Panera Bread Now Open in Babcock Ranch at The Shoppes at Yellow Pine

The progress continues as another new business has opened at The Shoppes at Yellow Pine. The Shoppes at Yellow Pine is the latest commercial development within the ever-growing Babcock Ranch community in Southwest Florida. On Wednesday another new dining option welcomed customers with open arms.

Panera Bread is the second of what will be seven new eateries to open for business. This popular national chain offers breakfast, lunch and dinner to the people living and working in Babcock Ranch and the surrounding areas. It was a busy day at the newest quick-service restaurant, but the staff was hard at work cranking out the large number of orders as the day moved along. During the lunch rush, I was able to walk right in and help myself at the order kiosk. There is also the option to order ahead on the Panera mobile app, or you can just do it the old fashioned way and order from the employee up front. A nice feature includes the ordering system at Panera. It gives you the ability to track your order in real time.

For instance, once you place your order you're able to see your name and the status as you awaited completion. If you look up to the board, you will see your name and a message that reads, "We've Got It!" That indicates to the customer that they've received the order and will get to it as soon as possible. Once they being working on your order, the message switches to "We're Prepping." After that, you will see the message briefly switch to something along the lines of "We're checking it," to make sure it's correct and then finally the moment you've been waiting for..."It's Ready!"

Once you see that glorious message lit up in green, you will soon see the Panera employee place your order in the window for you to grab and enjoy! Admittedly it took a little longer than normal to get the order as it is literally the first day being open, but management was there to say hello, assure people they are working on it and things were moving as fast as they could. Overall, it seemed to be a solid, well-run operation. I personally had the Chicken Caprese Salad with Strawberries and its was DELICIOUS!

Available for ordering were all the favorites that a frequent diner at Panera looks forward to, delicious bakery items and bagels. Also, their drinks complimented the hot Florida weather we all love! Their featured drinks for opening day were Pomegranate Hibiscus Tea, Passion Papaya Iced Green Tea and Agave Lemonade.

No matter what you're in the mood for there is something for you and it was such an exciting atmosphere as another new business opened up "shoppe" in this wonderful community so many of us call home. With each new business that opens we come one step closer to the vision that Kitson & Partners put forth for all of us to enjoy. There is still so much to look forward to as more tenants get closer to their open dates in The Shoppes at Yellow Pine.