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.

363 days later...my final Cbus review: Grove City

Standard exterior shot.

It took me nearly 365 days, but I accomplished my goal. I have visited and reviewed every single Panera Bread in the Columbus area...all 22 of 'em! In addition I have even visited/reviewed 10 other outer market Panera Bread's throughout Ohio and the nation.

I finished this goal on Friday morning, where I reviewed the newly built Grove City Panera.

THE REVIEW:
Date visited: Friday, December 16
Time of Day: 11am ish
Items ordered: Med veg, chips, and unsweet tea

Old faithful. The med veg. Delightful.

It's no secret, I went out of my way to visit Grove City. I had an appointment in Columbus on Friday, and decided to head to Grove City to review the new Panera. My appointment was in the Easton area...and then I drove to Grove Tucky...not convenient, but well worth the effort.

Being unfamiliar with Grove City, I had to pull up directions to this Panera on my iPhone. Suprisingly, I could not spot this Panera immediately. I made the assumption that since this was brand new, it would be a free-standing Panera with a drive-thru. I was shocked to see that it was neither free-standing nor did it have a drive-thru. Rather, it was stuck in the middle of a small strip center. That's pretty unusual for the a new Panera.

I pulled up to the restaurant and had many pre-conceived notions. I assumed it was going to be your average run of the mill boring Panera. In fact, I kind of assumed it would be the same look and feel as the new Hilliard store. I was wrong.

Standard interior shot.

If you are ever in the Grove City area, visit this Panera. The decor is warm and inviting, yet the actual restaurant is fairly large. Some of the newer Panera's like the Hilliard location, are just not as cozy. It's difficult to explain, probably just a personal preference. I did notice that the GC Panera had a purple color palate. Apparently that color is settling to me.

Note the purple walls.

Random NOTES:

• Saluting the Troops: Panera Bread is giving away Pick 2's to current military personnel and vets on 12/21 and 12/22! Spread the word!

• Staying Hungry. Staying Foolish...I impulse bought a MacBook after my Panera trip. I actually have been contemplating this move for 2 years now. I saw there was a Best Buy near the Panera and pulled the trigger. Still blogging on my PC, however.
• Waiting area. Have you ever been standing around waiting for your food at Panera to be called up. There really is no good place to mill around. This was brilliantly addressed at this GC location. They have a bench near the waiting area for that purpose. Genius!

Waitin' bench.

• I am not sure how new this location is, but they were very eager to help. That's usually a sign that the place is brand new. They had one girl going around essentially busing the tables. It was nice, yet very unexpected.
• Covelli is the franchisee of the Columbus Panera's. They also own O'Charleys. There is an O'Charleys about a block away from this Panera. Does anyone like O'Charley's? I can't say I have ever said, "Hey, lets go to O'Charley's." I have been to a few in my day, but the decision to go there is typically based on convenience and/or lack of other options.

Buying Panera, stock that is...

Follow my logic...

• The highest that Panera has traded was right about $125/share, back in June of this year.
• It fell to right about $96/share nearly 2 months later on August 8.
• Since that day, and pretty much since December of 2010 it has been right at $100 and above.

Stay with me...I have a point:

Let's analyze what I consider the mecca of all restaurant chains: Chipotle.

• They closed at $294 today. They hit their max so far around $325/share just a couple of months ago on July 25.

• That tells me that there is room for growth with PNRA.

If you exclude the financial crisis of 2008...once Chipotle hit $100/share, they did not look back and skyrocketed.

What about Google? Same thing. Once it hit $100/share, it never looked back.
Same thing for Apple.

Fact: Walmart, McDonalds, Coca Cola have never hit $100/share.

If you take into account the local knowledge that Covelli plans to expand to at least 30 locations, my logic tells me to buy Panera. Now. I am funding my Scottrade account, and I am going to buy some shares.

Random NOTES:

• I am writing this blog about Panera stock on a Friday night. Perhaps I should re-evaluate my social life.
• If you read all this, thank you...but you might want to re-evaluate your social life as well:)

Family. Baseball. Panera. The surprise visit to the Canton Panera.

 

Photo from our seats.

Every summer, my sister along with her two kids, visit Ohio from California. One of our many traditions include all of us going to a baseball game. Last summer, we all went to a Columbus Clippers game. This year, we traveled to Cleveland to see the Indians play. Since my other sister lives in Cleveland, this made everything very convenient.

The game was on a Saturday night, and the plan was to leave early the next morning. As Sunday morning approached, we were somewhat rushed out the door, to get back home. Piled up in one car was myself, my parents, and my niece and nephew (Cassandra and Nick).  I believe we were on the road by 7:30. No time to stop at one of my favorite Panera's (Westlake).

By the time we hit Independence on I-77, we all realized that making this 2 + hour drive without some caffeine and some food, was a big mistake. Huge. It was about this time that I realized we were only a short drive away from a key Panera location that I had never been - the Canton Panera located in "The Strip". Without hesitation, I suggested we make a pit stop there. Sure it was another good 45-60 minutes away, but it seemed like a good half way point to stretch and get our second winds.

Imagine my surprise, when everyone was in agreement to make this stop. Well, not everyone, as the kids had quickly fallen back asleep.

So without further ado...

The REVIEW:
Date visited: Sunday - July 31
Time of date: 9AM ish
Items ordered:
Me: Power breakfast sandwich. Unsweet tea.
Bob: Some sort of danish, black coffee
Deb: Cinnamon crunch bagel, with hazelnut coffee. 
Cassandra: Pecan pastry, hot chocolate
Nicholas: Cinnamon roll, hot chocolate


Upon pulling up to this Panera, I could tell this would be a good one. After all, this is right in Covelli's back yard. (Covelli is based out of Warren, OH). It is located in a strip center, sandwiched between an Old Navy and an Office Max. Being so early on a Sunday, the only cars at this center were Panera customers. As we walked through the parking lot, you could hear the relaxing music emanating from the speakers.

I personally, wanted to sit outside as their patio seating seemed very inviting. That was quickly shot down, as most in our party yearned for the AC.

After I placed my order, I noticed a brochure for the "Panerathon" which was scheduled to take place on 8.28!! The Panerathon is a 10K or 2 mile walk/run that benefits a charity. It takes place in Youngstown. After reading through the brochure, I was sold on this event. Unfortunately, I remembered I could not do the run on that day, as I had already committed to a golf outing in my grandpa's name, that happened to fall at the same time. Bummer. Perhaps next year. Any takers for 2012?




Random NOTES.

• This was Nick and Cassandras first Panera experience. They enjoyed their breakfast. Then again how couldn't they? (Sugar and chocolate) However, Nick claimed the cinnamon pastry tasted like apples, while Cassandra claimed hers was salty? 
• As I mentioned we visited this Panera on July 31. Which happens to be my sister Julie's birthday. Julie was sticking around Cleveland that morning and going to visit her old college. So my parents and I had Julie's kids for the day. Don't ya know, that morning we were all in such a rush that none of us, (except my dad) wished her a happy bday. I personally sat down with her and talked for a good 10-15 minutes before we left. Didn't say a word about her bday. Oops. About 30 minutes into our drive we realized our faux pas, and quickly called.

Our food + Nick and Cassandra. Not sure why Nick has a shitty grin. 

 

 

 

 

 

Interior shot. Also, there's Bob assessing the situation.

I'm in Miami B%$tch...

Photo taken from my phone atop the Fountainbleu hotel.

Picture it, mid-April...Miami, Florida. This was my last and final trip to Florida during the winter months, however this was a legit work trip. I was attending an outdoor advertising conference at the Fountainbleu. I really did not plan on visiting a Panera during this trip, because I wasn't sure if I would have time to wander off-course to find one.

Turns out that just like John Ritter used to say as he pitched Hooked on Phonics...."where there's a will, there's an A."....well substitute that "A" for "way" and you get my point.

I was put in charge of booking the rooms. Being the frugal shopper that I am, upon arrival to our hotel, I soon find new meaning to the phrase, "You get what you pay for". Turns out, this place was smack dab in the middle of South Beach. I pulled up to the hotel late that Friday evening to what appears to be a non-stop MTV Spring Break episode. Not exactly what I had envisioned. The hotel was perfect...if you planned on passing out every night from intoxication.

My point is, they nickel and dimed you for everything at this hotel. Wifi was $10 per day. My parents arrived a day later than me, and on my way to pick them up from the airport, I found a Panera!! Naturally, I made a pit stop along with my lap top to this Panera before we went to the hotel.

The review.

Date visited: April 10
Time of Day: 5ish
Items ordered:
Me: Unsweet Tea
Bob: Coffee, black
Deb: Hazelnut coffee + free item (cinnamon crunch bagel which we all shared)

I was extremely happy to be at a Panera. After spending a day on South Beach, my pocket book was suffering. It was nice to see normal prices again. (Just to compare, a glass of iced tea at one restaurant on South Beach was $6)

Random NOTES.

• The outlet situation at this Panera was awful.
• The cashiers were extremely slow. But to their credit, they did allow deb to use her free "pastry" as a bagel...pretty sure that is illegal in Panera's rule book.
• Hazelnut coffee is very popular. Deb went to get her coffee, and there was none available. It took a long time for them to refill the hazelnut variety.
• This particular Panera is not owned by Covelli, although they do own several Florida Panera's