Rocky Top Panera

On my way down to Florida this past weekend, I made a pit stop at my good friends The Sniders. They live just outside of Knoxville, TN. I met Megan through work when we both lived in South Carolina. We shortly learned that we were both Ohio natives and had a knack for conquering happy hours. Therefore, we became fast friends.

I arrived in Knoxville on Friday night. Greeted by Megan and Eric's 3 dogs, their neighbor's somewhat neglected dog, and a Miller Lite. Not a bad start to an evening. In keeping with the dog theme, we decided to have dinner at place called "Double Dogs". Even if you are not a dog fan, you would most likely enjoy this atmosphere. Fun fact: If you order the nachos, they come in a dog bowl. I saw several kids walking around with empty "nacho plates".

Double Dogs, Knoxville.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next morning we decided to have breakfast at the Panera in Oak Ridge. Not unlike most of my friends/blog followers, I believe Megan was secretly excited to be mentioned on this blog. It is kind of a big deal.

Standard Exterior shot.

The REVIEW:
Date visited: Saturday, July 28
Time of day: 10:30ish
Items ordered: Me: Med Veg, large unsweet tea (half acai/half unsweet)
Megan: Power breakfast sandwich. Sprite, I believe?

Food shot.

We arrived at the Panera right about 10:30 on Saturday. It seemed like it was going to be a standard Panera write up...until I opened the front doors. From the moment I stepped foot in that Panera, something felt off. The service was extremely slow. But there was something else. I didn't figure it out until it was my turn to order, when I asked the cashier, "Where's the music?" To which the cashier said, "Huh, you're right. That's weird." Indeed it was weird. A Panera without the classical music blaring is like a painter without paint. A drummer without a drum. A dog without a bone. Ok, you get my point.

Waiting in line, sans music.

It was eerie. And the people at this particular Panera were borderline Stepford. Was it just the lack of music that created such a debacle? I guess we will never know. I am fairly certain that no one noticed the lack of music.

BOLD DECLARATION: The Oak Ridge, TN Panera is the oddest Panera I have encountered.

Random NOTES:

• Oak Ridge, TN is home to the most PHD's per capita. It is home to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory that conducts nuclear testing. Yikes. Maybe that explains the eeriness?
• My bill was $7. I thought that was super cheap for what I ordered. Typically that would cost me close to $9. I assumed it had something to do with the sales tax in TN. Turns out the cashier rang up a mediterranean breakfast sandwich, instead of my standard med veg lunch sandwich. They promptly corrected their mistake as I picked up my sandwich and I didn't have to pay the difference. So that was nice. 
• Panera is getting better and better with their merchandising of impulse buys....

Terrible photography, but these are brownies nicely packaged to-go.

•  This location had all the bells and whistles (well, minus the music) which includes: Drive-Thru, Free-standing, nice patio, and it's even next to the Wal-Mart! No community room, however.

Nice patio, eh?