A trending TikTok shows a Panera employee on a 2-hour break—which she alleges is due to mismanagement.
@yuhriannon ♬ I think ur a little gay – mrmonkeyman
In the 5-second clip, which has 862,000 views, TikToker Riannon St. Clair (yuhriannon) seems at her wits’ end. The overlay reads: “Me on my TWO HOUR BREAK because my [manager] has no clue what’s she’s f*cking doing and I only worked two hours till my night shift.”
The scheduling can put workers in a bind. Does the worker go home? What if your home is far away?
One commenter noted the vibe: “Silent rage in panera.” In a similar sentiment, one quipped, “the silence is so loud.” St. Clair replied, “Too loud.”
Several former Panera employees said they’ve had similar experiences. One wrote, “wait this is how my does it everyday.” A second agreed, “I worked there for one summer and never went back.”
Another commenter commiserated with St. Clair with the unusual scheduling: “STOP I used to be scheduled 11AM-1PM doing dining room then come back 5PM-Close. I’d literally nap in my car because I lived 30 minutes away.”
A fourth commenter verified it’s a widespread issue. “The moment I turned 18 at Panera they scheduled me for opening till closing with only two 15 min breaks so I quit,” the user wrote.
While Panera is a popular destination for many, including deal hunters, viral complaints from its employees are not exactly rare. Two years ago, a Reddit user posted an almost identical problem with the scheduling at the sandwich shop chain. Still, Panera remains extremely popular with its customer base.
Others were more impressed with the Panera meal featured in the video. One said, “That’s my exact order hahaha.” St. Clair replied, “Its literally the best dude.”
The Daily Dot contacted TikTok user yuhriannon and Panera for further comment.