An Impromtu Kissimmee visit

It was an impromtu Panera visit just outside of Kissimmee. A Lego Land visit of all things brought us to visit this Panera. Like most things unplanned, this unplanned Panera visit was just a real nice surprise!

Let's dissect the visit.

How did we visit this Panera?
This requires a short back story. We were in town to visit Lego Land over the MLK weekend. It was - as most of my trips are - a short trip. Arrived in town late Friday - did the Lego Land thing on Saturday - and drove home Sunday morning. Truth be told - I enjoy planning meals - particularly on a trip. This trip, however, I did zero research, which explains the impromtu-ness of this Panera visit.

When we left on Sunday morning to drive home - we just got on the road and boldly declared "Let's just stop at a Starbucks".  The decision to stop at Sbux might seem counter productive for 2 boys under the age of 10 - but - a breakfast sandwich is a breakfast sandwich. And if the adults are happy on a 6 hour drive home, everyone benefits. Regarding the logistics of Sbux- I thought the decision would be fine - we were just outside of Orlando and why the hell wouldn't there be a plethora of Starbucks?

After some serious Yelping - it was determined there were not any conveniently obvious Sbux in sight. Which leads me to the Florida Turnpike. I mean, once you hit that - you are severely limited on options. So, we are about to hit the Turnpike and I see an exit with a Target and Panera and many other chains. We stop at that exit thinking - worse case scenario there's gotta be an Sbux in Target. Much to our surprise, there was zero obvious signage noting the SBux at Target. There was, however, a Panera just a stones throw away. The decision was made. Panera it is.

The Food.
Nothing super noteworthy on the decor, design, or layout. Very standard. We all had a breakfast sandwich. For me, I hold strong opinions on anything I order here (hence, the blog) - for Tipp and the boys, they just wanted a sandwich. I struggled with my order - it was roughly 9:30AM, and I am not a gigantic Panera breakfast fan. The boys ordered an Egg, Bacon and Cheese sandwich "scrambled egg" - apparently the Brioche bun is the standard bread but they were out - so they subbed with ciabatta. Tipp ordered an egg, ham and roasted tomato sandwich. I waivered on my order from a lunch item to a breakfast item and finally reluctantly ordered a ham, egg and cheese sandwich with an "over easy" egg.

The boys were over the moon about their sandwiches. While I am not one for ciabatta, the boys seemed to enjoy the sandwiches quite so. Tipp reported that her sandwich was good - but nothing over the top excited. My sandwich was good - but nothing you couldn't make at home.

Cal giving the thumbs up on his sandwich.

With the prominently placed baked goods and the gentle up sell of the sweets provided by the cashier - the boys won the battle and a chocolate muffin was purchased. Tipp and the boys split the muffin - (note I was superior and turned down the dessert). They reported that it was very good.

The Tea.
I started making a random note about the tea and realized this topic warranted it's own paragraph.
Good lord, almighty. The hot tea options at Panera are horrible. Can we agree - the hot tea at Panera sucks? Virtually the weakest tea I have ever purchased. My hot tea of choice - earl grey.
What I do like about the Panera hot tea: Autonomy. They try to make hot tea feel equal to coffee - as in - let's just leave the tea out for anyone to roam by and choose which tea they want - when they want it, just like coffee. So I like the autonomy given to me, a tea drinker. I can choose to refill when I want, as often as I want. Lovely! Unfortunately, the tea is too damn weak. I ended up topping off my tea before we got on the road again with 2 more tea bags.

Random Notes:

• I should really just have a random notes section, because I find this the most fun.
• Starbucks - their tea is invigorating. Is it the best ever? No. But damn good and damn reliable. 
• I probably visit Starbucks more than Panera these days - most notably due to the hot tea situation.
• Earl Grey - okay - so I think that's a somewhat random order. Did you know that at Starbucks, I would say conservatively - Earl Grey is sold out 40% of the time? I usually have to settle for an English Breakfast in that situation. English Breakfast is okay - but don't trust a barista that tells you it is basically the same as Earl Grey. They have sinister intentions. 
• Americano. Tipp swears by the Sbux Americano. She hasn't found another place that makes it better. She tried a coffee drink from Panera and was sorely disappointed.
• Constant menu changing - The Panera lunch menu name changes tends to get out of control. The changes they have made with lunch - I am not a fan of - the salads have become a complete disaster. The breakfast, however, I applaud the changes. Prior to the changes, the names were too over the top. For example, my ham, egg and cheese sandwich used to be called the "Power breakfast sandwich". Now they just name the ingredients. That makes more sense. 
• Sorry, can't stop talking about Starbucks in this post -----