Customers wait in line during at Panera at its 6 a.m. grand opening last month. Photo by Will Beaton/The Dakota Student.

Until Canadian doughnut and coffee shop Tim Horton’s opens on 42nd Street, Panera Bread will remain the newest hip place to grab a healthy lunch or chocolate-drowned muffin in Grand Forks.

After opening Oct. 8 where the old Taco Bell used to stand on 32nd Ave., Panera’s parking lot has not known many empty spaces.

At the store’s 6 a.m. opening last month, a line wrapped around the building before the sun had risen, but the restaurant’s inside was warm and overflowing with the smells and sounds of ovens preparing the day’s meals.

Two weeks later, virtually half the menu was unavailable one evening because the store’s busy beginning had sold it out of many supplies.

Service

Each time I’ve eaten at the new Panera, the line has been longer than one might be used to when eating at an order-at-the-counter place. But since the menu was still unfamiliar, the extra time to decide what to order came in handy.

After placing an order, customers are handed GPS trackers that servers use to find the tables to bring food to once it’s ready. To make up for the long line, my food has consistently been ready very quickly — faster than I’ve had time to lose my fancy GPS tracker even.

I’ve never been sure if we’re expected to tip the servers who linger by the table after bringing the food, but I’ve always been glad when they arrive.

Food

The food is awesome. Nothing on anyone’s plates has ever looked unappealing. Still, I wouldn’t argue that any of it is worth the price tag that comes with each menu item.

I had the half-and-half deal, where you order one half-sandwich and one half-salad. To avoid breaking a $20 bill, I opted to order my two items from the cheapest parts of the menu, but even then, I nearly exceeded a $10 expense.

The desserts -— which are laid out under an alluring pane of glass people waiting in line have to stand beside –— look like the only thing I’d be more than happy paying for at full price.

There’s not much for a breakfast menu, though it seems that’s why many people go to Panera. The rest of the menu is divided up into one selection of sandwiches and salads and another selection of “signature” sandwiches that cost more.

Comparatively, the signature sandwiches’ superior quality make the regular sandwiches seem like they’re not even worth having on the menu, so one almost seems forced to buy the more expensive option whether you’re in the mood for splurging or not.

When I ordered from the cheap section of the menu, my dinner was spent looking enviously at my sister’s “premium signature” meal — which put her back a solid $14 with a drink.

Panera isn’t someplace you want to eat at too regularly — though, if you do, you could make use of the Panera card that rewards purchases on a random per-visit basis with free pastries. But if you’re cool with getting a free cup for water in lieu of a drink, and if you can avoid the seductive baked goods, going all-out on the signature items at Panera is a good way to spend dinner.

Will Beaton is the managing/opinion editor for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].