Hot Panera

Welp. I basically love Panera Bread Company. Three days a week, I meet my friend, Lindy, there for breakfast. We've established a nice little routine and it's quite enjoyable to go somewhere as a "regular." Occasionally, when walk in the front doors, the entire establishment claps and rises to their feet while confetti falls from the ceiling. We've had to tell them not to do the confetti every time, though, because it's kind of a bother trying to pick shiny round dots out of our hair. We would settle for cash instead, though.

One of my favorite things about my thrice weekly breakfasts with Lindy is the teamwork exhibited by the workers. Sometimes, when we are in the middle of a conversation, we will be interrupted with a hearty yell from the kitchen. If you've been to Panera before, you probably know that they like to announce the fresh items that come out of the oven. In the mornings, those items are usually bagels or souffles. So, roughly twice during our breakfast, Lindy and I are delighted when we hear them yell 'HOT BAGELS!' or 'HOT SOUFFLES!' Mind you, we are not the least bit interested in purchasing these temperature appropriate items, we are just pleased that they take the time to tell us about them.

And it's not just that they yell 'hot bagels' or 'hot souffles,' it's the way in which they say it. The person who retrieves the items announces their arrival and then the rest of the workers repeat the exciting news. But, there's one worker there that always repeats what he's just heard as if he can hardly believe the good news. So, instead of just a hearty shout, it's more like an ecstatic question. 'HOT BAGELS???? YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!! WHO'S EVER HEARD OF SUCH AN AMAZING THING!? HOT BAGELS???' And that is the best part of our morning. We wait to hear how this worker responds to shouts coming from the kitchen because we know it will be awesome. And, just so you know, Lindy is now in a position where she feels totally comfortable with shouting out the good news to the restaurant too. And that's the best part of my morning.