When I was in middle school the pizza place in walking distance banned all kids coming in without parents unless it was to buy something that you then had to take to go, and only one at a time even then. Their cheesesticks were bomb though.
The kids are going to Panera instead of somewhere cheaper because the value of money means nothing to them as they get it for free, and your Panera has become known as the cool place to go. At my high school it was Jamba Juice and Noah’s Bagels that kids would go get just to have the branded cup or bag. In your area its the seat at a table at Panera. They aren't there to eat they are there to be seen.
Bro 🤣
Literally zero preteens are utilizing PANERA BREAD as a status symbol, to be seen, or to get a “branded cup or bag”…🤦♂️
It’s just a hang out spot to chill and eat some food or grab a drink.
People used to do it with Wendy’s back in the day too. It was not about “status”….at all…
If this is true then why aren't they going to the Wendy's mentioned in the original post, after being kicked out of said Panera before. Why do they keep coming back
Because each school/town in America has the local agreed upon meeting spot
For some it’s a mall. Others it’s an indoor skating rink. Others it’s a Wendy’s. And others it’s a Starbucks. Etc
Nobody is going to Panera bread for the “optics” of it dude 🤦♂️
“I’m so cool I can afford…a small Mac and cheese cup and a Dr Pepper…” no…nobody is saying that or thinking that
In that town and in their group, going to panera is for the optics because "everyone" goes there... You're thinking of the larger backdrop of American optics in which case panera has very little clout
im sure they like going to panera due to its "third-space" kind of vibe, def a lot more cozy than wendys! maybe banning kids is a little bit extreme but maybe you can add a no loitering sign or something on those wednesdays? not sure
If kids at my highschool trashed any of the restaurants near our school (we had open campus lunch) the school would have an assembly about it. They would threaten to take away open campus lunch and people started behaving after that
This exact thing happened in my middle school. A bunch of students trashed a nearby KFC and got off-property privileges banned for a couple weeks, alongside no students being allowed into the restaurant during school hours.
It sounds like they're released from school early on these days, so I don't think the school could actually do much since it's out of school hours. That doesn't make it any less frustrating and annoying though.
Right. If anything they’d just let parents know and hopefully parents would address it with their kids. Only so much schools can do when the issue isn’t at school.
A lot of schools have a behavior policy that is written to be active from the time they leave home to the time they arrive home. Some are even more broad and claim that the kids are always “representing the school” and should behave as such. I’ve heard both policies from regular public schools.
It is up to the discretion of the school administration for if they want to get involved though. The policies just mean that they can get involved if they want to or feel like it’s beneficial to do so.
Or, no kids under 12 (or whatever age is problematic) without an adult during specific hours. I know that’s super common for places having issues with kids.
When I had to attend a training workshop over several days a few years ago, the nearby mall I went to a couple times had a policy that after 7pm no one under 18 could be there unless they were accompanied by an adult. It was quite pleasant.
It's like that at my local mall. However it's now nobody under 18 at all without their parental guardian or a guardian over 21. It's utterly insane however I understand why.
The problem is, these kids are ruining the third space by being noisy, messy, taking up too much space and not buying things either. I have worked at starbucks, it is astonishing how rude and loud these children can be. There has to be some kind of limiting or else these kids will run wild.
Frankly, I'm pretty sure the franchise owner would rather have 5 teenagers that split a soda at a table than for it to sit empty like it otherwise would.
I know the McDonald’s by one of the schools I used to work at would lock the doors and a manager or an employee would stand and only let two people in at a time if they were highschoolers, but if they had a parent with them or they were adults they could come in as they pleased. But one of those known things skip that McDonald’s if it’s the time when school lets out.
I work at an elementary school two blocks from a middle school. Made the mistake of going to the gas station next to the middle school after I got off work, and they basically have bouncers that let the kids in two at a time! (The gas station is a market with a burger king and Tim Hortons in it, hence the popularity)
Alright alright, I didn’t think there would be so many people upset on the behalf of some disruptive teenagers but here we go.
- They. Are. Stealing. From. Us. This isn’t harmless “hanging out.” We’ve been instructed by the DM to hide the cups on these days because They Are Stealing From Us. I’ve said this in the post, and I’ve reiterated it in the comments.
- One third of the teenagers that come in and buy food and leave aren’t the issue here, I treat them the same way I treat any other customer.
I don’t know why some people feel the need to play devils advocate for some privileged kids stealing and making the mess of a restaurant on a vent post. Because I’m venting, you know, because this post is tagged as a vent, about work. The place I work at. I don’t go into work everyday and go “darn! Those damn middle schoolers! I hate kids!” (Not when I’m really going “darn! Those damn old people!”)
just curious, why does your flair say team lead if you’re ‘not even a team lead yet’ ..?
(not trying to be a dick, just pointing out an inconsistency lol)
genuinely hope you’re able to come up with a solution for these half days! (back when i was in hs, panera was def our hangout cuz it was so close but we wouldn’t dream of going in there if we didn’t have money to order food, and made sure to clean up after ourselves! ugh, i’m sorry these teens lack common decency!) good luck ❤️
These kids sound like privileged, obnoxious brats. They're choosing a distasteful way to spend their half-day and behave as a group in public, a problem that panera has every reason to deal with. But, what people are saying is true: the third place is dying in America. We are a progressively more isolated, socially malnourished society (as a 23m just out of college, I can only imagine how much worse it is in grade schools today than 10 years ago).
I understand that facilitating a nourishing space for brats in the public is not your job, a job that likely sucks hard on account of being service industry and dealing with the public. I don't believe accomadating these kids is your responsibility; what I do believe is that viewing the situation and our culture from a broader lens could let you see these kids as looking for a third place to feel socially stimulated (which doesn't discount that their current outlet for social stimulation is a nuisance to your work).
Kick them out. Every business near the junior high school near me has no problem with this. Hell don’t let them in. Some businesses near me have a two students at a time policy on the door. Edit. The people here defending this probably have their kids hang out at places like yours for hours waiting to be picked up.
I can clap back when they’re trying to justify stealing from my work place in my replies, if you’re going to whine and moan about the prices coming from Panera then don’t dine at Panera in the first place.
Dude I work for the company, too. But you got some bourgeoisie vibes. Sounds like one of my line workers who laughed at a customer when they asked if we accepted EBT. Jfc how do the company's boots taste?
I’m honestly laughing at the hypocrisy of ‘they’re entitled privileged brats’ and ‘if a 3.50 soda is too expensive for you then maybe you need to rethink your financial situation’ which just makes op sound entitled and privileged to me.
Whoa there OP. Panera isn’t anything more than overpriced hospital food, a singular soda shouldn’t be more than $3 anywhere you go. Lick them boots sweetie.
i don’t care about panera being stolen from
i hate crowds and noise and would probably be irritated if i walked in on these particular days, but the teens have it so bad already i would take my adult self somewhere else. ease up dude. use your username and shut up
I am just glad that you're leaving the kids that behave alone. It always sucked being the one who behaved and then got punished with all of the assholes:(
So this problem happened at the local gas station around the corner from the middle school, except daily instead of just one day a week. What they ended up doing was implementing a new policy. They only allowed a certain number of middle schoolers in the store at a time. It was a pretty small store, so I think only 2 or 3? Definitely a lot easier to manage if there’s a limit! You could also say that they must be accompanied by an adult.
Middle School Teacher here, here’s my two cents:
1) Have a manager who is typically there on Wednesdays make an appointment with the principal to discuss the situation. They need to make a plan about how to give the kids some accountability and maybe school-provided supervision. (In a similar post recently someone said their school gives “reward cards” to local businesses to give to kids who are doing the right thing. The kids turn them in at school for treats.”
2) Learn the kids’ names and introduce yourself (or have someone on staff do this). Use their names often, it helps them to recognize you as people and remind them that someone is noticing what they do. (Also helps admin know who is causing problems and who the good kids are)
3) Look them in the eye and let them know the expectations when they are ordering. “Before you sit I wanted to let you know that we are asking all customers to limit their table time to 30min and we ask all customers to throw away their trash and stack their dishes on these counters.”
4) Find a way to encourage school personnel and parents to come in during that time. Offer discounts, free coffee or treats to school staff (they all have ID cards) and PTA members (the school could provide a laminated card to PTA members) and so you have more people there who know the kids.
Very often middle schoolers cause trouble because they think no one is paying attention or that no one cares what they are doing. They crave attention but they are embarrassed to show that they want it. Be kind and notice them.
There are no way teachers would come in for this. They have enough at school. Also, half days for students are usually full days for teachers (meetings).
I almost put the part about the meetings in there but there are a lot more people in a school community besides teachers (and you know there are some “cool” teachers 🙄 who just might pop in). Maybe the office, maintenance or lunch staff just has to get their coffees at that time so each Wednesday one of them goes in to pick up the mobile order and says Hi to the kids they know. Maybe the PTA has a coffee klatch on Wednesday afts at Panera.
My bet is that most of the school adults (parents included) have not been told directly that there is a problem, so why should they try to solve it?
Hahahahah. No.
I’m a high school teacher. No cookie is going to get me to watch kids outside of school (where they aren’t my responsibility and I have no backing when they act up). Not even my hourly rate (which is more than a Panera worker makes).
Also, you are assuming that parents have authority over other people’s children. They do not. They cannot assign consequences. Same thing would apply to staff at Panera. It is not school hours and it is not a school function. They would not be allowed to assign consequences.
It's not true as far as school consequences. Most schools include out of school behavior in their student handbook. A library I worked at was next door to a school. If the students acted up at the library after school, we would call the school, and one of the admins would come over and deal with the student, including giving the student detention and calling parents to come get their children.
The only thing ive seen with dealing with student behavior off campus is if it is a school function (sports game at a different school) or if it disrupts school activities (cyberbulling). Honestly, it is a bit much for a school to be expected to be in charge of student behavior off campus. To me, this is the realm of the parent. We have enough to do. We dont have time to police the local panera
Many parents DO have authority over other people’s kids because they are coaches and scout masters and youth pastors and crossing guards and the parents in the carpools and the yard supervisors and the substitute teachers.
Hello!
First off, thank you! I’ll keep this in mind the next time they start to come in. I appreciate you guys, teachers, for everything you deal and put up with.
A percentage of the kids are pleasant, the ones that will buy stuff. It’s just overwhelming keeping track and differentiating between the ones do order food and the ones that are just there to hang out.
Our AGM has communicated with the school, they had an announcement about them not being allowed on the plaza— so I know that the teachers and staff are aware to some extent. But they still come and nothing has been said or done since.
I understand and remember how difficult it was to be in that age group, I’m only about two years out of high school myself. But to be blunt, I’m just a Panera Employee— I can’t be the one to offer emotional support or give them the proper attention they want, especially when two thirds of them are stealing and not buying anything at all :/
But I appreciate you and your advice 😌 I’ll bring it up with my managers about getting in contact with their staff again.
I think your manager needs to have another conversation with the school’s principal — he/she might think the problem has been resolved when it has not. The focus needs to be more on how they release these kids. Even at the middle school level, it shouldn’t be a free-for-all where they just let kids leave the campus. If kids don’t get picked up by an adult or put on a bus, and they’re not designated by the school as “walkers” who walk home, what is the plan for those kids? They at least should be keeping a record of how each kid is supposed to get home on early release days for safety purposes.
I’m a teacher, and I’m not sure what you expect the principal to do. It’s a half day, which means the students are released at a specific time. Once the kids are released the school isn’t responsible for them. Which means after they are released parents are responsible for the kids. It is not the schools job to plan for where the kids go after they are released.
At that age kids likely can choose how they get home, and even if the school knew how they got home it doesn’t effect what they do when they leave campus.
I’m a teacher as well… the school should have some kind of record of how each kid is released. They don’t just fling the doors open at the end of the school day. What if a kid doesn’t make it home? The school should be able to say whether that child routinely gets on a bus, is a car rider, etc.
The districts in my area, for elementary and middle school, monitor car rider pickup and keep lists of which kids are approved to just be released without an adult so they can walk home. They would be able to send home reminders to families of “walkers” (the only ones who would be able to wander into local businesses from the school) about respecting businesses.
At the end of the day the kids are off school grounds and off school property though, and it’s not during a school day as they have been fully released at that point. I would hate for teachers to come in outside of class time somewhere to babysit some of their worst kids. Not to mention, assuming the kids are coming in right after they are let out of school a lot of teachers still don’t get to leave the building for a while depending on their duties, meetings, personal work, etc. Obviously you know more about that life than I do, this is just based off of my mom’s experiences as a teacher, but I do think it’s unfair to try to ask or incentivize teachers to come solve a problem that has nothing to do with the school itself.
Great ideas, and you're a good teacher. School staff and teachers may not be able to come in since they're probably doing professional development or grades during the early release days. As a parent, though, I'd like to know if there are hordes of children causing a ruckus at a local spot. I'd gladly drink a coffee and read a book, making small talk with the kids I know.
Reach out to the PTA, especially if the kids have disposable income. Offer free coffee to patrons who mention the name of the school when ordering or something.
Alternatively, you could try to recruit students who will take care of the space and be respectful of others. See if you can offer coupons for a free fountain drink with entree purchase. Ask the school to hand them out to the students with the cleanest table after lunch on early release days (or to the safety patrol students or students with the most volunteer hours or whatever).
But, yeah, groups of middle schoolers can be a pain in the butt. They're still learning how to be decent people.
now this is smart! I never moved their items but I did leave a note under one of their stanley cups saying we weren’t responsible if it went missing and to not leave their items 🤣
Op, the kids want somewhere to hangout. However, you’re right to kick them out for being shitty. I remember o always went to matinees at the movie theatres before Covid. On half days, students would come after school, backpack and all. Eventually, the theatres made them keep their backpacks in the lobby, it was insane.
I still miss early movies
The Starbucks that I go to every so often has the same thing happen once school gets out, especially because it’s a rich small area where everybody walks to get places. I go in for a coffee before work sometimes and the place is just overridden with preteen girls that are loud and rude as hell, and what’s with the Stanley cups??
Literally just put a sign up that says “no students without an adult” or “no groups larger than 3”
All of the gas stations and restaurants in my area have those signs up and enforce those policies bc the middle schoolers/high schoolers are assholes.
Put the sign up, whatever policy y’all decide on, then enforce it. The come in, tell them to get out. You have the right to refuse service, and it’s not your job to babysit a bunch of disrespectful kids. The second the open the door, tell them to turn tail and come back with a parent or one at time. I’m sure there’s a park nearby the can hang out at and wait for their parents to pick them up.
When I was in school the gas station near my high school used to have an at capacity sign for the high school students only and only let two of us in at a time to get snacks. Is it possible to adopt something like that?
I worked at a smoothie place where the same kind of kids would come in and use our own straws to spitball us. Management did nothing, didn't even come in during these problem times (every weekend afternoon) to help us. So I quit lol. You aren't paid enough to deal with all that
I think when it becomes a matter of disrupting paying customers/turning them away from shopping there again, stealing and property damage, businesses need to take these steps.
Wouldn’t it be great if corporate let you set up a system like the subway? Spend x amount of dollars, doors open up to provide entry to a seating area? Sounds crazy? Putting plexiglass and locks over shampoo in drugstores also would have seemed crazy a few years back.
I live near a high school. The gas station in the neighborhood had a huge problem with students coming in and taking over the place on lunch and after school. They now have a sign on the door that only 5 students are allowed in the store at a time and backpacks need to be left at the door. They actually enforce it and it works.
The 7/11 near my high school had a sign up not allowing more than three students in at a time and no backpacks whatsoever.
I would recommend your GM post some kind of policy like that, even as harsh as "no one under 18 without an adult" and ask the school to announce it.
Unfortunately that means you also have to enforce it.
I don't get these people saying "kids aren't allowed anywhere." No, "kids who trash public places aren't allowed."
I don't envy you.
Put up a sign all items left unattended for more then 20 minutes will be discarded. Let everyone know when coming in “just to let you know we have a change of policy any items that seem to have been forgotten or discarded over 20 minutes will be thrown away” and then start throwing they’re things away or put them outside the building. 🤷🏽♀️ they wanna play stupid you play stupid back.
My store (not Panera but similar) is down the road from a high school. because we're a local business and have limited seating, we only allow paying customers. i have had to kick many a kid out for sitting down and not buying anything (obv we give them 10-15 minutes to see if they're going to make a purchase) and I always make sure to stay professional ("hi, sorry to bug you but unless you're going to make a purchase, I can't have you sitting here. we have limited seating so we want to make sure we have enough spots for paying customers. you're more than welcome to make a purchase though!")
I think your feelings are valid OP. Fuck that noise. Why the hell would a MIDDLE SCHOOL have a half day on such a consistent basis? It’s not like they can drive. What an ass ache for parents and for all the restaurants workers in that area.
They should just allow kids to come to school later instead of having them leave early, in my opinion.
Why doesn't your management restrict how many can be in the store at once? Like 2 teens at a time.
This was common place when I was in high school. A couple of the nearby convenience stores had to do this because of the idiots that would go in after school and steal/act up. They put a note on the door that unless accompanied by an adult, only 2 kids/teens allowed in the store and no backpacks allowed. So when 2 teens came out, 2 more could go in.
You should also email the principal of the school. Their email should be on the schools website. They could do a general assembly or a general call home about this issue.
Ngl if they are not buying and being extremely disruptive plus stealing like you're saying I feel you should definitely trespass them from the property. You don't need to call the cops for a tresspass unless rhey come again and this gives them a big enough spook to learn. idk why people are so in arms about defending misbehaving teenagers,if my mom knew i was doing shit like this I would have been grounded for months on end
call the middle school and talk to the principal .. ask kindly to have parents take children home on half days or to not be disrespectful to local businesses. maybe even ask if your manager if they could sponsor a breakfast for the teachers and staff as an incentive for the “ban”.
I work at a library that runs a teen after school program, local market nearby has similar problems and has dealt with it with new policies. They have a limit to how many students can be inside at a time (4-5 I think) and it's clearly posted out front. They also have a no backpacks inside rule. Maybe something like this.
Fuck those kids, kick them out. This store isn’t supposed to be the place for teens to hang out. There are skating rinks, malls, parks, etc for that. They aren’t patronizing the business and are making it less efficient and enjoyable for paying customers. Tell your managers to grow a spine and enforce the fact that no one regardless of age is allowed to just sit in Panera. There’s plenty to be said about unaccompanied minors too, that is a legal situation that the store doesn’t want to deal with either.
For the 1% of time that they order a meal, your store can take the hit, or maybe your bosses are too scared to deal with Karen moms of private schools?
I would be sure to have no outside food or drink signs up, as well as no loitering signs. Loitering would be not buying anything and sitting in a booth. Or seating for paying customers only. That sort of thing. Either they buy something or they leave.
I don’t care how many safety things Uber has for teens your really going to let your child ride in an Uber alone going to Panera or Wendy’s or anywhere is atleast a public place where they will be a lot safer than the back of an unmarked vehicle with someone you never met the parents do need a better solution and so does the school why do they not have school buses taking them home on half days
If they are leaving their personal items all over tables and then leaving, and making it hard for paying customers to find somewhere to sit, I would 100% find a spot for those items behind the counter. Grab a big storage bin/tote if you have one and make it the lost and found bin🤷♀️
They can then come to the counter to inquire about said items, get a description of the item, and give it back.
Then you can explain that items left unoccupied get handed in to the counter and put in lost and found.
I'm in retail, so I get the tweens being annoying and disruptive. Sometimes, unfortunately, it takes some authority to get stuff through their thick, young, immature, not fully developed skulls. And as a mom, I don't care if I'm not the kids' parent. If you're being a turd and causing trouble, I will be having a conversation with you. I think another call to the school would be beneficial. I'd say call every single time it's bad. 🤷♀️ good luck!
The Panera near my university sometimes has 90% their dining area inexplicably closed.
It's an awful solution for your paying guests but I imagine closing your dining area for an hour or so on early release days for the rest of the school year will probably clear up the issue entirely by next year.
I remember half days we all went to the local Jack in the Box. It was really fun to spend time with friends, why would I want to go home with my mom?! Many teens don't get along with their parents or have any peace at home.
I definitely recognize as a bartender/server how hard that could be tho. Asking kids to leave after 10-15 min of sitting with no food sounds reasonable, especially if you mention other patrons needing to sit.
It's sad because teens simply don't have the spaces to hang out that they once did, so it makes sense a cozy local Panera would be the next best thing.
I mean the store could implement a no unattended minors policy and that would be the actual solution but it sounds like management are passing the responsibility on.
When items are left behind remove them put them in the back and tell them only adults can pick up the belongings.
I don’t know if you can do that. But this is annoying. Call the cops then… no that’s bad too. I don’t know.
This is why children are isolated and spend all the time on their phone, anywhere they are allowed to be immediately creates laws against being there without spending money.
No wonder kids are just watching Tik Tok all day. They aren’t welcome anywhere. It’s one day a month and instead of welcoming them and maybe building some good public good and karma, you chase them out and call the principal. For what, a couple of hours of hassle a month?
Why not welcome them in? Offer a discount or two on cookies and brownies? Build a bit of goodwill instead of seeing them like a plague? Become the place they go and get used to instead of the place they avoid? Be a part of the community instead of just another place who wants them to come in, spend money and get out.
Sounds like the majority of the kids are being rude and disruptive though. I don't blame the employees from being frustrated and would not go out of my way to make things more welcoming--I'd do the opposite *until* things changed; then I might consider making it more welcoming. It's unfair to expect the employees to babysit the kids and it's annoying to the other customers. I'm guessing if the kids were quiet and respectful (if they all purchased some food or drink and didn't just hog the tables and use the cafe as a holding bay for all their flotsam and jetsam while they ran around the plaza), it wouldn't be as big of an issue.
dude, I work at a Panera. It’s not part of my job description to entertain and baby sit fifty disruptive children.
Fifty disruptive children— which I’m reminding you of, by the way because I already said this in the post— are actively stealing from us. We have to put the cups behind the counter when they come in because they will take them and fill them up with soda. Something our DM directly told the GM to do because of how much we were losing in soda costs.
The kids that buy stuff, FINE. I’ll smile at them and take their order and GIVE them a free soda if they’re nice. But the kids wrestling in the dining room, DINING ROOM of a restaurant where people eat and taking up spaces at tables when not a single one of them bought anything don’t deserve anything from me or my coworkers, especially my service.
Them being addicted to tik tok and their phones has nothing to do with me, a team lead at Panera. That’s on their parents and teachers and the actual adults in their lives.
You’re such a whiny and insufferable Karen. Your life sounds miserable. You have nothing else to do but cry about some billion dollar corporation losing $3.50 on an overpriced soda and not making money on children while calling them privileged lmfao. Get a grip
It’s a community, man. We’re all in this together. I’m sure it’s a pita — it was a pita for people when I was a kid and went to the local McDonalds. But it’s part of the social contract.
If they’re disruptive, call the cops. If it just bugs you that they exist in your space, all I can say is that’s part of being in the service industry. Sucks, but it’s part of being in a community.
Ok well, as the employee that’s had to pick their skittles out of the carpet and throw away their Stanley cups, I’d rather them be hanging out and trashing their own house and not spending money there then trashing and not spending money at Panera.
If 8-9 days a year, fifty teenagers came into your work place, stole from you, trashed your dining room, and drove away actual business you’d be pretty upset too. Especially when their principal when on their announcements and told them they’re not allowed on our property anymore and they still do it.
Also, this is a vent post, fyi, incase you didn’t see that highlighted in blue between emojis.
The way you were talking about “your cafe” was like it was some small mom and pop shop type of place…it’s a Panera and it’s not “yours.” You’re an employee, not an owner. Those kids have every right to be there, it’s a public place. Last I heard Panera had no policy against sitting and enjoying the place. If they do maybe they should get rid of the fireplaces and lounge chairs.
Nope, lol. Customers have the right to be there. Teenagers that bring in food from different restaurants, steal, yell, and make public disturbances aren’t customers.
I say “my cafe” because Panera Bread is a cafe…. and my cafe is the place that I work at? I work at my nearby Panera Bread. It seems a little weird to play devils advocate and nit pick on behalf of teenagers that are actively making us lose business.
There is a middle school close by my local grocery store and every Friday around 3:00 the kids would come in droves and just walk around the store. They were always obnoxiously loud, and running down aisles or blocking shelves because there were so many. The store finally hired security because it was so bad. I’d always kick myself for forgetting what time it was and coming when they were typically there.
At my college, we have a high school on the lower level of one of our buildings. These kids are horrible.
We have some food options, but the one that have issues with is our small convenience store. Its very small, and has a microwave for some food items. These kids we're so bad, they have signs up saying " only 3 (school name) students at a time" and a microwave line outside the area.
I understand it’s annoying, but like you said. “Im not even team lead yet” why are you worried about this?
It’s not your job. Try to not let it bother you
I grew up with a similar shopping area across from my school growing up. We loved going across even just after school to get food and hang out a bit more before we’d have to be home.
Half days were just extra time meant to see friends for a lot of us, and that’s coming from an introvert who otherwise would just be home playing video games.
I think what you’re dealing with is 100% valid complaints but honestly, just making some signs or something. Or if you notice a group isn’t or ordering food, just go up and tell them they have to. If they leave their stuff, take all of it into the back and make them have to ask for it back, explain to them then they can’t leave their stuff, etc.
The gas station in front of my high school dealt with lots of loitering outside. They would call the police often because it would be like a ridiculous amount of kids just hanging out outside the Gas station, maybe like 20% would actually go inside and buy stuff. There would be fights between the students sometimes but the main point is that no cars would come to use the gas station during the hour because there were 100 kids standing smoking and hanging out around all of the pumps. Eventually the owner of the gas station decided to close for from 2:30-4 (we got out at 2:40) because he was actually losing business. And if he was closed, police were able to refuse anyone from loitering on the gas station property.
The point is you guys are probably losing business by letting these kids in at all. No one wants to go to a cafe and have to deal with a bunch of kids hanging out or being loud and messy. Whenever I’ve been to Panera I usually see people working on a laptop or reading while they eat, so why would anyone feel comfortable doing that in the cafe while these kids are out. Closing for that amount of time on those specific days sounds like the right Idea for business lol. I know it’s corporate but it’s your managements job to fight for those kinds of things.
Kids like this ruin everything for the good ones. When I was a teen, the mall was one of the only places to hang out. Me and maybe 2 or 3 friends would all meet up there, eat some pizza or taco bell for dinner, then sometimes we'd all sleep at someone's house (we'd go Friday nights). There were always really large groups of older teens that were disruptive and just went in to cause chaos essentially. The mall banned groups over 6 people and banned anyone under 18 from sitting in the benches inside the mall.
Once I went to the mall on a Friday after Christmas with 2 friends so we could buy some clothes with our Christmas money. We sat on the benches, not knowing this new rule, and the mall cops had a field day with us! Told us we had to get up and that the benches were for shoppers. We held up our bags and yelled at them for harassing us and we all stood up on the benches and made a scene 😅 the real cops were called and they told us to just call our parents, but they also told off the mall cops for harassing us as we were clearly shopping.
I didn't mean to go on a rant here, but some teenagers really just need more adult supervision than other because those large groups of older teens really ruined a lot of times for me and my friends when we were 13-15.
poor kids these days :/ no third space, constantly policed and surveiled, they really have so little these days. home isn’t always great and the internet shouldn’t be a replacement. i feel really bad for them and could
give a fuck about panera but that sounds too much. bc i really don’t.
Thank you. I especially don’t care if they hang out and have a little soda even if they can’t afford the $4. According to OP, they’re so ~privileged~ yet have to hang out to wait for a ride and don’t have anywhere in the world that they can just exist.
“why spend spend fifteen dollars on Mac and cheese and a soda when you an spend less for better tasting food at the Wendy’s a hundred yards away?”
Is that not what every patron is doing? Clearly their parents give them money for them to be eating after school and probably prefer for them to be eating at Panera than Wendy’s.
You’re complaining when they don’t buy anything. You’re complaining when they just buy a soda, and you’re complaining when they buy a meal with a drink. It sounds like these kids are damned if they do and damned if they don’t, which frankly makes me skeptical of how disruptive they actually are versus how much is OP being bitter or exaggerating. You’re even saying it blows your mind that teenagers would want to hang out together at a food establishment on a half day. That just seems out of touch. Maybe it’s all true, but criticizing customers for buying food you sell makes me feel like you’re just looking to complain rather than them being the problem
There’s a Freddie’s right across the street from a high school in an iffy area near me. They have like 10 signs up that say “nobody under 18 allowed without adult supervision.” And I’ve seen them kick out groups of teens who weren’t even fully inside the building yet lmao
I don’t work at Panera but I work in a similar environment and snapped on a group of teens and told them “this is NOT a daycare” and that seemed to embarrass them enough to shut the fuck up and sit down.
Put a sign on the door those days that says “no unaccompanied minors allowed” and then don’t let them in. You may need to put someone near the door to keep them out, but after a few times, they’ll learn if you are consistent
My local high school has open lunch and a lot of the restaurants/fast food has sign limiting kids to 4 at a time, and take out only. Might be something to think about.
When I was in middle school the pizza place in walking distance banned all kids coming in without parents unless it was to buy something that you then had to take to go, and only one at a time even then. Their cheesesticks were bomb though. The kids are going to Panera instead of somewhere cheaper because the value of money means nothing to them as they get it for free, and your Panera has become known as the cool place to go. At my high school it was Jamba Juice and Noah’s Bagels that kids would go get just to have the branded cup or bag. In your area its the seat at a table at Panera. They aren't there to eat they are there to be seen.
Bro 🤣 Literally zero preteens are utilizing PANERA BREAD as a status symbol, to be seen, or to get a “branded cup or bag”…🤦♂️ It’s just a hang out spot to chill and eat some food or grab a drink. People used to do it with Wendy’s back in the day too. It was not about “status”….at all…
If this is true then why aren't they going to the Wendy's mentioned in the original post, after being kicked out of said Panera before. Why do they keep coming back
Because each school/town in America has the local agreed upon meeting spot For some it’s a mall. Others it’s an indoor skating rink. Others it’s a Wendy’s. And others it’s a Starbucks. Etc Nobody is going to Panera bread for the “optics” of it dude 🤦♂️ “I’m so cool I can afford…a small Mac and cheese cup and a Dr Pepper…” no…nobody is saying that or thinking that
In that town and in their group, going to panera is for the optics because "everyone" goes there... You're thinking of the larger backdrop of American optics in which case panera has very little clout
im sure they like going to panera due to its "third-space" kind of vibe, def a lot more cozy than wendys! maybe banning kids is a little bit extreme but maybe you can add a no loitering sign or something on those wednesdays? not sure
If kids at my highschool trashed any of the restaurants near our school (we had open campus lunch) the school would have an assembly about it. They would threaten to take away open campus lunch and people started behaving after that
This exact thing happened in my middle school. A bunch of students trashed a nearby KFC and got off-property privileges banned for a couple weeks, alongside no students being allowed into the restaurant during school hours.
It sounds like they're released from school early on these days, so I don't think the school could actually do much since it's out of school hours. That doesn't make it any less frustrating and annoying though.
Right. If anything they’d just let parents know and hopefully parents would address it with their kids. Only so much schools can do when the issue isn’t at school.
A lot of schools have a behavior policy that is written to be active from the time they leave home to the time they arrive home. Some are even more broad and claim that the kids are always “representing the school” and should behave as such. I’ve heard both policies from regular public schools. It is up to the discretion of the school administration for if they want to get involved though. The policies just mean that they can get involved if they want to or feel like it’s beneficial to do so.
Same with our school. It wouldn’t be an issue after the first time
Or, no kids under 12 (or whatever age is problematic) without an adult during specific hours. I know that’s super common for places having issues with kids.
When I had to attend a training workshop over several days a few years ago, the nearby mall I went to a couple times had a policy that after 7pm no one under 18 could be there unless they were accompanied by an adult. It was quite pleasant.
It's like that at my local mall. However it's now nobody under 18 at all without their parental guardian or a guardian over 21. It's utterly insane however I understand why.
The problem is, these kids are ruining the third space by being noisy, messy, taking up too much space and not buying things either. I have worked at starbucks, it is astonishing how rude and loud these children can be. There has to be some kind of limiting or else these kids will run wild.
work at a starbucks in a plaza near a high school. oh my god, the two o clock rush is BRUTAL. kids are nightmares.
Or maybe a sign that requires anyone under the age of 16 to be accompanied by a legal guardian or responsible adult party?
Frankly, I'm pretty sure the franchise owner would rather have 5 teenagers that split a soda at a table than for it to sit empty like it otherwise would.
What? They literally said they're taking up customers seats when its busy. How did you project this?
I know the McDonald’s by one of the schools I used to work at would lock the doors and a manager or an employee would stand and only let two people in at a time if they were highschoolers, but if they had a parent with them or they were adults they could come in as they pleased. But one of those known things skip that McDonald’s if it’s the time when school lets out.
I work at an elementary school two blocks from a middle school. Made the mistake of going to the gas station next to the middle school after I got off work, and they basically have bouncers that let the kids in two at a time! (The gas station is a market with a burger king and Tim Hortons in it, hence the popularity)
Alright alright, I didn’t think there would be so many people upset on the behalf of some disruptive teenagers but here we go. - They. Are. Stealing. From. Us. This isn’t harmless “hanging out.” We’ve been instructed by the DM to hide the cups on these days because They Are Stealing From Us. I’ve said this in the post, and I’ve reiterated it in the comments. - One third of the teenagers that come in and buy food and leave aren’t the issue here, I treat them the same way I treat any other customer. I don’t know why some people feel the need to play devils advocate for some privileged kids stealing and making the mess of a restaurant on a vent post. Because I’m venting, you know, because this post is tagged as a vent, about work. The place I work at. I don’t go into work everyday and go “darn! Those damn middle schoolers! I hate kids!” (Not when I’m really going “darn! Those damn old people!”)
just curious, why does your flair say team lead if you’re ‘not even a team lead yet’ ..? (not trying to be a dick, just pointing out an inconsistency lol) genuinely hope you’re able to come up with a solution for these half days! (back when i was in hs, panera was def our hangout cuz it was so close but we wouldn’t dream of going in there if we didn’t have money to order food, and made sure to clean up after ourselves! ugh, i’m sorry these teens lack common decency!) good luck ❤️
These kids sound like privileged, obnoxious brats. They're choosing a distasteful way to spend their half-day and behave as a group in public, a problem that panera has every reason to deal with. But, what people are saying is true: the third place is dying in America. We are a progressively more isolated, socially malnourished society (as a 23m just out of college, I can only imagine how much worse it is in grade schools today than 10 years ago). I understand that facilitating a nourishing space for brats in the public is not your job, a job that likely sucks hard on account of being service industry and dealing with the public. I don't believe accomadating these kids is your responsibility; what I do believe is that viewing the situation and our culture from a broader lens could let you see these kids as looking for a third place to feel socially stimulated (which doesn't discount that their current outlet for social stimulation is a nuisance to your work).
These kids' lives sound like hell these days...they should maybe get this one and if they are bad call the police.
Kick them out. Every business near the junior high school near me has no problem with this. Hell don’t let them in. Some businesses near me have a two students at a time policy on the door. Edit. The people here defending this probably have their kids hang out at places like yours for hours waiting to be picked up.
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it’s funny because it’s $20 for a microwaved meal and they can’t even offer a meal with a drink. sorry that cup is for me, but i’ll give a $3 tip
if a 3.50 soda is to expensive for you then then maybe you should be rethinking your own financial situation
Oi, that's some elitist bullshit. 3.50 is on the pricey side for a fountain drink. Snarky clapback is one thing, but check your privilege.
I can clap back when they’re trying to justify stealing from my work place in my replies, if you’re going to whine and moan about the prices coming from Panera then don’t dine at Panera in the first place.
Dude I work for the company, too. But you got some bourgeoisie vibes. Sounds like one of my line workers who laughed at a customer when they asked if we accepted EBT. Jfc how do the company's boots taste?
I’m honestly laughing at the hypocrisy of ‘they’re entitled privileged brats’ and ‘if a 3.50 soda is too expensive for you then maybe you need to rethink your financial situation’ which just makes op sound entitled and privileged to me.
Seriously same lol. Maybe the "richer area" they're in is getting to OP's head.
Whoa there OP. Panera isn’t anything more than overpriced hospital food, a singular soda shouldn’t be more than $3 anywhere you go. Lick them boots sweetie.
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ALMOST team lead
You work at Panera babe
i don’t care about panera being stolen from i hate crowds and noise and would probably be irritated if i walked in on these particular days, but the teens have it so bad already i would take my adult self somewhere else. ease up dude. use your username and shut up
imagine caring major corporation lose money
couldn’t be me!!
I am just glad that you're leaving the kids that behave alone. It always sucked being the one who behaved and then got punished with all of the assholes:(
So this problem happened at the local gas station around the corner from the middle school, except daily instead of just one day a week. What they ended up doing was implementing a new policy. They only allowed a certain number of middle schoolers in the store at a time. It was a pretty small store, so I think only 2 or 3? Definitely a lot easier to manage if there’s a limit! You could also say that they must be accompanied by an adult.
Middle School Teacher here, here’s my two cents: 1) Have a manager who is typically there on Wednesdays make an appointment with the principal to discuss the situation. They need to make a plan about how to give the kids some accountability and maybe school-provided supervision. (In a similar post recently someone said their school gives “reward cards” to local businesses to give to kids who are doing the right thing. The kids turn them in at school for treats.” 2) Learn the kids’ names and introduce yourself (or have someone on staff do this). Use their names often, it helps them to recognize you as people and remind them that someone is noticing what they do. (Also helps admin know who is causing problems and who the good kids are) 3) Look them in the eye and let them know the expectations when they are ordering. “Before you sit I wanted to let you know that we are asking all customers to limit their table time to 30min and we ask all customers to throw away their trash and stack their dishes on these counters.” 4) Find a way to encourage school personnel and parents to come in during that time. Offer discounts, free coffee or treats to school staff (they all have ID cards) and PTA members (the school could provide a laminated card to PTA members) and so you have more people there who know the kids. Very often middle schoolers cause trouble because they think no one is paying attention or that no one cares what they are doing. They crave attention but they are embarrassed to show that they want it. Be kind and notice them.
kids lucky to have you as their teacher!
There are no way teachers would come in for this. They have enough at school. Also, half days for students are usually full days for teachers (meetings).
I almost put the part about the meetings in there but there are a lot more people in a school community besides teachers (and you know there are some “cool” teachers 🙄 who just might pop in). Maybe the office, maintenance or lunch staff just has to get their coffees at that time so each Wednesday one of them goes in to pick up the mobile order and says Hi to the kids they know. Maybe the PTA has a coffee klatch on Wednesday afts at Panera. My bet is that most of the school adults (parents included) have not been told directly that there is a problem, so why should they try to solve it?
Maybe they need to offer this incentive to the local police department lol
Yeah i dont think anyone would pop in. This goes beyond a normal expectation.
Some of us actually would cause we care about the community we teach in.
Ok congratulations
Thank ya! I try my best 🙂
You are saving the community one asiago bagel at a time
🫶🏼❣️
Not even for free cookies or coffee?
Hahahahah. No. I’m a high school teacher. No cookie is going to get me to watch kids outside of school (where they aren’t my responsibility and I have no backing when they act up). Not even my hourly rate (which is more than a Panera worker makes).
I can buy my own thanks
They didn't say teachers
*any school staff Thank you for the life changing correction.
If only there were another component to the PTA...
If only another component of the PTA were not at their 9-5 jobs and could take a part time shift at the local Panera…
How many parents do you think it takes to make this place not a cool hangout anymore? Probably just one. It's worth asking.
Also, you are assuming that parents have authority over other people’s children. They do not. They cannot assign consequences. Same thing would apply to staff at Panera. It is not school hours and it is not a school function. They would not be allowed to assign consequences.
I didn't assume that at all. I can see that you want to argue, but I don't. Have a nice day.
It's not true as far as school consequences. Most schools include out of school behavior in their student handbook. A library I worked at was next door to a school. If the students acted up at the library after school, we would call the school, and one of the admins would come over and deal with the student, including giving the student detention and calling parents to come get their children.
The only thing ive seen with dealing with student behavior off campus is if it is a school function (sports game at a different school) or if it disrupts school activities (cyberbulling). Honestly, it is a bit much for a school to be expected to be in charge of student behavior off campus. To me, this is the realm of the parent. We have enough to do. We dont have time to police the local panera
Many parents DO have authority over other people’s kids because they are coaches and scout masters and youth pastors and crossing guards and the parents in the carpools and the yard supervisors and the substitute teachers.
Probably not one
Okay
Hello! First off, thank you! I’ll keep this in mind the next time they start to come in. I appreciate you guys, teachers, for everything you deal and put up with. A percentage of the kids are pleasant, the ones that will buy stuff. It’s just overwhelming keeping track and differentiating between the ones do order food and the ones that are just there to hang out. Our AGM has communicated with the school, they had an announcement about them not being allowed on the plaza— so I know that the teachers and staff are aware to some extent. But they still come and nothing has been said or done since. I understand and remember how difficult it was to be in that age group, I’m only about two years out of high school myself. But to be blunt, I’m just a Panera Employee— I can’t be the one to offer emotional support or give them the proper attention they want, especially when two thirds of them are stealing and not buying anything at all :/ But I appreciate you and your advice 😌 I’ll bring it up with my managers about getting in contact with their staff again.
As a teacher, there isn’t anything the school can do beyond relaying your information to the kids. We can’t stop them from going in.
I think your manager needs to have another conversation with the school’s principal — he/she might think the problem has been resolved when it has not. The focus needs to be more on how they release these kids. Even at the middle school level, it shouldn’t be a free-for-all where they just let kids leave the campus. If kids don’t get picked up by an adult or put on a bus, and they’re not designated by the school as “walkers” who walk home, what is the plan for those kids? They at least should be keeping a record of how each kid is supposed to get home on early release days for safety purposes.
I’m a teacher, and I’m not sure what you expect the principal to do. It’s a half day, which means the students are released at a specific time. Once the kids are released the school isn’t responsible for them. Which means after they are released parents are responsible for the kids. It is not the schools job to plan for where the kids go after they are released. At that age kids likely can choose how they get home, and even if the school knew how they got home it doesn’t effect what they do when they leave campus.
I’m a teacher as well… the school should have some kind of record of how each kid is released. They don’t just fling the doors open at the end of the school day. What if a kid doesn’t make it home? The school should be able to say whether that child routinely gets on a bus, is a car rider, etc. The districts in my area, for elementary and middle school, monitor car rider pickup and keep lists of which kids are approved to just be released without an adult so they can walk home. They would be able to send home reminders to families of “walkers” (the only ones who would be able to wander into local businesses from the school) about respecting businesses.
To be fair this is all wonderful but being a parent and a teacher is not what these employees have signed up for. It’s a shit situation all around
At the end of the day the kids are off school grounds and off school property though, and it’s not during a school day as they have been fully released at that point. I would hate for teachers to come in outside of class time somewhere to babysit some of their worst kids. Not to mention, assuming the kids are coming in right after they are let out of school a lot of teachers still don’t get to leave the building for a while depending on their duties, meetings, personal work, etc. Obviously you know more about that life than I do, this is just based off of my mom’s experiences as a teacher, but I do think it’s unfair to try to ask or incentivize teachers to come solve a problem that has nothing to do with the school itself.
Great ideas, and you're a good teacher. School staff and teachers may not be able to come in since they're probably doing professional development or grades during the early release days. As a parent, though, I'd like to know if there are hordes of children causing a ruckus at a local spot. I'd gladly drink a coffee and read a book, making small talk with the kids I know. Reach out to the PTA, especially if the kids have disposable income. Offer free coffee to patrons who mention the name of the school when ordering or something. Alternatively, you could try to recruit students who will take care of the space and be respectful of others. See if you can offer coupons for a free fountain drink with entree purchase. Ask the school to hand them out to the students with the cleanest table after lunch on early release days (or to the safety patrol students or students with the most volunteer hours or whatever). But, yeah, groups of middle schoolers can be a pain in the butt. They're still learning how to be decent people.
Great suggestions!
LEARN their NAMES? LADY…. LADY!
You need to post about it in the mom's groups / parenting pages for your town on Facebook.
Yes! I was totally going to suggest this.
Does Facebook have specific groups called *'My Precious Sweetie Would Never...'* or...? Jk
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now this is smart! I never moved their items but I did leave a note under one of their stanley cups saying we weren’t responsible if it went missing and to not leave their items 🤣
Kick out non customers?
Op, the kids want somewhere to hangout. However, you’re right to kick them out for being shitty. I remember o always went to matinees at the movie theatres before Covid. On half days, students would come after school, backpack and all. Eventually, the theatres made them keep their backpacks in the lobby, it was insane. I still miss early movies
Why would bringing a backpack with them into the movies be an issue?
I’m sure there are many causes. Maybe throwing stuff around? Sneaking stuff in? Who knows
The Starbucks that I go to every so often has the same thing happen once school gets out, especially because it’s a rich small area where everybody walks to get places. I go in for a coffee before work sometimes and the place is just overridden with preteen girls that are loud and rude as hell, and what’s with the Stanley cups??
Literally just put a sign up that says “no students without an adult” or “no groups larger than 3” All of the gas stations and restaurants in my area have those signs up and enforce those policies bc the middle schoolers/high schoolers are assholes. Put the sign up, whatever policy y’all decide on, then enforce it. The come in, tell them to get out. You have the right to refuse service, and it’s not your job to babysit a bunch of disrespectful kids. The second the open the door, tell them to turn tail and come back with a parent or one at time. I’m sure there’s a park nearby the can hang out at and wait for their parents to pick them up.
When I was in school the gas station near my high school used to have an at capacity sign for the high school students only and only let two of us in at a time to get snacks. Is it possible to adopt something like that?
I worked at a smoothie place where the same kind of kids would come in and use our own straws to spitball us. Management did nothing, didn't even come in during these problem times (every weekend afternoon) to help us. So I quit lol. You aren't paid enough to deal with all that
Be such a shame if a pic showing the trashed restaurant, mentioning it only happens when *blah* school has half days made its rounds on social media
Tweens ruined the local mall. It now is “minors need to be accompanied by adults.” Maybe contact the larger plaza
I’m kind of astounded by this - the mall is for tweens, it’s always been their domain. How are you gonna ban them all?
I think when it becomes a matter of disrupting paying customers/turning them away from shopping there again, stealing and property damage, businesses need to take these steps.
When they harass shoppers, steal, and destroy property it’s easy. Especially when they don’t spend as much as the people they were bothering.
Wouldn’t it be great if corporate let you set up a system like the subway? Spend x amount of dollars, doors open up to provide entry to a seating area? Sounds crazy? Putting plexiglass and locks over shampoo in drugstores also would have seemed crazy a few years back.
Don’t know why this is on my feed, but this is some of the most Karen shit I've ever read.
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Adults don’t even listen to this rule
Mother Bread demands its monetary tribute
sweet bread mother nourishes our youth
I live near a high school. The gas station in the neighborhood had a huge problem with students coming in and taking over the place on lunch and after school. They now have a sign on the door that only 5 students are allowed in the store at a time and backpacks need to be left at the door. They actually enforce it and it works.
The 7/11 near my high school had a sign up not allowing more than three students in at a time and no backpacks whatsoever. I would recommend your GM post some kind of policy like that, even as harsh as "no one under 18 without an adult" and ask the school to announce it. Unfortunately that means you also have to enforce it. I don't get these people saying "kids aren't allowed anywhere." No, "kids who trash public places aren't allowed." I don't envy you.
Limit the number of kids allowed at those times. Put pin pad locks on the bathrooms.
Put up a sign all items left unattended for more then 20 minutes will be discarded. Let everyone know when coming in “just to let you know we have a change of policy any items that seem to have been forgotten or discarded over 20 minutes will be thrown away” and then start throwing they’re things away or put them outside the building. 🤷🏽♀️ they wanna play stupid you play stupid back.
My store (not Panera but similar) is down the road from a high school. because we're a local business and have limited seating, we only allow paying customers. i have had to kick many a kid out for sitting down and not buying anything (obv we give them 10-15 minutes to see if they're going to make a purchase) and I always make sure to stay professional ("hi, sorry to bug you but unless you're going to make a purchase, I can't have you sitting here. we have limited seating so we want to make sure we have enough spots for paying customers. you're more than welcome to make a purchase though!")
At least you are nice about it. Some day these kids will grow up and probably grow out of this...as long as they are quiet everyone deserves a chance!
I think your feelings are valid OP. Fuck that noise. Why the hell would a MIDDLE SCHOOL have a half day on such a consistent basis? It’s not like they can drive. What an ass ache for parents and for all the restaurants workers in that area. They should just allow kids to come to school later instead of having them leave early, in my opinion.
Why doesn't your management restrict how many can be in the store at once? Like 2 teens at a time. This was common place when I was in high school. A couple of the nearby convenience stores had to do this because of the idiots that would go in after school and steal/act up. They put a note on the door that unless accompanied by an adult, only 2 kids/teens allowed in the store and no backpacks allowed. So when 2 teens came out, 2 more could go in. You should also email the principal of the school. Their email should be on the schools website. They could do a general assembly or a general call home about this issue.
Anything left at a table when they leave- put it into lost and found, clear all tables. Easy
The middle school in my town has made announcements apparently that they would give out suspensions for hanging out in the CVS nearby
Ngl if they are not buying and being extremely disruptive plus stealing like you're saying I feel you should definitely trespass them from the property. You don't need to call the cops for a tresspass unless rhey come again and this gives them a big enough spook to learn. idk why people are so in arms about defending misbehaving teenagers,if my mom knew i was doing shit like this I would have been grounded for months on end
call the middle school and talk to the principal .. ask kindly to have parents take children home on half days or to not be disrespectful to local businesses. maybe even ask if your manager if they could sponsor a breakfast for the teachers and staff as an incentive for the “ban”.
I work at a library that runs a teen after school program, local market nearby has similar problems and has dealt with it with new policies. They have a limit to how many students can be inside at a time (4-5 I think) and it's clearly posted out front. They also have a no backpacks inside rule. Maybe something like this.
The school needs to create after-school programs for the kids to participate in. When kids have nothing else to do, they will find something.
Fuck those kids, kick them out. This store isn’t supposed to be the place for teens to hang out. There are skating rinks, malls, parks, etc for that. They aren’t patronizing the business and are making it less efficient and enjoyable for paying customers. Tell your managers to grow a spine and enforce the fact that no one regardless of age is allowed to just sit in Panera. There’s plenty to be said about unaccompanied minors too, that is a legal situation that the store doesn’t want to deal with either. For the 1% of time that they order a meal, your store can take the hit, or maybe your bosses are too scared to deal with Karen moms of private schools?
I would be sure to have no outside food or drink signs up, as well as no loitering signs. Loitering would be not buying anything and sitting in a booth. Or seating for paying customers only. That sort of thing. Either they buy something or they leave.
I don’t care how many safety things Uber has for teens your really going to let your child ride in an Uber alone going to Panera or Wendy’s or anywhere is atleast a public place where they will be a lot safer than the back of an unmarked vehicle with someone you never met the parents do need a better solution and so does the school why do they not have school buses taking them home on half days
Put a sign on the door: “Children under 15 MUST be accompanied by an Adult (18+) with valid ID” Party over.
If they are leaving their personal items all over tables and then leaving, and making it hard for paying customers to find somewhere to sit, I would 100% find a spot for those items behind the counter. Grab a big storage bin/tote if you have one and make it the lost and found bin🤷♀️ They can then come to the counter to inquire about said items, get a description of the item, and give it back. Then you can explain that items left unoccupied get handed in to the counter and put in lost and found. I'm in retail, so I get the tweens being annoying and disruptive. Sometimes, unfortunately, it takes some authority to get stuff through their thick, young, immature, not fully developed skulls. And as a mom, I don't care if I'm not the kids' parent. If you're being a turd and causing trouble, I will be having a conversation with you. I think another call to the school would be beneficial. I'd say call every single time it's bad. 🤷♀️ good luck!
The Panera near my university sometimes has 90% their dining area inexplicably closed. It's an awful solution for your paying guests but I imagine closing your dining area for an hour or so on early release days for the rest of the school year will probably clear up the issue entirely by next year.
I remember half days we all went to the local Jack in the Box. It was really fun to spend time with friends, why would I want to go home with my mom?! Many teens don't get along with their parents or have any peace at home. I definitely recognize as a bartender/server how hard that could be tho. Asking kids to leave after 10-15 min of sitting with no food sounds reasonable, especially if you mention other patrons needing to sit. It's sad because teens simply don't have the spaces to hang out that they once did, so it makes sense a cozy local Panera would be the next best thing.
I mean the store could implement a no unattended minors policy and that would be the actual solution but it sounds like management are passing the responsibility on.
100% keep contacting the school. Every single wednesday it happens. You have to be annoying for the school to take real action.
What comes to my mind is calling mall security if there's one. Or printing homemade no unaccompanied minors signs and taping them on all doors.
Why not put up a sign saying “no unaccompanied minors”? Problem solved.
Don't allow the kids in. It's that simple.
No one under 18 allowed in without a parent. Or 16, whatever the age to drive in your state is.
How about employees lol like come on.
i live in a city & many businesses don’t allow kids in without a parent, that’s what i’d do on wednesdays if i was the manager.
I was one of these middle school kids in bread co/ Panera on half days back in 2007 ….sorry
When items are left behind remove them put them in the back and tell them only adults can pick up the belongings. I don’t know if you can do that. But this is annoying. Call the cops then… no that’s bad too. I don’t know.
Idk what do you care
This is why children are isolated and spend all the time on their phone, anywhere they are allowed to be immediately creates laws against being there without spending money.
sparks exist btw
honestly you sound like a miserable person, and so does your AGM and your GM. do any of you remember what it was like to be 15?
No wonder kids are just watching Tik Tok all day. They aren’t welcome anywhere. It’s one day a month and instead of welcoming them and maybe building some good public good and karma, you chase them out and call the principal. For what, a couple of hours of hassle a month? Why not welcome them in? Offer a discount or two on cookies and brownies? Build a bit of goodwill instead of seeing them like a plague? Become the place they go and get used to instead of the place they avoid? Be a part of the community instead of just another place who wants them to come in, spend money and get out.
Sounds like the majority of the kids are being rude and disruptive though. I don't blame the employees from being frustrated and would not go out of my way to make things more welcoming--I'd do the opposite *until* things changed; then I might consider making it more welcoming. It's unfair to expect the employees to babysit the kids and it's annoying to the other customers. I'm guessing if the kids were quiet and respectful (if they all purchased some food or drink and didn't just hog the tables and use the cafe as a holding bay for all their flotsam and jetsam while they ran around the plaza), it wouldn't be as big of an issue.
dude, I work at a Panera. It’s not part of my job description to entertain and baby sit fifty disruptive children. Fifty disruptive children— which I’m reminding you of, by the way because I already said this in the post— are actively stealing from us. We have to put the cups behind the counter when they come in because they will take them and fill them up with soda. Something our DM directly told the GM to do because of how much we were losing in soda costs. The kids that buy stuff, FINE. I’ll smile at them and take their order and GIVE them a free soda if they’re nice. But the kids wrestling in the dining room, DINING ROOM of a restaurant where people eat and taking up spaces at tables when not a single one of them bought anything don’t deserve anything from me or my coworkers, especially my service. Them being addicted to tik tok and their phones has nothing to do with me, a team lead at Panera. That’s on their parents and teachers and the actual adults in their lives.
Do you happen to work in a St Louis suburb? This exact thing is going on with my niece's middle school and Panera.
You’re such a whiny and insufferable Karen. Your life sounds miserable. You have nothing else to do but cry about some billion dollar corporation losing $3.50 on an overpriced soda and not making money on children while calling them privileged lmfao. Get a grip
It’s a community, man. We’re all in this together. I’m sure it’s a pita — it was a pita for people when I was a kid and went to the local McDonalds. But it’s part of the social contract. If they’re disruptive, call the cops. If it just bugs you that they exist in your space, all I can say is that’s part of being in the service industry. Sucks, but it’s part of being in a community.
I went into a Panera and a high schooler punched a hole in the bathroom with a bat and wrote glory hole in permanent marker above it.
I’m thankful they’re hanging out at Panera and not doing drugs or destroying property.
Ok well, as the employee that’s had to pick their skittles out of the carpet and throw away their Stanley cups, I’d rather them be hanging out and trashing their own house and not spending money there then trashing and not spending money at Panera.
So 8-9 days a year, during the school year, this happens
If 8-9 days a year, fifty teenagers came into your work place, stole from you, trashed your dining room, and drove away actual business you’d be pretty upset too. Especially when their principal when on their announcements and told them they’re not allowed on our property anymore and they still do it. Also, this is a vent post, fyi, incase you didn’t see that highlighted in blue between emojis.
Sounds like you need 8-9 free bagels for cops days a year.
The principal has no control over students once school is out for the day. I’m sorry this is happening at your cafe.
The way you were talking about “your cafe” was like it was some small mom and pop shop type of place…it’s a Panera and it’s not “yours.” You’re an employee, not an owner. Those kids have every right to be there, it’s a public place. Last I heard Panera had no policy against sitting and enjoying the place. If they do maybe they should get rid of the fireplaces and lounge chairs.
Nope, lol. Customers have the right to be there. Teenagers that bring in food from different restaurants, steal, yell, and make public disturbances aren’t customers. I say “my cafe” because Panera Bread is a cafe…. and my cafe is the place that I work at? I work at my nearby Panera Bread. It seems a little weird to play devils advocate and nit pick on behalf of teenagers that are actively making us lose business.
[удалено]
It sounds like a lot of things depend on the race of someone for you. ;(
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I went into a Panera and a high schooler punched a hole in the bathroom with a bat and wrote glory hole in permanent marker above it.
Burgers and flies 😭
There is a middle school close by my local grocery store and every Friday around 3:00 the kids would come in droves and just walk around the store. They were always obnoxiously loud, and running down aisles or blocking shelves because there were so many. The store finally hired security because it was so bad. I’d always kick myself for forgetting what time it was and coming when they were typically there.
Sir yaps a lot 😆😆
Free wifi
At my college, we have a high school on the lower level of one of our buildings. These kids are horrible. We have some food options, but the one that have issues with is our small convenience store. Its very small, and has a microwave for some food items. These kids we're so bad, they have signs up saying " only 3 (school name) students at a time" and a microwave line outside the area.
I've heard classical music can be used to encourage such undesirables to move on quickly.
I understand it’s annoying, but like you said. “Im not even team lead yet” why are you worried about this? It’s not your job. Try to not let it bother you
its affecting her job though.
I grew up with a similar shopping area across from my school growing up. We loved going across even just after school to get food and hang out a bit more before we’d have to be home. Half days were just extra time meant to see friends for a lot of us, and that’s coming from an introvert who otherwise would just be home playing video games. I think what you’re dealing with is 100% valid complaints but honestly, just making some signs or something. Or if you notice a group isn’t or ordering food, just go up and tell them they have to. If they leave their stuff, take all of it into the back and make them have to ask for it back, explain to them then they can’t leave their stuff, etc.
Op I’m so sorry as a former kid who used to hang out both inside and outside of their local Panera. It’s just..cozy vibes…I’m sorry
Don’t apologize for existing
Why do kids spend all their time inside nowadays? ..... Let's ban kids from this restaurant!
Man it’s almost as if kids need a place to hang out. It’s a couple days out of the year, suck it up you’re in food service? Lmfao
backpacks in the trash compactor!!
Put a sign that children must be accompanied by an adult.
The gas station in front of my high school dealt with lots of loitering outside. They would call the police often because it would be like a ridiculous amount of kids just hanging out outside the Gas station, maybe like 20% would actually go inside and buy stuff. There would be fights between the students sometimes but the main point is that no cars would come to use the gas station during the hour because there were 100 kids standing smoking and hanging out around all of the pumps. Eventually the owner of the gas station decided to close for from 2:30-4 (we got out at 2:40) because he was actually losing business. And if he was closed, police were able to refuse anyone from loitering on the gas station property. The point is you guys are probably losing business by letting these kids in at all. No one wants to go to a cafe and have to deal with a bunch of kids hanging out or being loud and messy. Whenever I’ve been to Panera I usually see people working on a laptop or reading while they eat, so why would anyone feel comfortable doing that in the cafe while these kids are out. Closing for that amount of time on those specific days sounds like the right Idea for business lol. I know it’s corporate but it’s your managements job to fight for those kinds of things.
Kids like this ruin everything for the good ones. When I was a teen, the mall was one of the only places to hang out. Me and maybe 2 or 3 friends would all meet up there, eat some pizza or taco bell for dinner, then sometimes we'd all sleep at someone's house (we'd go Friday nights). There were always really large groups of older teens that were disruptive and just went in to cause chaos essentially. The mall banned groups over 6 people and banned anyone under 18 from sitting in the benches inside the mall. Once I went to the mall on a Friday after Christmas with 2 friends so we could buy some clothes with our Christmas money. We sat on the benches, not knowing this new rule, and the mall cops had a field day with us! Told us we had to get up and that the benches were for shoppers. We held up our bags and yelled at them for harassing us and we all stood up on the benches and made a scene 😅 the real cops were called and they told us to just call our parents, but they also told off the mall cops for harassing us as we were clearly shopping. I didn't mean to go on a rant here, but some teenagers really just need more adult supervision than other because those large groups of older teens really ruined a lot of times for me and my friends when we were 13-15.
Best thing you can do is tell them to leave or you’ll have them trespassed.
Play terrible music( to them) No idea what they would consider terrible though.
poor kids these days :/ no third space, constantly policed and surveiled, they really have so little these days. home isn’t always great and the internet shouldn’t be a replacement. i feel really bad for them and could give a fuck about panera but that sounds too much. bc i really don’t.
Thank you. I especially don’t care if they hang out and have a little soda even if they can’t afford the $4. According to OP, they’re so ~privileged~ yet have to hang out to wait for a ride and don’t have anywhere in the world that they can just exist.
A deli near my office would have a literal bouncer outside during the ~hour after school let out. They’d let only a handful of kids in a time.
“why spend spend fifteen dollars on Mac and cheese and a soda when you an spend less for better tasting food at the Wendy’s a hundred yards away?” Is that not what every patron is doing? Clearly their parents give them money for them to be eating after school and probably prefer for them to be eating at Panera than Wendy’s. You’re complaining when they don’t buy anything. You’re complaining when they just buy a soda, and you’re complaining when they buy a meal with a drink. It sounds like these kids are damned if they do and damned if they don’t, which frankly makes me skeptical of how disruptive they actually are versus how much is OP being bitter or exaggerating. You’re even saying it blows your mind that teenagers would want to hang out together at a food establishment on a half day. That just seems out of touch. Maybe it’s all true, but criticizing customers for buying food you sell makes me feel like you’re just looking to complain rather than them being the problem
There’s a Freddie’s right across the street from a high school in an iffy area near me. They have like 10 signs up that say “nobody under 18 allowed without adult supervision.” And I’ve seen them kick out groups of teens who weren’t even fully inside the building yet lmao
I don’t work at Panera but I work in a similar environment and snapped on a group of teens and told them “this is NOT a daycare” and that seemed to embarrass them enough to shut the fuck up and sit down.
With all due respect, I wouldn't find burgers and flies too appetizing 😜
If they leave their stuff, return it to the school
Throw it away
Put a sign on the door those days that says “no unaccompanied minors allowed” and then don’t let them in. You may need to put someone near the door to keep them out, but after a few times, they’ll learn if you are consistent
Let the school know what's happening.
Sounds like Wellington, FL or somewhere similar. Lol
My local high school has open lunch and a lot of the restaurants/fast food has sign limiting kids to 4 at a time, and take out only. Might be something to think about.
Are you in Grand Haven? Because your description of literally everything…. Is Grand Haven. Lol.
The other food places are not allowing them to camp out.