# Is it o.k. for Panera to be out of Bread Bowls? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 31, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911 "2012-07-31T01:30:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/81 "2012-08-02T09:30:12Z")
> [@JLRogers](#): > > Consider moving out of the sticks and/or learning to cook. But I don’t _want_ a home-cooked potato cake. I want a potato cake such as only Arby’s can make, the one they have listed on their menu as being available for purchase. If I wanted a potato cake made at home, I would be at my home in the sticks making a potato cake, not at Arby’s trying to buy one. Just because you don’t understand the difference doesn’t mean you need to hang around in this thread whining about people talking about the thread topic. The mature thing to do would be to shrug your shoulders and either enjoy the silly postings or find somewhere else to look for profundity. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/82 "2012-08-02T12:48:16Z")
> [@stegon66](#): > > Restaurants can run out of things for various reasons. An unexpected increase in buisness, simple oversight on the part of whoever does inventory/ordering on either end, vendors being out of stock on certain items, etc. They usually don’t run out of things just to piss you off… Exactly. I don’t know how Panera operates, but I’m willing to bet that the dough for their bread bowls is frozen at some point. If that particular dough is out of stock at the regional Panera warehouse, there’s not much any of the Panera locations can do about it except reorder that particular dough. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/83 "2012-08-02T12:56:57Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > The mature thing to do would be to shrug your shoulders and either enjoy the silly postings or find somewhere else to look for profundity. Exactly, this is just simple whinging on the internet and it’s not like we are “TEH BOYCOTT! ARBEE’S DISCRIMINATES AGAINST THE HUNGRY” and waving placards and everything. And having advertised food available is better than not having it available. For instance if they had no food available at all, ever, (but were very clean), it would be understandable to not want to visit that store again. If you agree to that, it’s just a matter of where to draw the subjective line. ---
**Author:** ![Aeris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Aeris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeris)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/84 "2012-08-02T15:10:23Z")
> [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > But I don’t _want_ a home-cooked potato cake. I want a potato cake such as only Arby’s can make, the one they have listed on their menu as being available for purchase. If I wanted a potato cake made at home, I would be at my home in the sticks making a potato cake, not at Arby’s trying to buy one. > > Just because you don’t understand the difference doesn’t mean you need to hang around in this thread whining about people talking about the thread topic. The mature thing to do would be to shrug your shoulders and either enjoy the silly postings or find somewhere else to look for profundity. Slow clap to you sir. I’m guessing that when most of us discover that said joint is out of bread, chicken, what have you that we don’t go on a rampage squirting ketchup packets in the air and punching people in the face. I’m guessing most of us sigh like it’s the worst day ever and say “fine give me the soup with some bread on side” or “Really? That sucks. I’m good then. See ya later.” That doesn’t mean that we don’t like to come on here and gripe about it. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/85 "2012-08-02T16:55:00Z")
Some of us have had to deal with the griping all day at work and don’t really enjoy reading more griping afterwards when it’s a situation that we can’t control. It would be great if what was on the menu was what the store had but that just doesn’t happen sometimes and I figure if I can manage to not roll my eyes when I can’t get some item, everyone else can, too. ---
**Author:** ![Aeris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Aeris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeris)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/86 "2012-08-02T17:33:48Z")
A) Pick a different thread. B) I guess I’ll never be as cool as you Dalai Lama. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/87 "2012-08-02T17:45:46Z")
Wow, this Thread took on a life of its own! I am happy to see that at least some people feel me on this. The Arby’s sidetrack was mind-blowing. Who knew the SDMB was the ultimate source of Arby’s info on the internet! I am happy to have a place to bring all Arby’s inquiries in the future. I suppose none of the examples can compare with KFC being out of chicken. ---
**Author:** ![nikonikosuru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f8ce5/32.png) [@nikonikosuru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nikonikosuru)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/88 "2012-08-02T17:59:12Z")
> [@ThisSpaceForRent](#): > > I am a former Panera Bread GM. Here is the straight Dough(p). > > A manager, usually an assistant or shift manager order the dough from a central facility, the FDF, fresh Dough Facility. The FDF SELLS the dough to company and franchise Bakery Cafes. Café’s are supposed to have a certain amount left at end of each day; The amount varies by product and by Bakery/Café volume. For bread bowls the “display allowance is between 8-12. This number gets run through a number crunching machine that operates behind a magical curtain and credits cafes back the TARGET leftover amount. > > A Bakery/Café could have a huge order for a particular product (bread bowls…bagels, pumpkin muffies etc) BUT…most (all in St Louis area) Bakery Cafes have, in addition to the overnight Baker, a DAY baker to bake as product is getting low or runs out. Keep in mind they have the dough onsite for the next days bake so they could pull some, proof it and bake the needed product. This does “rob Peter to pay Paul” and necessitates a manager adjusting future dough orders (Pan-Ups). Lazy managers wont adjust/call mid day production. > > Panera runs a VERY tight ship when it comes to Food cost and Labor…if you are in the F&B business you would be astounded by how low both percentages are. > > If you haven’t also caught on they make $$ selling the dough to Company Cafes and franchisees. > > Any leftover bakery product at the end of each day gets donated to food pantries and food banks. > > Panera used to be a great place to work…until they started cutting wages and benefits. Echoing this. Currently working there (unfortunately.) The night bakers only bake a set amount for the day. They cannot take into account any abnormalities the next day including, say, a whole soccer team full of kids coming in just for bread bowls, or a little old lady suddenly deciding that she wants to buy twenty bread bowls. It’s happened before. Same with bagels, bread, you name it. On Christmas Eve the store was completely out of everything by the end of my shift. You’d still be amazed at what gets thrown out at the end of the night. I think Panera would rather not add to their losses. What is the big deal about them, anyway? Never had a desire to eat a whole loaf of bread with soup. Plus, you only get a cup of soup in the bread bowl. I’d rather order a bowl of soup (cup and a half) with a hunk of bread on the side. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/89 "2012-08-02T21:51:09Z")
> [@nikonikosuru](#): > > The night bakers only bake a set amount for the day. They cannot take into account any abnormalities the next day including, say, a whole soccer team full of kids coming in just for bread bowls, or a little old lady suddenly deciding that she wants to buy twenty bread bowls. It’s happened before. Same with bagels, bread, you name it. On Christmas Eve the store was completely out of everything by the end of my shift. I knew it! I figured, with Panera being as large as it is, they have to have some kind of production-based bake in place, much like mine. If I’m allotted only X loaves of whatever bread from the previous night’s pan-up and I sell out of all of them at, say, 2PM, that’s usually it _unless_ we have somebody on the afternoon/evening shift who knows how to bake. Which, more often than not, we don’t. > [@](#): > > You’d still be amazed at what gets thrown out at the end of the night. I think Panera would rather not add to their losses. Bakery stales can be astronomical. As the adage goes, you’ve got to make a hell of a lot of bread to make a little money. Bread ingredients are also cheap, relatively speaking. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/90 "2012-08-09T20:26:57Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > I assume you’re talking about late night as well? They have to clean them sometime. Running them non-stop for days is simply not an option. The care of dairy machines is the stuff of legend in any well maintained fast food place, if you only have one, and cannot therefore be cleaning the backup while using the other, it’s a pain in the ass. You have someone doing the final dishes for the night, but you can’t just throw all the shake machine parts in with the greasy stuff to wash. There’s the rinsing of the machine and all sorts of clean up to do. At least it’s being cleaned properly if you’re denied a shake late at night. The alternative of just not washing it that night would be much worse for all involved. It’s like around 9-10 or so I’m talking about. Shortly before they close the inside and switch to drive-thru only. Sure, they have to clean it sometime, but why not 3am, or something? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/91 "2012-08-10T00:40:25Z")
> [@JLRogers](#): > > It’s astonishing to me how entitled some of you feel. Seriously? Going to a restaurant and expecting them to serve me food is entitlement? Tell me, before you leave and go home, do you apologize to the restaurant staff for having bothered them? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/92 "2012-08-10T16:43:57Z")
Well the Jerk Store called and they said they were out of YOU! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/93 "2012-08-10T18:27:10Z")
People, enough of the bickering – and definitely knock off the personal insults. Thanks, **twickster** , Cafe Society moderator ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/94 "2012-08-10T18:34:15Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > I missed this while posting. During the breakfast hours they almost can’t stock enough of them, seems some people equate them with hash browns. Given that they’re almost exactly the same thing that some chains serve _as_ hashbrowns, that’s understandable. See McDonalds. > [@Sudden\_Kestrel](#): > > I worked at Arby’s back in the '70s when they weren’t even open before lunchtime. Potato cakes were their answer to french fries at the burger joints, not some sort of breakfast dish. I think so many people order curly fries now (yuck) that they don’t make enough tri-taters for traditionalists like me. They quit making regular fries, only curly fries or potato cakes. I hate the overspicing of curly fries, I want regular fries. Potato cakes are too much fried to potato. ☹ > [@Joey\_P](#): > > Also, a good rule of thumb when you want to know how much a restaurant pays for something is to take what they charge you and divide it by three. (The standard restaurant profit margin is 70%). Nitpick: “profit margin” is not the same thing as “price markup”. The price markup is what they charge above and beyond their direct cost for the product. They have to pay 33 cents for it, they charge a dollar. Or whatever. Profit margin is what you get after you take out all the other expenses - water, electricity, wages, etc. > [@JLRogers](#): > > It’s astonishing to me how entitled some of you feel. If you absolutely have to have a bread bowl/fried chicken/milkshake and can’t possibly be bothered to drive on to another location try making it at home. As an added bonus your home version will be healthier unless you go out of your way to make it less so! I think it’s totally acceptable to expect a restaurant to actually have the items offered on its menu and be open the hours they list they are open. > [@JLRogers](#): > > No one is posting about fast food _chains_ . People are whining about specific _locations_ running short on one item or another. The fact is that these stores aren’t magic food-generating machines, and it is nigh-inevitable that an occasional supply issue will arise. The mature response is to shrug your shoulders and either order something else or find somewhere else to eat. It’s one thing to occassionally run out of an item on a peak demand day, its another to regularly be short on something. To have an unofficial policy in direct contradiction to their official stated policy is pretty shitty. [deleted] > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Some of us have had to deal with the griping all day at work and don’t really enjoy reading more griping afterwards when it’s a situation that we can’t control. Then why would you stick your nose in a thread that can be expected to have a deal of griping? A thread about a popular restaurant chain running short of a popular menu item? How long until the griping begins? > [@TBG](#): > > It’s like around 9-10 or so I’m talking about. Shortly before they close the inside and switch to drive-thru only. Sure, they have to clean it sometime, but why not 3am, or something? I imagine it’s a staffing issue. They have a certain number of workers on shift till 10 pm or whatever, when the lobby is open, because they have more registers to cover. After they close the lobby, they only have the drive thru, which reduces the staff need. Ergo, the people going off shift clean the machine before they leave. Maybe not the best policy from the customers’ perspective, but the manager makes the decision on his own needs. ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_G7subs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85e7bf/32.png) [@Rich\_G7subs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_G7subs)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/95 "2012-08-10T18:41:44Z")
The managers have to estimate how many bread bowls, bear claws,etc that the night bakers need to make for the following day. My wife works at Panera… I think they call that estimate a “Pan up” . Sometimes they fall short, apparently. I suppose it’s not an exact science. Oh the HORROR of not getting a bread bowl! :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/96 "2012-08-10T18:53:04Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Then why would you stick your nose in a thread that can be expected to have a deal of griping? A thread about a popular restaurant chain running short of a popular menu item? How long until the griping begins? Because my list of Pwecious Pwincesses can always use updating. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/97 "2012-08-10T19:00:55Z")
In my mind, Panera was never about the bread bowls. It was the delicious, un-bagel like, cinnamon-crunch bagels. Or soup and bread on your way home from work And those doggone sneaky, high-calorie shortbreads. My life had a big diet changeup for the better so I tend to just get soup nowdays. But I do remember the texture of those cinnamon-crunchy things. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/98 "2012-08-10T19:03:45Z")
Panera being out of bread bowls is bad, but marginal. IHOP being out of butter is inexcusable. They should have told me before even bringing my food. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/99 "2012-08-10T20:57:00Z")
OP, why not, next time you’re in Panera and they **have** bread bowls, buy 8 or 10, take them home and throw them in the freezer? Then when you visit Panera and want soup in a bread bowl, just BYOB. Soblem prolved. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911/100 "2012-08-10T21:25:15Z")
Yeah, because that makes much more sense than expecting a restaurant to have on hand the materials to make the items on their menu. “I’d like a Big Mac. I brought my own bun, just in case you were out.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-o-k-for-panera-to-be-out-of-bread-bowls/629911.md?page=6)