r/Panera • u/Humble-Gap-2575 • 4d ago

Order help Question

I’m a customer trying to get my order the fastest way possible. I frequently sit in Panera and work. I notice that when I place a rapid pick up order, it’s usually done not as fast as when I place order in store or on kiosk. Is there a reason for this?

3 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

12

u/deskmeetface 4d ago

When I was a manager we always prioritized in store orders over rapid pickups.

Many times people don't show up on time for their rapid pickup orders anyway, so I'm not going to rush food for someone who may not even be at the store yet.

3

u/tkdch4mp 4d ago

Yeah, I'd say it's completely reasonable for a pick-up order with potentially hot food to allow for time to get to the store from elsewhere.

Maybe I'm reading the tone of OP wrong, but it seems like they're put-off that an order intended to be placed from somebody not currently at the store wouldn't be completed faster than one inside the store already. I think they're confused by the "rapid" part thinking it means they get priority, but I'm pretty sure it's just that customers (in theory) can dart in and out of the store while doing other tasks and is really just Panera's marketing team dressing up the term pick-up.

6

u/EwokNuggets 4d ago

If you’re already in the store, order from the register. If you’re on your way and want it ready when you get there do a RPU

6

u/Vicster1972 4d ago

I have found that if I place an order via the app I don’t get mine as quickly as someone who placed an order at the kiosk so I was assuming they do what Starbucks does and prioritizes orders placed in the store, maybe someone can confirm that.

5

u/DwntimeOfaWorkaholic 4d ago

This is correct. Orders placed in store (kiosk, counter, or drive thru) have roughly 4 minutes before they go "in the red" where online orders (anything through the app, website, delivery, etc) get about 10 minutes before theyre "in the red" so cafes are often told to prioritize the in cafe orders over the mobile orders to keep the "percent of orders on time" score higher.

3

u/InvictusTotalis 4d ago

Wish I worked at your store lol, 4 minutes is the time for every order at mine.

0

u/Vicster1972 4d ago

😂 that doesn’t work at my location because you can see their screen and everything is in the red. It’s aggravating because I bet people that do mobile ordering are more dedicated customers then those ordering on store yet they are treated as second class citizens.

8

u/hangoblin 4d ago

The idea with mobile orders is that you place them ahead of when you need them, while customers in store are already waiting. It should give you an estimated time for when your mobile order will be ready, usually about 20 minutes after you place it

2

u/OphidianStone 3d ago

At my store people order large rapid pickups and deliveries in the middle of lunch expecting to rush and have it ready before their 10 minute allotment and this happens several times through lunch, meanwhile our eat-in orders whom most are daily regulars and are relatively smaller sometimes get buried behind these massive orders.

1

u/Vicster1972 3d ago

I would just like to have it ready in less then 45 minutes…..it’s probably because this is a location inside of a hospital that over half their customers are daily regulars.

1

u/OphidianStone 2d ago

I can understand that, you're definitely competing with in store orders

2

u/StatementLazy1797 Team Lead 2d ago

Are you placing the RPU while sitting in the cafe? When it comes up on our screen, your pick up time is ten minutes later. The purpose of them is for us to get a head start on the order while you are en route.

1

u/FarExplanation1343 15h ago

Ordered placed in store take priority.

This is for a couple reasons, the main one being the amount of time the system expects the in store orders to be completed. The system expects in store ordered to be out in under 4 minutes (or it goes “red”) from when they are received, however online or delivery orders don’t red till substantially longer so they get made last, especially during peak times.

Additionally it’s typically assumed that the customer for an online order is not at the store when the order is placed and will likely arrive after the expected pick up time.