6 Things You Don't Know About Panera Bread, Straight From an Employee

If you've ever wondered what it's like behind the counter at Panera Bread, you'll enjoy the insider secrets from this employee's Reddit AMA. During the "Ask Me Anything" conversation online, a person who works at Panera Bread answered questions about the truth about the crazy-delicious mac and cheese, the one thing you should avoid ordering, and what the company does with all its unsold bread at the end of the day. Here are the answers to some of your burning Panera Bread questions, straight from someone who knows best.

The reason the mac and cheese is SO good is . . . calories.

When asked why the mac and cheese is "so f*cking good," the Panera employee said, "It's very good because it isn't that healthy for you. It has a lot of calories tbh."

Also, it arrives at the store frozen.

"They aren't lying when they say that all their food is 100 percent clean so nothing is bad for you. However, that doesn't mean that all the food is good for you. The mac and cheese, for example, comes into the store premade and frozen in a bag and it is heated either in boiling water or the microwave if need be."

There are two things customers do that drive employees CRAZY.

"Two things. The first is when we make a small mistake and they completely lose their minds. If we make a mistake of any kind, we'll do everything that we can to fix it and make it up to you, no need to cause a scene just because we forgot to give you a fork. The second is when customers come in 10 minutes before close and order a ton of food then eat in store."

The one thing you should never order past lunchtime? Avocado.

"Avacados usually sit out open for a number of hours. They are fine around lunchtime but as the day goes on, they get older."

The employee discount is really good.

"I honestly would never eat at Panera if I didn't have an employee discount (70 percent)."

Panera donates all of its extra bread at the end of the day.

"Yes, at the end of the day we donate all our unused bread to a homeless shelter."