work Work WORK HARDER. Night baking does all. - Night Baker Panera Bread Employee Review

Biggest issue is the workload. It's unfathomably huge. You are responsible for prepping and baking 95% of everything the store sells. Unless you have hard sales, military, or manufacturing experience, it's unlikely you have the willpower to do this job. You will think you have finished everything, then turn around and find the other 67 things you need to bake. On top of all this, there are no breaks. 15 minutes? No. Half hour for lunch? Hell No. You can take a moment to breathe only once you've become an expert at efficiently crafting everything. If you have time near the end of your shift after you've finished everything (unlikely) THEN you can sit and try to forget about the flour covering you from head to toe. If you're a smoker, you're screwed. Requested time off, even unpaid, is hard to come by, especially any time between September - January. Anything more than four continuous days is out of the question. You will be burned badly multiple times. Expect it. Invest in burn gel and bandages. You will also be frostbitten if you touch anything metal in the subzero freezers. Any joy or finesse you put into your work will need to be wiped away. Imagine this place as a French kitchen, without any of the coworkers or lovely garnishes. You have to operate like a machine, pushing out hundreds of flat breads, bagels, pastries, souffles, baguettes, and artisan loaves before your shift is up. The clock is your enemy. Do one part of the sequence wrong and you will find yourself having to work twice as hard the next day to compensate for one tiny mistake. Delivery truck is sometimes late, forcing you to alter the sequence of baking. This can result in 30-60 minutes in delays you will be expected to take up the slack for.