A Panera Bread customer claimed she was “scammed” after receiving 13 bagels that were as hard as “rocks” in a viral TikTok.
The video featured TikTok user Tari (@jollofforbreakfast) who stated that she was “scammed” by the bakery-café fast-casual restaurant. According to the content creator, she went to Panera Bread for lunch when the “Tuesday Special” where she could buy 13 bagels for $7 caught her eye.
However, she was in for a surprise when she took out one of the bagels from her Panera Bread bag and found it was not the pillowy-soft goodness she expected. Tari demonstrates the bagel’s rock-like consistency by hitting it against her counter and her head.
@jollofforbreakfast @panerabread ♬ original sound – Tari
The Daily Dot reached out to Tari via TikTok comment and Panera Bread via press email regarding the video. The video racked up over 110,000 views as of Saturday, where viewers share what they would’ve done in Tari’s shoes.
“Get them wet and put them in the oven for a few minutes! I promise they will be good as new!” one viewer suggested.
“Wet it a little and then toast them they come out tasting fine,” another echoed.
“I would take them back. That’s not what they are supposed to do,” a third urged.
An alleged former Panera Bread worker explained why the bagels were hard as rocks.
“They changed the rules. Former employee here. Our bakers used to come at night. Now they bake a day before,” they explained. “So everything is less Fresh.”
On the other hand, other workers disagreed.
“Ex panera employee- we do not keep bagels from the previous day,” the user claimed. “Next time when getting a bakers dozen, ask them to put in plastic bread bag.”
“Same. It’s been a long time but when I worked there we didn’t keep them either,” a second user concurred. “They were donated most nights and the random nights they were not we took them.”
However, other viewers shared their similar experiences with Panera Bread.
“Mines weren’t hard but my bagels yesterday were pretty thin, small and pale. same Tuesday bakers dozen special,” a user commented.
“Their bagels are always like that. And when you request for them to be sliced it’s worse. There cut all sorts of ways,” another said.
