If you ever come by Chicago, you have to check out a little place called PANERA. It's on Congress and State street. Right by the dorm rooms. What a find!A good barometer to tell if something is good is if teenagers like it. Since I'm living by a lot of teenagers, this has been easier for me.
Madeline Richards, 17, says, "OMG, I freaking love this place. I, like, come here all the freaking time. Love. It."
"You come to Chicago thinking that you won't find a place to eat. And then there's Panera and you eat there," said Randy Peters, of Detroit.
Finding good Chicago dining is hard because Chicago is big and when you're new, people you don't know are scary. So finding a local establishment, like Panera, really tells you what Chicago is about.
"When I come home for Thanksgiving, and my parents ask me about Chicago, all I'll have to describe to them is Panera," said Jolie Adams, as she twittered on her laptop, 'AT PANERA!"
That's the great thing about Panera, you can eat their wide variety of breads, salads, sandwiches, or even get a hot panini (which I highly recommend), all while doing homework or Facebooking a friend. They even have four selections of coffee sitting for you, which you can refill yourself, ALL DAY!
"I don't even see a reason to leave," said Saul Sanders, 18, from Portland, Oregon. "I will never leave," he repeated, twice.
Not only is the food delish, CHICAGO STYLE, and the coffee very reasonably priced (try the hazel nut, GOODNESS!), the workers bring character and pure Chicagoness to the setting. A worker there, we'll call her Jhannon, to protect her identity, said, "Hi, welcome to Panera, would you like to try the soup of the day?"
She had cute, elvish features and blonde hair, like a Chicagian. She kept asking what I wanted to eat, like for three days in a row, which makes me think she likes me. I'm just saying.
ANYWAY, I highly recommend anyone and everyone, if ever you come by Chicago, to try out Panera Bread, on Congress and State Streets. And if you see John Panera, or whatever the hell the owner's name is, tell him Tim sent you! Until next time, Have a Great Chicago!
