At a glance
CleanCleaver food safety systematic review results
What happened?
93/ 100 · 7 points taken off
3 problems found · Routine county inspection · Apr 30, 2026
Is that a lot?
Most food places here got 2 to 15 points taken off. Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe got about the same as most.
Compared with 9,600 Santa Clara County food places. Each place's last routine inspection counts.
What was found out about Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe?
It's fair to care about this. Here's what the county found. Tap any item to see how a kitchen fixes it.
- Thermometer missing or reading wrong K39How to fixFix it
- Hand sink not ready to use K06How to fixFix it
- Wiping cloths left out of sanitizer K40How to fixFix it
Source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
We review Santa Clara County health data to make this report. We are not the County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health.
Visit them directly at deh.santaclaracounty.gov (opens the department's site) · How we review
For Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe's team
Is this your place?
Welcome, Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe. We'll walk through this together, one item at a time. To log the fixes, claim Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe first; we check that you run it.
Your whole team can help. Each person gets one next step, and everyone can see what's done.
This is my place: claim Panera Bread Bakery & CafeWe'll help you get every item done. You don't have to do it alone.
We know an inspection can feel heavy, especially when it's busy.
Fix it together
Follow the steps for each item, with the rule beside it.
Next: Thermometer missing or reading wrongThe county found: “Broken digital display thermometer reads 'Error' and thermometer inside walk in noted. [CA] Provide a new thermometer…”
First step: Ice-water method
Then the next one: Hand sink not ready to use
Log it
Your team logs the fix on their phones, with the time and who did it.
Show what you did
Saying what you fixed, in your own words, builds trust. Families and regulars respect a kitchen that owns it and fixes it.
Each fix step comes from the rule it names: Food Code 2-301.15, Food Code 3-304.14, Food Code 3-501.13.
Try it yourself
Fix and log it: Thermometer missing or reading wrong
A practice run. Nothing is saved. Tap each step when it's done.
0 of 4 done
Ice-water method
Logged
That's one done. We'll be here for the next.
What people see now
Today, people see the department's words and nothing from you.
What people see after you fix and log it
Example reply
CleanCleaverBusiness reply
Your business replied to this with the public statement:
We fixed this the same day. Now our team logs it on their phones at open and close.
The date of your reply
This is not an official update to the health inspection report. The county's record is unchanged.
Most kitchens get something cited at some point. What people remember is that you fixed it.
Want to join the restaurants in Santa Clara County that keep their kitchens clean and put their guests' health first?
Claim Panera Bread Bakery & CafeWe'll set it up with you. 25 days free.
Replies are part of a paid plan. We read each one before it goes up. You can take it down any time. Only the department can change its record.
Do you work there, and someone else owns it? I work there
What people see next
Under each item here, people see what you fixed, in your words.
Left alone, or fixed together
Left alone, the same items can come back at the next inspection. Fixed together, they're done.
Not your place?
CleanCleaver puts these same items on your team's phones, with the rule beside each one. Your binder is ready when the inspector is.
25 days free. Cancel anytime.
Inspections
From County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health · 3 inspections on record · Last checked Oct 6, 2026
The county visited once in the last 12 months (1 routine).
Every visit
LatestApr 30, 2026Routine inspection93 out of 100 (Green placard)
This one: 93 out of 100 (Green placard), inspected Apr 30, 2026.
3 violations listed, 0 marked critical.
Not critical (3)
Thermometer missing or reading wrong
The department's words
K39 Thermometers provided, accurate
Broken digital display thermometer reads 'Error' and thermometer inside walk in noted. [CA] Provide a new thermometer in walk in [COS]
Food Code 4-203.11
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
Ice-water method
- 1. Fill a large glass with crushed ice, then add cold water to the top. Stir.
- 2. Put the probe in the center, not touching the sides or bottom. A dial thermometer goes at least 2 inches deep, past the dimple.
- 3. Wait 30 seconds, or until the reading stops moving.
- 4. It should read 32°F. If not, adjust it (dial: turn the nut under the head with a wrench; digital: press reset per the maker). Replace it if it can't be adjusted.
Using and cleaning it
3 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide
Thermometers and calibration
The full guide has 3 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.
Are you Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe? Fix it
The department's words
K06 Adequate handwash facilities supplied, accessible
Paper towel dispenser found empty at hand sink next to sandwich prep station. [CA] Keep dispenser stocked at all times. [COS]
Food Code 5-205.11
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
Hand sinks are for hands only
- Wash only at a handwashing sink.
- Never wash hands in the dish sink, a food prep sink, a mop sink, or a drink cooler.
- Never dump drinks, rinse utensils or fill pitchers at the hand sink.
From Food Code 2-301.15
Soap and hand sanitizer
4 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide
Handwashing
The full guide has 4 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.
Are you Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe? Fix it
Wiping cloths left out of sanitizer
The department's words
K40 Wiping cloths: properly used, stored
Sanitizer in wiping cloth bucket measured below required range (acceptable range is 272-700 ppm). [CA] Maintain sanitizer between 272-700ppm at all times. [COS]Wiping cloth bucket was replenished with sanitizer.
Food Code 3-304.14
How can a restaurant or home fix this?
Keep the bucket strong
- Wet cloths sit in sanitizer between uses: chlorine 50–99 ppm, or quat at label strength.
- Test with the cloths in the bucket when you mix it and every 2 hours.
- Remake it at once if it tests low or has food or dirt in it. Never just add more sanitizer to a dirty bucket.
From Food Code 3-304.14
Keep cloths apart
3 more steps in the full guide Read the free guide
Wiping cloths and sanitizer buckets
The full guide has 3 more parts. Sign up to open the full guide in the app.
Are you Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe? Fix it
EarlierSep 2, 2025Routine inspection98 out of 100 (Green placard)
1 violation listed, 0 marked critical.
Not critical (1)
The department's words
K26 Approved thawing methods used; frozen food
Packages of frozen, reduced oxygen packaging chicken observed to be thawing in ambient temperature in the two compartment prep sink in the kitchen area. Per the PIC, the usual operating procedure is to thaw under cold running water. [CA] Frozen potentially hazardous food shall only be thawed in one of the following ways: 1) under refrigeration that maintains the food temperature at 41°F or below, 2) completely submerged under potable running water for a period not to exceed two hours at a water temperature of 70°F or below, and with sufficient water velocity to agitate and flush off loose particles into the sink drain, 3) in a microwave oven if immediately followed by immediate preparation, 4) as part of a cooking process.
EarlierNov 19, 2024Routine inspection95 out of 100 (Green placard)
2 violations listed, 0 marked critical.
Not critical (2)
The department's words
K07 Proper hot and cold holding temperatures
Prep cooler measured to have sliced american cheese at 45F. Other prep cooler to the right measured to have american cheese at 43F. Cheese observed to be overfilled in prep cooler cold holding insert. [CA] PHFs shall be held at 41°F or below for cold holding. Ensure PHFs are not over stocked in prep coolers [COS] All cheese was moved such that is was below the fill line of the prep cooler and extra was returned to walk in cooler.
Utensils or dishes stored wet or unwashed
The department's words
K36 Equipment, utensils, linens: Proper storage and use
Scoops in prep cooler observed to have handles in direct contact with food. [CA] Store scoop handle in such a way that the handle does not come in direct contact with food to prevent contamination.
Source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health. This is the department's data, not CleanCleaver's. See the department's full record (opens the department's site)
What you can do
As a customer of Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe, you can:
Learn how these get fixed
Free, step-by-step guides for each item.
- Thermometer missing or reading wrong Read the free guide
- Hand sink not ready to use Read the free guide
- Wiping cloths left out of sanitizer Read the free guide
Call Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe
Ask for the manager. Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe can only fix what it knows about.
Share this page
Use CleanCleaver at home
Families clean together. Chores and food dates for everyone at home.
Complain directly to the health department
We are not the health department. You can report to them on their site. Report to County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health (opens the department's site)
When regulars speak up kindly and kitchens fix things, the whole neighborhood eats well. Now you know what the inspector found, and what you can do about it.
Do you work at or run Panera Bread Bakery & Cafe?
See the plan to fix each item and show what you did.
Address thisAbout this record
Opens the county's own page for this place.
Most people don't know what a normal result looks like for a place that's open every day. The ranges use each place's last routine inspection in this area. No other county is mixed in.
100 means the inspector found no problems. Santa Clara County takes points off for each problem. Big ones take off more.
The county posts a green, yellow or red placard after each inspection, and gives routine inspections a score. In the county's data, a routine inspection with no violations listed scored 100, and the score drops as violations are found. The county's page does not say which scores or findings give each color: ask the department.
- Inspection type
- Routine inspection
- Result
- 93 out of 100 (Green placard)
- Source
- County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health
This is not an official ranking or grade. See the official source: County of Santa Clara Department of Environmental Health (opens the department's site) .
Information on this page may be out of date. Check the original source to confirm.