"Five Points" Panera (3728 Tremont Rd), Upper Arlington

I have been to this Panera several times before my official visit, which was yesterday. I have always liked this Panera. It is located in a nice area of Columbus, Upper Arlington. There are nice neighborhoods and quite a bit of retail that surrounds this Panera. What's very interesting, is that there are 2 Starbucks located extremely close to this Panera. One is located inside a Barnes and Noble, which is attached to this Panera. The other Starbucks is less than a quarter mile down the road on Tremont.

Despite the natural competition of the coffee and wifi that they both offer, it seems that both businesses seem to thrive in this area. I personally prefer a Panera over a Starbucks as a meeting place and a work station...but that is probably not too surprising. For those coffee drinkers out there, I am curious who has the better coffee...Starbucks or Panera?

About my visit:
Date: 1.15.2011
Time of Day: 11AM
Items ordered: Old faithful (Pick 2, sierra turkey, greek salad no olives, wheat baguette, unsweet iced tea)
I really tried to go out of my comfort zone and order something different, but I just couldn't. Next time.

Old faithful...Sierra Turkey on wheat, greek salad no olives,
wheat baguette, unsweat tea...and a bunch of butter.

As mentioned before, I have also enjoyed this Panera. It is a pretty small Panera, that does not offer the Community Room, nonetheless I like the atmosphere. This Panera happens to be located very close to my friend Amy's house. So when I do visit this Panera, I am typically with her. There is a booth by the drink station and in front of a window that we typically sit. I was flying solo yesterday, and was happy to see that the booth was open! (Often times, that booth is taken)

The food was predictably good. The crowd was moderate, as it was only 11 AM. By the time I left around 11:30, it started to pick up more. I was surrounded by 2 guys studying what seemed to be theology, another lady that was flying solo who was reading a book, and one family. Very diverse crowd. I wonder if they noticed that I was taking pictures of my food. I wanted to blog about this experience while at the Panera, but felt self-conscious eating at a Panera with my "Panera Addict" blog on my screen.

Random Notes.

• They had free samples, but there weren't any in the basket.
• I have acquired a free bagel and pastry on My Panera card...again.
• This Panera has a nice outdoor seating area. I found it odd that they still have the outdoor furniture sitting outside though. It is the middle of January in Ohio...there is little hope that we get spell warm enough to drink coffee outside.
• I am staying away from the onions in the sandwiches and salads...well just onions in general. Enough said.