Meet my 2nd fav Panera, Westerville South

In an attempt to knock out another Panera review, I visited the Westerville Panera on S. State St. This was not my first visit to this one, but it was my first "official" visit. If you haven't been to this Panera, I recommend that you put it on your list. This is a great place to go and relax. The minute you walk into this Panera, you feel relaxed. The layout is very small, but they use the space quite well. Despite the lack of a community room, I rank this Panera as my #2 favorite of all Paneras I have been...so far. The Lakewood Panera is my #1...so far.

Stats on the visit:
Date: 1.16.2011
Time of day: 10 AM
Items ordered: Whole wheat bagel w/cream cheese and an unsweet tea of course.

The evidence of the $2.87 bill.

So I cashed in on the My Panera freebie of a bagel. So that means the only thing I paid for this visit was a drink and cream cheese. Well, you can imagine the shock in my eyes when the associate told me the total due was $2.87. That just seems like a lot...maybe I am cheap. But I guess the atmosphere made up for the cost.

Random notes:

• I brought an issue of Bloomberg's Business Week and sat in a nice corner area by the windows.
• Sitting a couple of tables behind me in front of the fireplace was an older lady, probably in her 70s. She was wearing a white beret style toboggan.  A couple of tables from her were 2 older gentlemen, one was wearing an OSU sweatshirt the other a Steelers.
• It seemed like the two tables were regulars and they knew eachother. The 2 men were joking with the lady about her hat. In another conversation, she talked about how she was moving to Findlay to be closer to her son.
• They also had the patio tables out...maybe it's a storage issue.

Westerville: N. State St

Date visited: Saturday, December 18
Time: 12:30
Items ordered:

• Pick 2
• 1/2 greek salad
• 1/2 sierra turkey, on whole wheat bread
• whole wheat baguette
• ice water w/lemon

Those in attendance: just me
Comments:
This Panera is located as an end unit of a large shopping plaza, with other tenants such as Giant Eagle, a sushi restaurant, a bar, and several other businesses. This part of Westerville is located near the Hoover Reservoir. Most of the buildings in this area are newer.
I liked the atmosphere at this Panera. The layout was unique in that there were several pockets of seating. I chose to sit at a table in front of the window.
I have never used the "community room" at a Panera, but this location did offer one. For some completely irrational reason, I like Paneras that have the community room. Again, no reason as to why.
My only complaint in regards to the food, was the lettuce did not seem as fresh as it usually is. The staff was very friendly. I have the "my Panera" card, and in my experience, the staff is not very trained on asking you if you have the card before you pay. It is usually an after thought. The cashier that I had on Saturday, however, asked me right after I placed the order.
Bathrooms were not the greatest. After my meal, I was going to use the facility, but opted not to after a quick look in the bathroom. This was probably out of the staffs control, but the toilet was stuffed full of toilet paper...for all I know, this could have happened just before I went into the bathroom.
Overall I enjoyed this Panera. The layout was very pleasing, and the location is in a nice area of town. I did not have a friend to dine with, and I did not have any work to do, so I did not bring my laptop. I do think this location would be a good place to camp out for a couple of hours and get some work done. Again, the layout allows for this.