Although Panera Bread has much to offer its applicants in terms of job experience and a chance at advancing their way to management, this company receives low ratings from employees when it comes to the average pay offered.

Below, I’ll reveal the following:

• The starting minimum pay
• Typical shift hours
• Team member jobs and the average pay you can expect
• Supervisory and other management average salaries
• Whether Panera Bread pays weekly or biweekly
• Are raises given to employees?
• Break policy
• Uniform/dress code

Panera Bread Starting Wage

The starting wage for this company averages somewhere between $9 to $9.75 an hour. That’s very low compared to other companies in the foodservice industry. It is more typical of a fast-food hourly wage.

Assuming you would work 40 hours a week, you would only make $360 a week and a yearly salary of $18,720. This is far from being a living wage.

Shift Hours

Each store has a variety of shifts but these are an example of some of the most common ones:

• 5 AM to 2 PM
• 6 AM to 2 PM
• 7 AM to 3 PM
• 11 AM to 7 PM
• 2 PM to 10 PM
• 4 PM to 10 PM

Panera Bread Team Member Pay

The average team member at Panera earns approximately $10.10 an hour. This is usually after working there for 1 to 2 years.

This would be approximately $404 a week and a yearly salary of $21,008.

Here are some other team member/associate positions and their average hourly pay:

Panera Bread Cashier Pay

This is one of the most common positions at the store and on average, a team member working this position earns approximately $10.35 an hour. This equals approximately $414 a week and a yearly salary of $21,528.

Keep in mind that as a team member, you earn a small percentage of the tip money collected during your shift. Therefore, this figure can easily turn into approximately $24,000-$25,000 a year.

Panera Bread Catering Lead Pay

The average pay for a catering lead team member is approximately $11.30 an hour. This amounts to $452 a week and $23,504 a year.

This job is a stepping stone to becoming a catering coordinator which would offer a substantial raise in pay.

Panera Bread Delivery Driver Pay

Delivery drivers for this company make an average of about $10.50 an hour. This does not include tips.

With tips, a delivery driver should have an average salary of $12.75 an hour. Assuming a 30-hour a week schedule, this would amount to $382.50 a week and a yearly salary of $19,880.

Panera Bread Catering Coordinator Pay

A catering coordinator at this company makes a fairly low hourly wage compared to the industry standard. The average pay is approximately $12.75 an hour. Based on a 40-hour workweek, this amounts to $510 a week and a yearly salary of $26,520.

Workers in this position can set their sights on some type of managerial job in the future. This job in itself is a supervisory position because you’re overseeing your whole department and making sure the catering operations run smoothly.

Team Lead Pay

The average salary for this position is $11.35 an hour. If you’re working 40 hours in this job, this means you would earn approximately $453 a week and a yearly salary of $23,560.

Team leaders can look forward to a team manager position in the future and this should provide a nice bump in salary.

Team Manager Pay

The average hourly wage for this position is $16.05 an hour. This means you’ll learn about $642 a week and $33,384 in yearly salary.

Team managers perform many of the daily functions of an assistant manager. Therefore workers in this position can progress rapidly through the system and end up with an assistant manager position if they work hard and perform well.

Panera Bread Assistant Manager Salary

Assistant general managers at Panera earn approximately $42,700 a year.

This company is proud to say that most of its management team started out as hourly associates. Therefore, it’s easy to believe how an entry-level cashier can work hard for 1 to 2 years, get promoted to a different management position in each of the next three years, and end up being store manager within 5 to 6 years.

Panera Bread Manager Salary

The average salary for a Panera Bread general manager is approximately $56,200 a year.

Just like the assistant manager, a general manager in this position can earn a bonus anywhere between $1,200-$5,000 a year.

Does Panera Bread Pay Weekly?

Employees are paid biweekly, usually on a Tuesday or a Wednesday the week after the pay period ends.

Keep in mind that if you are an entry-level worker, you need to find out the timeframe for the pay period. This is because if you only work 2 to 3 days during the first pay period, for example, the following week you will only receive pay for those days worked during that period. If you don’t know when the pay period starts and ends, you might think that you have been shortchanged.

How Often Does This Company Give Raises?

In most Panera Bread restaurants, team members receive a yearly raise in the form of a $.25-$.50 raise.

It’s extremely important to keep the lines of communication open with your management team. Oftentimes, workers are overlooked for pay raises. So, if you don’t speak up, you may be overlooked for a pay raise.

Break Policy

Regular breaks can be taken with your manager’s permission. There is no set policy on how many breaks you can take a day. However, you are entitled to an unpaid 30-minute meal break during your shift.

The best way to handle breaks from a team member standpoint is to prove your worth as an employee, then gradually ask your management team for a break here and there.

Panera Bread Uniform/Dress Code

Panera has a pretty strict dress code but provides all associates with aprons, hats, and name tags. 

You can consult with your particular store to find out what type of shirt you may need to wear. Needless to say, you are not allowed to wear sweaters or sweatshirts during your shifts.

You’re also expected to wear khaki-colored docker style pants and you need to be aware that jeans, baggy pants, shorts, or cargo pants are not permitted.

Women are not allowed to wear more than 1 earring per ear and men are not permitted to wear any earrings at all.

Some Panera Bread stores don’t even allow men to wear beards and their sideburns must not go past the bottom of their ears.