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

I heart warm weather...my winter "south Florida" visit

The victim of this Panera Addict's review...



 Old man winter and I do not agree. Thankfully, I am lucky enough to have opportunities to travel during some of these unpleasant winter days. As I write this, I am ending a trip to Ft. Myers/Naples. My trip this time down south is more of a "work" trip than most of my travels are. You see, I work for a family business...and it just so happens that the other sales reps are men that have been with the company for 15, 25, and I think the other 35 + years. This trip to Ft. Myers was a result of meeting certain sales goals as a team. This trip also was based around golfing. Yes, 3 entire days of golfing.

I wouldn't say that I hate to golf...but I also wouldn't say that I love to golf. And 3 entire days of golfing seems a little much. But I am not going to complain...I could have been in -10 degree January Ohio weather. I am rather thankful of this trip for many reasons.

I will say that I had high hopes of visiting a local Panera...in fact, if you read my previous post, you would see that I had it mapped out. However, a golf trip with men is serious. It turns out that 18 holes of golf plus dinner equals an entire day and night of your time. Our tee time today, for example was at 10:40. I was finishing up a run this AM and my uncle calls me at 7:50AM to tell me the rest of the guys are going to breakfast then off to the course. Seriously? How early does one need to warm up? I thought I would be able to sneak in a Panera visit this AM...but as you can see, it was imperative to hurry up and wait for that 10:40 tee time.

But wait...I am creating a new post here, so certainly I found time to visit Panera? The answer is yes! In an interesting turn of events, I was able to visit one of the Naples Panera after our round of golf. It was an interesting story of how I was able to do this...but far too long to include in this post. Let's just say, I made it.

So, without further ado....MY NAPLES REVIEW:
Time of visit: 4ish PM
Location: Rt. 41 Naples
Item ordered: Hot british breakfast decaf tea

Hot tea with two tea bags....still equals les miserable.

Ok, I know what you are thinking...hot tea..really? I had just had lunch and a couple beers, plus before that, I had several caffeinated beverages. The fact that I found this Naples Panera at this point in time...well, I will say it...it was MTB. I wasn't looking for a Panera, but it found me.

I wanted a hot cocoa...as it was pretty cold, well for Naples. However, I only had $2 in my pocket. Hot cocoa is $2.25. So I ordered the tea. To be blunt...the tea sucked. I even used 2 tea bags (yes, I said 2 tea bags) and there was virtually no flavor. I might as well have drank plain hot water. Live and learn.

As far as the layout...this one was pretty darn small. Probably the smallest I have seen. However, it's location in Naples is awesome...right at a heavy corner intersection. Very high-end area. The service kind of sucked.

Random notes...

• My cashier kept talking about how January 22, was such a big day for her to the other staff...as she waited for the hot water for my tea. She kept saying, "Oh my god, is today what I think it is..." And then she kept waiting for others to recognize her big day. I never did figure out the significance of Jan. 22 for my cashier. I hope it was a good one though. I wasn't interested enough to ask. (shocking)
• Some foreigners were sitting next to me...speaking a different language, and probably laughing at me as I took a snap shot of my tea.
• An old couple was sitting near the entrance. I didn't hear any conversation, but they seemed happy.
• A younger couple was sitting near the bathrooms...had to have been 17, 18. My only observation...I am not sure why these tight spandex pants are popular. This girl was wearing skin tight capri type spandex. Dear Lord...make that go out of style soon. Thank you.

In conclusion....this was a very nice unexpected visit to Panera Bread, Naples Florida. I hope to visit this Panera in many future winters...perhaps then I can try a sandwich...and maybe that hot cocoa.

The view on the morning runs...very nice.