1. Kory Gill
4:30-7:30
Mulvihill
English 102
Mysteries Inside Panera Bread
On a cold winter day in downtown Grand Rapids, I was walking towards the Rosa Park
Circle hoping to gain some new insight into the city. I started to hear an unfamiliar song getting
louder and louder the closer I got. I realized the sound was coming from a band playing right by
the Rosa Park Circle. After arriving at the Rosa Park Circle, I decided to explore what was
close by. I looked to the sky and saw that it was getting darker. The roads were packed with a lot
of traffic; I suppose it was rush hour. I waited for the bright white walk light to shine before
crossing the street. The cold air pounded on my face as I strolled across. I came across a Subway
and began to get hungry. I suppose Subway’s overpowering smell would be enough to make just
about anybody hungry. Almost drooling from the mouth, I forced myself to go past Subway and
then approached a brown building. The white letters attached to the building read “Panera
Bread.” Being curious, I decided to go into the restaurant.
Once in Panera Bread, I noticed how nice it looked compared to a regular fast-food place
like McDonald’s. The inside of the restaurant looked like a library with dimmed lights. The
cashier was a few feet back from where I walked in. Behind the cashier, I noticed a huge menu
that was posted on the wall directly behind the cashier. The menu was divided into different
kinds of soups, drinks, and sandwiches that Panera Bread had to offer. I was greeted by a pale-
skinned, brown eyed, black haired cashier who was wearing thick ruby-red lipstick. I gave a
warm greeting back to the cashier. Not knowing what I wanted to eat, my eyes found some of the
most tasteful-looking treats sitting on the counter.

2. There were approximately ten different dessert trays on the counter to the right of the
cashier. I asked her what the most popular dessert at Panera Bread is. In a sweet, innocent, kind
voice, the cashier jokingly said “all of our deserts are loved and enjoyed by Americans.” I gave
the cashier a blank stare. She pointed to a shiny silver tray of over-sized cinnamon rolls and
explained to me the cinnamon rolls are the biggest sellers out of all of the desserts. The
cinnamon rolls were a good enough size to make a king full. I went ahead and bought a roll. I
then surveyed the room for a good spot to devour my cinnamon roll.
I found a seat at a spot next to a window; with no hesitation, I plopped in the chair. After
sitting down, I could not help but notice that Panera bread had its own culture. I began to wonder
how Panera Bread’s culture compared to my childhood experience. The first thing that was
worth noting was the way people dressed at the restaurant.
The people at Panera Bread were just wearing casual clothes. However, their clothes
were more expensive than regular casual wear. I knew this by the thick stitched patterns on their
jeans. Also, they had on name brand clothes like Ralph Lauren and I know from walking into
Macy’s that those types of shirts go for at least $ 85. This type of lifestyle was foreign to me
because as a little kid, I was lucky to get some clothes from Goodwill. With that said, button-
down and collared shirts, in my family, were worn only on special occasions.
I began to realize that I may have come from a different neighborhood than the people
who were in Panera Bread on that freezing winter night. I overheard some people rushing the
waitress out of the kitchen to deliver them their food. I began to ask myself, what type of person
complains about their food being five minutes late? Maybe I am just grateful to be able to come
to a restaurant like Panera Bread. This is because as a kid, going to McDonald’s was like going
to Disney World to me. Furthermore, if I ever rushed my mom to feed me as a kid, she would

3. have smacked me. So, I think the way that their parents have taught them, maybe a big part of
the reason why rushing the waitress after being five minutes late was acceptable to the young
adults.
People at the restaurant whispered amongst themselves. Panera Bread was so quiet, I
could hear a pen drop. This type of quiet sent chills up my spine because the last time I went to a
place this quiet was in a dark warm room at a hospital, right before the doctors told me my
younger brother had just died. It’s hard to explain the pain that is associated with a death of a
person that you named before he was born. Every time I go to a place that is completely silent, I
think of my younger brother’s death. This is the biggest reason I can’t stand complete silence.
The fact that it was night when I got to the restaurant, could be part of the reason it was so quiet.
Ignoring the silence of death in Panera Bread, I decided to start eating my over-sized
cinnamon roll. The roll was doughy in the middle. I thought to myself, my mom makes better
cinnamon rolls. Is it a culture thing to eat certain bread products doughy? If I would have
bought milk, the cinnamon roll would have been more enjoyable.
While eating the huge roll, I began to remember how my mom used to make cinnamon
rolls. Imaging how the butter dripped from the cinnamon rolls and how my mother’s house
would fill up with a strong cinnamon smell, I licked my lips. I started to get a little homesick.
The best thing about my mother’s cinnamon rolls is they were fully cooked. The thought of my
mom making me food flooded my mind. I silently said to myself, there is no place like home.
After finishing the roll, I glared out of the glass window that I was seated by to look at the finely
packed snow on the ground. I thought to myself, I should come here more often. The only real
complaint I had with the restaurant on that night was the dead silence filling the place.

4. I could not pay somebody in the restaurant to be noisy. I could not pay somebody
from my neighborhood when I was a child to be quiet in a restaurant. I could not get used to this
silence, no matter how hard I tried (The silence reminded me of my brother death). While taken a
second look out of the window, I noticed the sky getting darker which hinted that it was about
time for me to leave.
I first glanced at my watch to see that the time was 6:22 p.m., so I decided to pack up and
head out the door. I quickly snatched up my backpack and darted towards the door. As I walked
out of the door, the cold blistering air smacked me across the face.
In conclusion, Panera bread is a good place to go and eat with friends and family. The
restaurant will give people a unique experience. I recommend Panera Bread to people who wants
some quit time to themselves. The restaurant chain is a good place to talk about business plans
and it is ideal for eating out with co-workers. However, don’t go to Panera bread for a good
dessert because you will, more than likely, end up disappointed. Additionally, Panera Bread’s
culture is different from any other fast-food chain.