Let the snowbirding begin...1st Florida review of 2012

It's winter in Ohio. Though it may not feel like winter in Ohio, it has been my tradition these last few years to become a wanna be snowbird. Every fall that we get our first frost, I frantically try to plan a few winter getaways. You gotta have something to look forward too, right?

The white sandy beach of Pensacola...

My first Florida getaway of 2012 was to the white sandy beaches of the Gulf Coast. During my visit I came across many worthy Panera's that I could review, but I eventually came across the Panera in Fort Walton Beach. It was here that I enjoyed a nice lunch.

Free-standing, with a drive-thru. Very nice.

Date of visit: Saturday, January 14
Time of day: 1 ish
Those in attendance/items ordered:
Me: Pick 2...Chicken salad sandwich on whole grain, greek salad no olives, french baguette. Unsweet tea.
Bob: Same as me. More details in the Random Notes section.
Deb: Sierra Turkey Pick 2, chili, and a french baguette. Bottle of water to drink.

Not sure on when this was built...but it is a Free-Stander and it has a drive-thru. Those two facts lead me to believe that it was built in the last few years. The 1 pm lunch is about 2 hours past my normal lunch feeding time, so needless to say, I was hungry. I was surprised to see such a large bustling crowd at 1 in the afternoon...who knew!

I enjoyed the overall atmosphere/vibe of this Panera. It was busy, yet the layout didn't make it seem super crowded. The had a very nice patio area. We chose to sit inside, as it was just a bit too chilly to sit outside for the meal.

RANDOM notes.

• Is it just me, or did Panera just recently start integrating some impulse register buys...aka Point of Sale items? I noticed they were selling pre-packaged brownies at this Panera. Clever. Ingenius. I like it. 

Big fat chocolate...brownies. Wrapped and ready to go.

• My dad isn't one to read menus. I ordered my meal and he told the cashier he would like the same. That happens a lot. 
• My mom ordered a bottle of water. I don't understand the logic behind that decision. The water at Panera is pretty good. The only downfall is that you have to use a child size sippy cup if you want a glass of water versus a fountain drink or tea....in which case you are announcing to the world that you are too cheap to buy a drink. Really, I think Panera should consider a special big kid cup for water. 

Did a google image search to illustrate the water. Completely stole this photo from someones blog

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• Random fact: Tourism in 2011 was the highest ever...in the Gulf Coast region. Up over 50% in most areas! Much of this is attributed to BP throwing tons of money into advertising.

Next up: Winter Park, Florida Panera. Spoiler alert: It's a Covelli.