Panera Bread Rantings

[LeadHership]

My lungs are acting up again. Thankfully, after 25 years of dealing w/ them, I can tell this time isn't serious. Just annoying cause as soon as I bring it up in the toilet (too big to just use a tissue) my bronchi fill up again & I'm back at the toilet. AGH! So today I wasn't in the mood for difficult people & I just wanted to accomplish the mandatory and go home. I went to our impt. mtg. at Panera Bread. [Sidenote: we were probably Panera's biggest client today as our bill included snacks, beverages and lunch for 10 people over a span of 4 hours!] Mid-meeting, a Panera Bread associate came to our section to clear our trays. It was then that pitiful-hacking me asked the assoc. if he could refill my coffee. In front of everyone, he informed me that they don't do that and that I could help myself to the coffee. Whatever. A little later, I walked up to their cashier counter and asked (ironically) the same associate if he could please give me a cup of water. He informed me that I could help myself to water at their soda station. Maybe this guy was a punk. Maybe I'm just sick and being a baby. Maybe you could help me decipher.

[Tara]

Yeah, they really don't do that. They can't take anything behind the counter that you have already eaten/drank out of and then give it back to you again. I worked there in college.

[LeadHership]

Thank you for setting me straight. I didn't want to throw Panera under the bus.  And with how crabby I was that day, I'm now for certain it was me...not them.  Thank you!