Panera saves the day!

Unless you live under a rock, you heard about the devastating storm that took place across the country this past weekend. Central Ohio was one of the hardest hit. I personally lost power at my place from Friday evening through Tuesday afternoon. My facts are probably incorrect, but I heard that there was over 500,000 without power in the Central Ohio region. Many still are without power.

The storm hit rather unexpectedly. I was getting ready for a fun evening out with friends and family to watch my favorite local band (Conspiracy Band). As I was searching for the perfect outfit to wear, the sky turned ominous, winds started picking up, and soon the power went out. I grabbed my dog Boomer and we sought shelter in an interior room. I thought a tornado was imminent.  Thanks to my lack of planning for severe weather, I had no way to confirm my suspicions.

Boomer during the storm. Note the Yuengling Light bottles on the table.

Eventually the storm passed. I was left without power, so naturally, I decided to meet everyone as planned and drink/dance my worries away. The band was amazing, as usual. I arrived back at my place several hours later, still without power. As luck would have it, I had zero trouble falling asleep that night. I awoke around 8:30 the next morning to my friend/neighbor (Amy) calling me to discuss the power outage.

We decided to walk around the neighborhood to assess the situation. Needless to say, it was a mess. Trees and power lines were down everywhere. Considering the facts that: A) Amy is 8 + months pregnant B) Amy was pushing her 1 year old son, and C) I was walking my dog...it probably wasn't the safest decision to stroll around the neighborhood. But no one ever claimed we were the smartest.

It was going to be another hot day and our power coming on seemed like a long shot. The next logical step was to pick up some Panera and eat it poolside.

I volunteered to pick up the Panera to-go. It was probably 10AM at this point. As I pulled into the Bethel Road Panera, my jaw dropped. The parking lot was packed and people were literally standing in line outside of the store to get in! Wow.

The parking lot was packed. Also the only photo I took. Big mistake. Huge.

Surprisingly the line moved relatively quickly. As to be expected, the line was filled with chatter about the storm and every one's experiences. Lots of talk about the most recent AEP report that power would not be restored for 5-7 days.

Everyone that day found themselves in an unexpected and uncomfortable predicament. The employees at Panera certainly had no idea what they would be facing on that Saturday morning. Certainly that had to have been the BUSIEST Saturday ever for that particular Panera. I commend the Bethel Road Panera for staying cool in a time of panic. I guess they really followed their corporate slogan: "Make today better"

ITEMS ORDERED:
Me: Chicken Salad Sandwich, Chips, Large Unsweet Tea/Acai Tea mix. Yum.
Amy: Sierra Turkey and chips

Random NOTES:

• Generators. I'm buying one. And not just a little one. I am getting a good one. Well not anytime soon. But I probably should.
• Radio. I'm buying an emergency radio. That will happen soon.
• Pool. Who decides to go to the pool after a hurricane like storm hits? Answer: Idiots. For whatever reason going to the pool sounded like a good decision. We brought the Panera back to the pool, only to discover the entire pool and kiddie pool was filled with debris and elements from the storm. Duh.

Example of the devastation. This was a billboard.

Running for Panera...Antrim Park + Bethel Panera = Good Morning

The Panera Bread on Bethel Road

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Bethel Road Panera. The back story to this Panera visit goes as such: A friend of mine, Abby, and I are running in a half-marathon next weekend in Orlando. Training for this half-marathon for both parties, has been a struggle to say the least. In an attempt to do a last minute training session before next Saturday's race, we agreed to meet at Antrim Park for a 6-mile jaunt. Antrim Park happens to be located just a couple of miles from the Bethel Road Panera, so I was able to convince my friend to make a morning of it...we run, then we go to Panera! What a morning!

The run yesterday was a bit of struggle, but we were able to get through the run knowing that Panera was on the horizon. As we jokingly (or non-jokingly) chanted, "Running for Panera".

The review on the Bethel Rd. Panera:

Date visited: 12.31.10
Time of day: 10:30 ish
Items ordered:

Panera Pick 2: Chicken Salad, Greek Salad

Me: Pick 2, 1/2 chicken salad on seasame semolina, 1/2 greek salad (no olives), baguette, unsweet tea
Abby: Pick 2, 1/2 tuna salad, 1/2 greek salad with olives, baguette, soda

As you will notice I strayed from my typical "pick 2" favorite, which is the sierra turkey. A friend of mine noted that I should explore the menu a little more if I am going to have a blog about Panera. The chicken salad was pretty good, but it definitely was not the best chicken salad I have had. In fact, I think the Kroger chicken salad is better than Panera's. The greek salad was good as usual. Because I strayed from my normal menu item, I didn't know if the pick 2 came with a baguette. The cashier did not offer me the option of baguette, chips, or fruit...and I was given the default white baguette. I was a little disappointed in that.

Regarding Abby's order...she noted that the tuna salad was not her very good, but everything else was very good. She also noted that Panera has really good olives. As an olive hater, I wouldn't be able to tell you the difference between olives. She confirmed that Panera olives are super good. So if you like olives, I suggest you give Paneras a whirl.

Other observations:

They have a community room! So this Panera seemed a little more spacious than those that do not have the room. Another bonus at this Panera is the samples. This is a very key component to your Panera visit. Right as you walk in the entrance, there were samples of bread sitting there waiting to be sampled. Not all Paneras do this, and sometimes if they do all of the samples are gone.

I forgot to mention that I found a HAIR in my food! More specifically, I found it nestled between the top and middle part of the sandwich. I was very grossed out, needless to say. Finding a hair in your food, in my opinion, is one of the grossest things that can happen at a restaurant. I pointed this long piece of hair out to Abby. Naturally, she was grossed out. I somehow overcame the initial disgust and pretended it was my hair. Somehow it could have happened, right? I didnt feel like complaining, and if the worst case scenerio happened, and it wasnt my hair...the people that were preparing the food seemed like they washed their hair. At the end of the day, I ate the entire meal and survived.



The sample tray...and Abby sneaking into the photo.



Anyways...this wasn't my first visit to this Panera. I have been to this one several times over the years. But this is my first official review of the Bethel Panera. Overall, I really like this layout. The community room is a plus. The restrooms were clean.