, and so does everyone I know who I’ve had try it!!!
The Cinnamon Crunch Bagel is really good. I don’t usually get their bakery items but my husbands loves them.
Oooh, tough choice.. but I LOVE the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad, so I’m going to have to go with that 🙂
I love the fuji apple salad but my favorite is the creamy tomato soup!
I LOVE the cinnamon crunch bagel. Especially with hazelnut cream cheese. YUM. But I’ve yet to order something at Panera that I don’t like.
We don’t have a local Panera Bread, so this is just a kids dining story. Many moons ago, when my kids were young, we learned that it worked better to call and place our order early before we got to the restaurant. That reduced the wait between ordering and food delivery, when we generally had the toughest time dealing with our kids. We did that one night when we were going to Pizza Hut, ordering about a half hour before we arrived. When we got there the place was packed and we lucked into the last available table. When the waiter showed up we ordered drinks and told her we had already placed our order by phone. Within five minutes, she brought out both our drinks and out pizza.
A good friend of mine was sitting a short distance away and must have been waiting for a while. He came over and asked who he had to bribe to get his food so quickly! We hadn’t ever thought how our method might look to others. That particular night, there would have been no way we could have survived a night out with the kids if we hadn’t ordered in advance.
Enjoy your time out with your kids. Those times will end soon enough.
Have a great day.
I love their Fuji Chicken Apple salad and I love that I can customize it! Leave off the cheese and onions please, no dressing. I use my own dressing at home. Easy peasy!
The Bacon Turkey Bravo is my favorite!
I love their cinnamon crunch bagels – so unique & so yummy
Ooooh if I had to pick a favorite from Panera Bread it would be the item that got me loving them years back: their breast cancer awareness bagel! OK, that might not be exactly what it was called but it’s been years since they’ve had it and it was the best bagel ever made!
But, if I have to choose from those options I pick the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel because it’s closest to the item I am currently fantasizing about. 🙂
I’m partial to the turkey chili.
I like their broccoli cheddar soup
Broccoli cheddar soup – definitely. unfortunately when we buy the panera version at the store, it never tastes quite the same. we also love the bbq chicken salad, but were told recently that they are taking it off the menu. 🙁
https://twitter.com/ElenaIstomina/status/438828495355912192
I love their broc. cheddar soup!
I love their salads, especially the Asian Sesame Chicken Salad.
Tweet link: https://twitter.com/shala_darkstone/status/438839965888176128
I LOVE their mac and cheese!
My favorite at Panera is… Panera. Seriously, I love it so much. It fueled my entire dissertation, pretty much. Out of those, I loveeee the Fuji Apple Chicken salad.
I love the cinnamon crunch bagel, but I’ve never had the fuji apple salad and it looks great!
i love the broccoli soup in a bread bowl!!
https://twitter.com/raggammuffin/status/438855868667662337
I would pick the mac and cheese. I can’t think of the strangest thing anyone has said to me at a restaurant. My advice for dining out with kids bring activities for them to do at the table.
LOVE Panera – #1-Shortbread Cookies! Followed by mac & cheese, greek salad, any of their soups, Mediterranean Sandwich! 🙂
Broccoli cheddar soup
I love the asiago cheese bagels…
They make some of the best bagels… especially the cinnamon crunch kind!
Broccoli and cheddar soup for me. Easy diet wise. I do love me some strawberry chicken salad when it’s available. Luckily our toddler is pretty tame. We were just at Panera a couple nights ago and she did a little escaping (while hollering for dad to catch her(with no pants on)) but otherwise stayed at the table winning over anyone near us.
Mac & cheese!
If I had to pick from the list of 5, probably the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel, but outside of them, I’m a total sucker for the Bacon & Cheese Egg Souffle. (Sp?)
Worst Restaurant experience has to have been when my son was around 2 and we went to Red Lobster for dinner. He was amazingly wonderfully behaved the entire time we were there. Then he started to get tired and antsy. We were about 1/2 way through dinner and he began pestering me for my lemons that were on a side plate waiting to shower my salmon with love and he wanted one. Nothing was gonna stop him from getting a lemon, as far as he was concerned.
After about 9,342,684 rounds of “Mommy! LEEEEMOOOOO!” and “No, Charlie. You can’t have Mommy’s lemons, those are for her fishy dinner. Eat your (insert whatever not-really-a-kid-food, but he was a grown up food lover, food he was given).” I finally gave up and just shoved a few lemon quarters his way, just so the older couple in the booth next to us would stop looking at us with their “We pitty you, having been there, but shut your minion’s pie hole with something before our smiles turn into scathing death stares and we complain to the manager of your lacking parenting skills” and return to their conversationless meals.
Well, about 30 sconds into my beautiful baby boy’s hysterical sour faced glee, I remembered why I was avoiding giving him my lemon. (Yes, besides the fact that every once in a while, a mother has every right to selfishly consume every last bite of her own food on her plate. Especially when the child has been supplied with a smorgasbord of foods that they love to choose from) My son had been ordered, served, and had already consumed 2 of his kiddy cups of milk. Unfortunately, this realization hit Mommy like a brick wall, approximately 25 seconds too late.
I wrestled the now dry as a bone lemon wedge from my once beautiful baby boy who was all of a sudden an awe-inspiringly strong 2 year old screeching demon spawn, only for him to smile at me in victory that he got to finish his leeeeemoooooo before I was able to wrest it from his teeny little white knuckled death grip.
And then the horror of motherhood reared it’s horrifyingly embarrassing head.
My son, in a split second between victory and confusion, turned into the pea soup scene from The Exorcist. My tiny baby boy was able to projectile vomit every milliliter of every liquid along with every microgram of food he had consumed ocer the last 24 hours of his life.
It. Was. EVERYWHERE. From one end of our table, where he sat with the most adorable confused “what the hell just happened” look on his sweet face, to the window that our table was set against, was completely bathed in the former contents of my son’s stomach.
I was mortified. My, then, husband was giggling uncontrollably. My son was in a daze. The older couple next to us were… I don’t know. They looked somewhat irritated, but they also had a look of sympathy. I’m thinking maybe because they knew right away what my rookie mistake was. Our server barely flinched.
Apologizing profusely, while in tears and horribly embarrassed, I asked to be pointed in the direction of the restroom, swooped up my son and was holding him, literally at arms length while almost running for some place to strip him naked and clean him up. (Mommy doesn’t do vomit well, as she is and always has been a sympathetic puker) My husband asked from the door in the hall if everything was alright and what I needed. I sobbed for the diaper bag, knowing that there was always a spare change of clothes for the baby, an extra shirt for me, and
Chicken salad, please!!
Man, they used to have the best forest mushroom soup. So good. Now… Mac and cheese pretty good… And the turkey bravo.
I like the Broccoli Cheddar Soup. And, I’ll always take any kind of hot sandwich. Yummy!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE their tomato & mozzarella panini. Simple but absolutely wonderful!
It’s a tie between their Sesame Asian Salad and the Thai Chicken Salad. The first is refreshing on hot days, the second is warming in the winter. 🙂
I love their Mac and Cheese! Definitely my favorite 🙂
I too love Panera! Their soups are the best. My favorite is the chicken noodle. I like the fact that you can get an apple or some type of bread to go with it. I enjoy going there to sit and visit over many cups of coffee! Charlotte you look great!
Broccoli Cheddar Soup in a bread bowl, please!
Love the broccoli cheddar – but my fave is the greek chicken salad (I usually get a pick 2 and get them together).
My fave is the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
Oh this is an easy one! My favorite is the Asian Chicken salad. And/or their coffee. Gosh, that’s the only thing I get there and I’ll get it over and over and over…
I don’t remember anyone saying anything particularly strange to me in a restaurant, although I’m sure it’s happened!
I’d like to try the Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich.
I love their Broccoli Cheddar Soup!
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/439169379549605889
Power Mediterranean Roasted Turkey Salad on their “hidden” menu is my favorite!
Panera is our family favorites too .. and my ‘baby’ is 17 🙂 When there for lunch or dinner, I always choose the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad. When there for breakfast, I opt for a low-fat muffin of some sort. Great food, and coffee too!
Definitely the apple chickens salad.
Their broccoli and cheddar soup is my favorite I wish I had a bowl right now.
no strange things that I can think of. Love the cookies
I just had some yummy bread with nuts in it- I don’t know what its called but it was YUM
My Panera Favorite Is The Chipotle Chicken Panini!
I Tweeted: https://twitter.com/reinaheather/status/439322547621208064
The strangest thing ever said to me in a restaurant was when I was approached twice (in the same place) and asked if I adopted my daughter from china… just wow.
The Bacon Turkey Bravo, sounds amazing.
I like the cinnamon bagel.
I had to vote for the Broccoli Cheddar Soup, it is SO delicious!
I tweeted here: https://twitter.com/theamymichaels/status/439586582165606400
I really like their Fuji Apple Chicken Salad.
acartwrightmorell at gmail dot com
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/AACMorell/status/439615267824340993
acartwrightmorell at gmail dot com
I love their strawberry poppy seed salad in the summer!
I voted for the Fuji Apple Chicken salad but the broccoli soup is a close second!
Love love LOVE the Fuji Chicken salad – and this blog!
https://twitter.com/OneFrugalGirl/status/439906681779404800
I love all their salads. I can’t pick a favorite.
Not even close. Cinnamon crunch bagel!!
It’s the Apple Chicken Salad for me!
I tweeted!
https://twitter.com/mgaltier/status/440115797675876352
I LOVE Panera’s Chicken Noodle Soup!
I tweeted! https://twitter.com/carrotrunr/status/440156825548120064
I like the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad.
tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/440226993859076096
I love their Broccoli Cheddar Soup
https://twitter.com/disneyfan40/status/440236828658921472
I voted for the mac & cheese (just wish their portion sizes were more generous)!
https://twitter.com/edtonn/status/440238160589500416
I have never eaten there, but would love to try it. I LOVE broccoli cheese soup and would definitely try it first.
tweet
https://twitter.com/eswright18/status/440244466088034304
Bacon Turkey Bravo
I love their Fuji Apple Chicken Salad and their desserts….mmm cookies! 🙂
tweeted
https://twitter.com/MelindaJoy926/status/440297223004225536
love the broccoli cheddar soup
SEANM1999 at hotmail dot com
I love the baked potato soup in a sourdough bread bowl!
TweeteD:
https://twitter.com/heavensangel238/status/440308879063138304
I like their Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
I love their Thai Chicken Salad; I could eat it every day.
I posted a tweet too: https://twitter.com/AnnaZed/status/440538916995624960
I love their broccoli Cheddar soup
https://twitter.com/618mom23boys/status/440545028738252800
I like the potato soup.
I love the Creamy tomato soup. I also was surprised to find that I love the Shrimp Mediterranean Salad.
My panera favorites are the strawberry poppyseed salad; black bean soup; and ww baguette (oh what a love/hate relationship…I could eat a whole loaf myself!)!
My favorite has always been the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel. I really can’t get enough!
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/schkinner/status/440932369495633920
mac n chesse
Everything! 🙂 Broccoli cheese soup in a bread bowl is definitely one of my favorites.
chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com
The Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich is my pick.
-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/441075771214295040
The cinnamon crunch bagel is my pick.
Out of the five, I pick apple chicken salad
i like the Napa Almond Chicken Salad Sandwich and the broccoli cheddar soup
i posted a tweet:
https://twitter.com/bellows22/status/442848654986993664
My fave is the Bacon Turkey Bravo.
I tweeted
https://twitter.com/leedhowell/status/442980229708263424
I pick the broccoli cheddar soup.
I like the Broccoli Cheddar Soup
https://twitter.com/HappyTina0115/status/443217681206874113
I adore the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel. Totally voted for it. 🙂
My favorite is the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad. 🙂 Just voted!
amy [at] utry [dot] it
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/uTry_it/status/443478772033921025
amy [at] utry [dot] it
My favorite is the Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Strangest thing anyone has ever said to us while at a restaurant had to be when our waitress told us someone else picked up our tab. We had no clue who it was other than it was someone at a nearby table. Tips for dining out with kids? Geez, I have four kids you would think I would have a few but I don’t!
Link to tweet:
https://twitter.com/catholicfanatic/status/443585036286033921
Thank you 🙂
I like the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad and the Broccoli Cheddar Soup; however, what I order most often is the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel with Honey Walnut Spread (I bought it today, as a matter of fact). We love Panera!
Tweet! https://twitter.com/lexiquin/status/443915072209842176
The cinnamon crunch bagels are SO delicious!
I’ve never eaten there, but the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad sounds good!
Cinnamon Crunch Bagel or Mac n Cheese please
Definitely the fuji apple chicken salad! I’ve been eating it for years and will never get tired of it!
Cinnamon crunch bagel is my favorite!
Broccoli cheddar soup!
Of the five faves to pick from, I voted for the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel.
But, my absolute favorite Panera item is the BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad. YUM!
i love their everything bagel, scooped out with cream cheese. so yummy.
Broccoli cheddar soup (anything that comes in a bread bowl automatically becomes 50x better to me anyway! Ha!)
It’s got to be the You Pick 2, with a steak and blue cheese salad and a chicken avocado club salad. (Though they do look at you funny when you pick two salads, or two soups. What can I say, I like variety.)
A group of friends and I meet at Panera weekly, and I enjoy their food, but honestly it’s a bit of a challenge if you’re trying to cut out processed stuff. (Hence the double salad action.) I mean, the soup has 40+ ingredients in it. It is good though, unless I want actual meat. 🙂
I can’t think of anything strange someone said in a restaurant. Tips for dining with kids – go early (before the crowd/before bedtime) – you’ll be with lots of senior citizens you will also help entertain your little ones by making baby talk
Broccoli Cheddar soup!
I like the Basil Pesto Sacchettini.
I tweeted https://twitter.com/miainthewoods/status/446457220150996992
my fave is the fuji apple chicken salad pryfamily5@gmail.com
tweeted https://twitter.com/DaPryz/status/446734987165847552 pryfamily5@gmail.com
I would vote for the Broccoli Cheddar Soup! Delish! Also, everytime I dined with children, I got a lot of “Bless your Heart” ‘s and we all know what that really means!
TWEET!
https://twitter.com/samdaleo/status/446782476661186560
I have never been to Panera but I would like to try the Broccoli Cheddar Soup on my first visit
My tweet twitter.com/neiddy_ruiz/status/447168940804825088
I voted for Broccoli Cheddar Soup
tweeted:
https://twitter.com/cappytweet/status/447449486294401024
My favorite meal at Panera is the pick two – greek salad with chicken and brocolli and cheddar soup.
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
tweet–https://twitter.com/WildOrchid985/status/447811424510025728
My best tip for diving out with kids is to make sure they’re hungry, but that they have plenty to drink. That way they have a little something to hold them over, but actually eat when the food comes! And my fave at Panera is the Tomato and Mozzarella Panini! Yum!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/coriwestphal/status/447880664864407552
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Bacon Turkey Bravo
I like the Bacon Turkey Bravo
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
https://twitter.com/ChelleB36/status/447908116600872960
tbarrettno1 at gmail dot com
I voted for the Broccoli Cheddar Soup, it’s delicious. I can’t think of anything strange that anyone has ever said to me in a restaurant.
https://twitter.com/myfolly/status/447960416593776640
tweeted: https://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/448158241722073088
I like the 1/2 sandwich half salad deal. I always get the bacon turkey bravo and cesear salad. but if I had to pick one I’d say the bacon turkey bravo
nannypanpan@gmail.com
It wasn’t a “restaurant”, but it was at Costco… apparently when you get samples, if you are under 16 or look it they ask if you have any allergies… well they asked me. I’m 28! Craziness. The lady didn’t believe my age.
And, I’d love to try the mac and cheese at Panera!
I love the You-Pick-Two and often get the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad (my fav) and Bacon Turkey Bravo/or French Onion Soup. Yummy! Thanks for the chance to win xx
The tip that usually works for me when dining out with kids is to make sure to bring something to keep them amused, like a coloring book and crayons or a favorite toy.
Tweet
https://twitter.com/didyouyarnthat/status/448944785546432512
I love the broccoli cheddar soup! YUMMMYYY!
tweeted https://twitter.com/pittsy82/status/449236668357169152
I voted for Broccoli Cheddar Soup. I am looking forward of having this.
My favorite Panera item has to be the Fugi Apple Chicken Salad because it takes fresh and has healthy ingredients in it!
love the u pick 2. I usually get the Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich and a bowl of cheddar broccoli soup.
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/peg42/status/449257798530908160
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
Panera is one of my favorite places to go with friends because of the variety offered of food, you can get a cookie, muffin, bagel and drink or a bowl of soup, sandwich or salad. Something for everyone plus free wifi. I like the onion soup with fresh bread.
Broccoli Cheddar Soup gets my (yumminess) vote. #PaneraFaves
I love the pick 2 with broccoli cheddar soup and greek salad.
I like the Fuji apple chicken salad
My fave – Bacon Turkey Bravo.
thank you
Tweet https://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/449274690280767488
I’ve never been there, but I want to try the Broccoli Cheddar Soup.
lazybones344 at gmail dot com
I love the Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich.
https://twitter.com/ccboobooy/status/449307017698492416
I love the broccoli cheddar soup.
A guy once asked my my sign…in a restaurant…not a bar.
broccoli cheeder soup awesome
The mediterranean veggie sandwich. Sooo goood
I like their Broccoli Cheddar Soup, but not in a bread bowl. Tried that once and it was a waste of good bread.
Thanks for the contest.
https://twitter.com/slehan/status/449334913292984320
I had a person tell me my kids where well behave in a resterant , the key is timing . They cant be to hungry or too tired.
truth be told, my family loves their tomato soup, but we’ll go w/ broccoli cheddar soup here!
i once was asked for an autograph!
I went with the Bacon Turkey Bravo. Looked the best of the bunch
I love the Asian Sesame Chicken Salad
Mac N Cheese is my pick!
I love love love the broccoli cheddar soup!
My pick has always been the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad. 9 out of 10 times, thats what I choose. I just recently tried the onion soup. Yum !
I voted for the broccoli cheddar soup. You cant go wrong with broccoli or cheddar and if you mix them together, you got a great meal!
Strangest thing would be to ask if I wanted my hamburger cooked. I think they meant if I wanted it cooked well done.
https://twitter.com/sohamolina/status/449379484840382464
Is the broccoli cheddar soup vegetarian? If I remember correctly, the last time I went it wasn’t listed as vegetarian so I went with something different.
So I’ll pick the cinnamon crunch bagel which is really decadent!
By the way, has anybody here been to a Panera Cares. It’s exactly like a regular Panera but you pay what you want. The idea is that some people will pay a little more (or even a lot more) so other people who can’t really afford to eat in a restaurant for whatever reason can have a special meal.
What I like about it is that it gives people dignity. They can eat in a regular restaurant with everyone else instead of going to a soup kitchen or something like that.
I went to the one in Chicago but I know they have them in other cities. I love the concept and if I lived a little closer I would eat there all the time. (But since I don’t, I eat at a regular Panera all the time because I still want to support them.)
When I take my nieces out to dinner I make sure I bring plenty of toys and books to keep them occupied.
My favorite is the Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich. 🙂
I am addicted to the cinnamon crunch bagels 🙂
Yum! So many great choices! I had to vote for the Bacon Turkey Bravo 🙂
Tweeted 🙂 – https://twitter.com/Enter_Now/status/449442590195060736
I’d pick the Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Once at a restaurant a couple sent drinks over to my hubby and I and then later asked us if we’d like to “swing” with them.
https://twitter.com/smilekisses/status/449467543715995648
mac and cheese and bagels
I had a waiter tell me my son’s hair looked like a Q-tip and ask if he could touch it.
My favorite is the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel.
I have so many favorites at Panera, but I always come back to the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad.
.Tweet
https://twitter.com/clc408/status/449522282356944896
I really like Panera’s Cinnamon Crunch Bagel. I was carded recently at Pizza Hut. I thought that was strange as I’m over 60. I don’t have any words of wisdom regarding dining with kids.
I really enjoy their black bean chili!
Just give them something delicious to distract them.
Mac & Cheese, awesome picks!
i love the creamy tomato soup in a breadbowl
I love the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad.
For lunch the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad rocks. For a quick indulgence… the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel is the bomb.
Tweeted… https://twitter.com/jdnorthwest/status/449584877319385088
Love their mac and cheese!
I have not eaten anything from there before, but I would be interested to try the Spinach & Bacon Baked Egg Soufflé.
I am big fan of the French Onion Soup
Mac & Cheese is on top of my list.
Hope to win!
I love the Napa Almond Chicken Salad sandwich at Panera. I get it almost every time that I go there. It’s so delicious.
Let’s say I’ve never had anything there that I didn’t like, but I love the soups (all of them) and the chocolate pastry.
Funniest thing at a restaurant: my son was 22 mo old. Ate like a horse. Went to an “all you can eat” pizza place. Kid ate more than me. Children’s price was based on age. Waiter comes over and asks “And how old is the little guy?” One. “FOR REAL? Wow.” 🙂
Broccoli soup. I love panera!
Bacon Turkey Bravo sounds good
The Smoked Turkey Panini is my fav. No Kiddos yet!
I’ve never really had any thing strange said to me at a restaurant, and my kid is too young to have tips on eating out with children.
My favorite thing from Panera Bread is their Mac & Cheese.
we love their tomato soup but out of these choices the broccoli cheddar soup!
I love their soups, I vote for their broccoli cheddar soup!
I’ve never eaten there but I voted for the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad. It looks super yummy! Thank you!
My vote goes for the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel!
One great thing we always do when eating out is we tell the server to bring the kid’s food as soon as it’s done, even if our food isn’t. If we order an appetizer we also do the kid’s orders then as well. The sooner they get food in their bellies the less stressful going out is as a family.
boylaneely at hotmail dot com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/JustMarriedMom3/status/449773870715650048
boylaneely at hotmail dot com
My favorite item is the Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Yum!!!
I really like the Broccoli Cheddar Soup!
https://twitter.com/eaglesforjack/status/449814996805902336
luv their grilled cheese sandwich.
my favorite is the Thai Chicken Salad
My favorite is the Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich.
I’m going to go with my own entry: Black Bean Soup!
Apple chicken salad, please! Love it!
I don’t think anyone has said something strange to me at a restaurant.
I have always liked the Greek Salad.
My favorite is ALL the soups! Love this place.
gmissycat at gmail dot com
Tweeted
https://twitter.com/gmissycat/status/449978311939072000
Broccoli Cheddar Soup
I love their Broccoli Cheddar soup! Everything on the menu is great.
the broccoli cheddar soup is my favorite!!!
posted tweet
https://twitter.com/ioananh/status/450021204682739712
I voted for the yummy broccoli cheddar soup. So good!
Sorry, no tips for eating out with kiddies, other than common sense
ones, like feed them first!
I Love the angus steak and asiago sandwich
My vote is for the Broccoli Cheddar Soup!
My favorite is the broccoli cheddar soup in the sour dough bowl. So, so, yummy.
https://twitter.com/runninglatemom/status/450052647102341120
My pick is the broccoli cheddar soup.
I love so many menu items but I would have to say I get french onion soup in a bread bowl most often~
https://twitter.com/paulapet55/status/450081850871259136
The Mac * Cheese
I love so many things from there. I have to say my very favorite is the The Bacon Turkey Bravo. I love how close they are to my house and the huge selection they have
The turkey bacon bravo is delicious! Therefore it gets my vote!
I like the Basil Pesto Sacchettini.
I love their broccoli cheddar soup.
THE BROCILI SOUP AND TURKEY. BACON GREAT..THIS IS SUCH A FUN GIVEAWAY AND WE LOVE THIS PLACE 🙂
I SPELLED BROCCOLI WRONG SORRY 🙂
The Broccoli Cheddar Soup, but the Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad is to die for!!!!
I go for the Mac & Cheese!
I like the Bacon Turkey Bravo.
I tweeted at
https://twitter.com/leedhowell/status/450130585953239040
My fav pick is the Mac & Cheese, so tasty.
https://twitter.com/CarlWhiteEntry/status/450127696232599552
Cheddar Broccoli soup
My favorite is their Breakfast Power Sandwich
https://twitter.com/ardy22/status/450142271069904896
I love Panera salads. I chose the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad as my favorite but all of them are great.
Tweet – https://twitter.com/willitara/status/450172643530903552
cinnamon crunch bagel.
That is a really beautiful transformation and I cannot believe how clever and simple the idea of stacking the Ikea shelves is.
everything looks so good
I LOVE & Voted or Broccoli Cheese soup in bread bowl
tweeted https://twitter.com/wikichoco/status/450257857745661952
I love the Asiago Steak Sandwich
I’d love the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad that looks yummy
https://twitter.com/klp1965/status/450265400534528001
I like the Tomato & Mozzarella Panini. Thank you
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad is my favorite!
I love their Broccoli Cheddar Soup!
I love the Greek salad and their ciabatta bread. Yum!
The Bacon Turkey Bravo is my favorite.
My favorite pick is the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel .
I love the Broccoli Cheddar Soup
https://twitter.com/aes529/status/450321327850000385
i love the Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad
https://twitter.com/purplelover04/status/450322902517166080
The chicken salad with Fuji apple is to die for!
I like the Broccoli cheddar soup.
https://twitter.com/thomasmurphy40/status/450344988275003392
I love the cheddar asiago grilled cheese and broccoli and cheese soup
https://twitter.com/KevinPuls/status/450346254602862593
I absolutely love their Cheddar Broccoli Soup!. The strangest thing anyone ever said to me was to come over and ask me if my hair color was real or came out of a bottle! Still do not know what to make out of that one as it is jet black the natural way.
Apple Chicken Salad sounds great. When I had my nieces and nephew with my kids someone asked “Are they all yours?” 🙂
I tweeted:
https://twitter.com/donnak4/status/450349573324541952
I LOVE the Cinnamon Crunch Bagel. I love to slather it in cream cheese & top it with pickled jalapenos-YUM!! I want one NOW!
Tweeted: https://twitter.com/LyndeisLucky/status/450355437729099776
I like the cheddar broccoli soup.
https://twitter.com/SkyShyskyk/status/450368762764460032
Fuji apple chicken salad and broccoli cheese soup!
https://twitter.com/dreamingsaving/status/450388553885679616 twitter entry 😀
I have not been to a Panera they just opened one in my town and I would love to take the family
I like the Fuji Apple Chicken Salad
winz135 at gmail.com
tweet
https://twitter.com/MistySunrise/status/450417227158671361
winz135 at gmail.com
My favorite item to order at Panera is the Frontego Chicken Panini.
French Onion Soup in a sour dough bowl
i liek brocolli cheddar soup in a bread bowl
Love their french onion soup
https://twitter.com/usnamom2014/status/450468591205621760
https://twitter.com/davisesq212/status/450468718133264384
tomato soup is my fav
I like the Bacon Turkey Bravo.
loving the spinach power salad right now