Project 1: Panera Bread

At first, I did not think that Panera Bread would be very intriguing to anyone. I then I thought, anything can be interesting if you look at it long enough. Panera Bread is an extremely appealing place site, not only for its atmosphere, but for its variety of food diversity of people.
During my first observation, I realized that there was not much to observe. I felt like the subject was a bit inadequate. I did not really look beyond the physical features of the establishment toward its true value. It was a standard building with four simple walls just like any other. There were tables, booths, and high tables with bar stools, but that was not all there was. The walls have many vibrant colors written all over them. The employees not only have matching uniforms, but also joyful faces. Then there are also the diverse group of customers from many different backgrounds. I also figured out my first visit was not very successful, because I went with a group of friends. I realized I should not do that in the future. So I did not bring a bunch of friends with me during my other observations. When friends were with me, there were too many distractions; I could not even focus.
In my observations, I realized that there is really more to a place than just the actual physical contents of the building. This is a great example of the metaphor, do not judge a book by its cover. It is the people who come and spend time there. At Panera, there are multitudes of people from various age groups all with different personalities. There are numerous young adults there at all times; they are unfortunately already all coffee addicts getting their large café mocha or iced caramel latte. There were middle aged women sitting and chatting about anything and everything for hours on end. There were mothers there with children that met up with fathers for some quality family dinner time. At one observation, there were business lunches going on all around me. The meeting room was always full of some group or organizational meeting about something important.

I liked watching all the different people that came in and out of Panera Bread. Whether they were the ones that came and went as quick as lightning or the ones that stayed for hours talking on end. It just showed how everyone is different, and everyone has their own individual schedule that they live everyday. It was easy to tell who the regulars were from those people who did not visit Panera Bread very often.
Most people have seen the inside of a Panera Bread a few times. Many people fail to notice certain things that make Panera Bread what truly unique. Not only does Panera Bread have a nice atmosphere, it has distinctive aromas. Actually, it has incredible smells! In the air, there is always the smell of bread baking enticing all the customers to want more than just the cup of coffee or bagel that they came in for. Not only that, but they also have cookies, muffins, and scones looking as appetizing as ever through the thin translucent glass cases. Then, there is my personal favorite smell of Panera Bread-the soups. I love going to Panera Bread in the winter months, because every day you can walk in and discover a new whiff of a tempting and mouth-watering soup. My favorite is the broccoli cheddar soup with asiago cheese bread ; it is particularly scrumptious in my book. In addition, they have the strong sharp smell of brewing coffee. This smell does not matter much to me as I do not like coffee. My mother and sister, however, very much enjoy the smell of coffee beans roasting as do quite a lot of my friends as well.
In addition to all the smells and scenery of Panera Bread, there are sounds as well. There is the hustle and bustle of the workers all doing their jobs while using teamwork to get all the orders done in quickly and efficiently. Then there is the little boy asking his mother for a chocolate chip muffie, which differs from a muffin as it is only the top part of a muffin, while his older sister is playing with her own cellular phone. There are the sounds of middle aged businessmen and women in the meeting room talking about all their business issues, and things they have to get done by deadlines.
As I sat in Panera Bread, trying to observe anything and everything,, I started thinking about other restaurants that are similar to as well as ones that differ from to Panera Bread. At first, I thought of Starbucks coffee shops. They are very similar since they both sell pastries and coffee cakes besides all the specialty coffee drinks. Both establishments see study groups or just groups of friends sitting for hours on end talking and enjoying one another‘s company. I enjoy sitting at either place, but for some reason I get a better feeling at Panera Bread. The Starbucks coffee shops are more for quiet studying or gatherings, at least in my opinion. Whereas Panera Bread is more social, it always has more people buzzing about. On all my observation visits, I never once walked into a Panera Bread to find it to be as quiet as much as Starbucks typically are.
After comparing Panera to a similar business like Starbucks, I started thinking outside the box. What about fast food restaurants, like McDonald’s for example. This fast food joint is very simple an incomplex to contrast with Panera Bread. They sell very different types of food. McDonald’s food is way more greasier. Even though Panera Bread’s soups are delicious, they are not very healthy either. On the other hand, McDonald’s now features healthier items on their menu like their salads.
Food is not the only significant difference between the two-the people in each establishment are different. Not just the customers, but also the employees at McDonald’s are younger and usually less educated. This makes me think that Panera Bread a classier place to go to than McDonald’s. Do certain establishments cater to certain groups? If so, what what kinds of people are they and who gets to decide which people fit into each group? These questions are subjective and do not necessarily have a wrong or right answer.
Both of these businesses have things in common. The main similarity that I noticed, besides the obvious fact of they all sell food, is that they all offer free Hi-FI wireless internet. Although some may not even recognize this fact or think it matters, it matters to myself and a good deal of people. It matters to many college students, so I think this is a great marketing plan for the businesses. I expect they get a huge profit from all the college students that but their products while they stay for hours studying for a test or writing a paper. By having free wireless internet, you get people to stay longer, which allows people to keep buying more coffee to stay alert or buying one more bagel or pastry to tie them over until they are done with their task.
As you now can realize, no matter where you are at, if you look hard enough and think long enough, you can observe a lot more than you might expect at first. I now notice that I observe people and places a lot more than I used to. It is very remarkable what you can discover while simply observing. Panera Bread is one appealing place, but who knows what else you can find or notice when you go to even more places of business. I am looking forward to going to new places and observing many cultures of different places.