Why Panera Bread Rocks: Business, Career, Customer Service and ...

As I started my business Deb Best Practices almost three years ago, Panera Bread was my go-to meeting place. ? Today, it?s still on my go-to in-person meeting list. ? Panera Bread Corporate needs to create a bumper sticker for my car:? My Other Office is at Panera Bread.

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Seriously:? doesn?t that table in the bottom left of the above picture look like a conference room table?

Now, I?m a proud member of the Beahive in downtown Albany, and I?m thriving in that wonderful shared workspace.? However, before the Beahive debut in spring 2012, there weren?t many places a sole practitioner between appointments (or in need of an appropriate meeting space outside their home office) could get:

  • Great / healthy food
  • Free WiFi
  • Dining areas with plenty of table space and outlets which in retrospect, are laid out a lot like the Beahive shared workspace
  • Get written work, client / vendor meetings and work reading accomplished
  • Connect with peers, colleagues, potential customers /clients / partners / vendors, either planned or unplanned.

I?ve accomplished great work; achieved significant business milestones; and have conducted watershed conversations all within the Panera Bread shared work environment.

Downside to the Panera Bread shared work environment:? no network printers, faxes or other shared resources like I enjoy as a Beahive member; 30-minute limit on the WiFi during meal times (after all, their main business is food, and business / career hermit-crabbing at their restaurants is strictly a secondary grassroots development); and no organized networking /connector events and social media affinity marketing:

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The Albany Beahive is also next door to Albany landmark Coulson?s (yes, where the NYS state employees bought the multi-million dollar NYS Lottery ticket a year or so ago) and the Beahive has many other options for food and caffeine within a block radius of its downtown / Broadway location.? And wisely, the Beahive is hosting events to benefit local nonprofits, such as the September 7th luncheon to benefit WERC, the Capital District Women?s Employment Resource Center.

Panera Bread Corporate continues to refine their business model and product offerings.? However, once again, it was the secondary grassroots response of the staff of one local Panera restaurant that knocked it out of the reputational park:? how that Nashua, New Hampshire Panera Bread staff not only said yes to a dying woman?s wish for clam chowder on a Tuesday when they only made it on Friday?s, they jumped at the opportunity to help, sealing the deal with a box of Panera cookies.? That clam chowder, according to her grandson, was the last solid food the dying woman ate as she continues to fail and move towards death.? That kindness has gone viral ? the type of news frankly we all need to hear more and create, a welcome balm in contrast to other recent stories citing apathy to elderly patients? needs.? You can?t buy the kind of client testimonials like the one the grandson gave freely in heartfelt gratitude.

Panera Bread is doing something right, to inspire all of this secondary grassroots good will and affinity business.? Sounds a best practice we?d all like to emulate.

Source: http://www.debbest.com/2012/08/19/why-panera-bread-rocks-business-career-customer-service-and-reputation/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-panera-bread-rocks-business-career-customer-service-and-reputation

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