Panera on health inspections, place by place
See how Panera restaurants did on routine health inspections in each place we cover, next to every other restaurant in that same place. Every number comes from that government’s own records.
The short answer
Under the local rate in all three places.
- 3under the local rate
- 0too close to call
- 0over the local rate
Panera has enough routine inspections to chart in three of the 10 places we cover. Each place counts a different thing, so read each row against its own tall line and never against another row. Part of any gap is the menu: a chain that handles less raw food gives an inspector less to find.
Place by place
The tall line is the local rate for that place. The bar is the range the chain’s real rate probably falls in, and the short tick is the rate we measured. A bar to the left of the line means fewer inspections with a problem than is normal there.
Share of routine inspections that recorded at least one high-priority violation.
Share of routine inspections that recorded at least one critical (red) violation.
Share of routine inspections that marked at least one item out of compliance in the state form's section on foodborne illness risk factors.
Compare Panera with another chain
The other seven places we cover
Too few inspections to chart (under 100): New York City (54), Chicago (48), Austin (35), Seattle and King County (61), Las Vegas and Clark County (49), Louisville (92), Sacramento County (53).
What stands out
Charted in three places, under the local rate in all three. In Florida, 47.0% of 1,115 inspections, next to a local rate of 58.2% range 44.1–49.9%. In New York State, 9.4% of 341 inspections, next to a local rate of 25.1% range 6.7–12.9%.
New York State has fewer inspections. With 341 inspections its range runs from 6.7% to 12.9%, against 44.1% to 49.9% on 1,115 inspections in Florida. The two ranges describe different events and are not to be read against each other; the point is only that one is drawn from far more inspections.
Everywhere else there are too few inspections. 7 other places have some Panera inspections on file, but fewer than the 100 it takes to draw a bar; the closest is Louisville with 92. Those counts are listed above without a bar, because with only a few dozen inspections the range would stretch across most of the chart.
Raleigh and Wake County counts a common finding. 73.6% of 163 inspections, next to a local rate of 83.1% range 66.4–79.8%. The county’s figure is the share of inspections that marked any foodborne illness risk factor out of compliance, which most inspections there do. So a rate that looks high beside the other rows on this page is still under its own local rate, and it is not to be read against them.
Part of the gap is the kind of kitchen. Not every kitchen gives an inspector the same amount to find. New York State’s health department sorts kitchens by how much preparation they do, and names “table-service restaurants, diners and school kitchens which prepare foods” as typical high risk. Every local rate on this page includes those table-service restaurants. So part of any gap between a chain and the local rate is the kind of kitchen it is, before anyone’s management comes into it.
Written September 2026. The figures in it are read from the current records, so they move when the records do.
What this can’t tell you
- Who runs the better kitchen. Chains handle different food. A coffee counter deals with far less raw food than a kitchen that fries chicken, so part of any gap between a chain and the local rate is the menu. The local rate also includes full-service kitchens that do far more cooking than any chain here.
- How the brand does everywhere. These are Panera locations in three places over a few years. The records say nothing about its locations anywhere else.
- Anything about one restaurant. A figure sums up many inspections at many locations. It is not a warning about, or a recommendation of, the one near you.
- Which place is stricter or cleaner. Each place counts a different thing under different rules, so the rows cannot be set against each other.
How we counted
- Sources. Florida: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation; New York State: New York State Department of Health; Raleigh and Wake County: Wake County Environmental Services. Each place’s page says exactly which inspections are counted and why.
- The figure. In each place, the number of the chain’s counted routine inspections that recorded that place’s finding, divided by all of them. The local rate is the same sum over everything in that place’s file.
- The range. A 95% Wilson score interval. Fewer inspections means a wider range. A chain needs 100 counted inspections in a place to be charted there.
- Matching names. Restaurant names are matched to Panera with a published table of name patterns, which also lists every spelling it matched. A location recorded under two chain names is counted for neither. If a match is wrong, write to hello@fastfoodfact.com.
- No combined figure. Nothing on this page adds, averages or orders rates from two places. The only number that spans places is a count of where the chain sits against each local rate.
The full method is on the methodology page.
New York State data: The analyses, interpretations and conclusions drawn from New York State data on this site were reached by FastFoodFact and not by the New York State Department of Health. The department states that this data was not collected for use as a restaurant grading system and does not support or endorse such a use; the figures here describe groups of inspections and are not a grade of any restaurant.
Raleigh and Wake County data: Contains data from Wake County Government's open data portal, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). FastFoodFact grouped the county's inspection records by chain and counted them; the county did not make or review these figures. Wake County states that it shall not be held liable for any errors in these data, and that primary sources must be consulted for verification.
Chicago data: This site provides applications using data that has been modified for use from its original source, www.cityofchicago.org, the official website of the City of Chicago. The City of Chicago makes no claims as to the content, accuracy, timeliness, or completeness of any of the data provided at this site. The data provided at this site is subject to change at any time. It is understood that the data provided at this site is being used at one’s own risk.
Informational only. These are public records, summarized; they are not a safety rating of any restaurant and not professional advice. Last reviewed: September 2026.
Quote or download these figures
You may quote any figure on this page. Please credit FastFoodFact with a link, keep the count and the range with the rate, and don’t set a figure from one place against a figure from another: each place counts a different thing.
FastFoodFact, "Panera on health inspections." Counted from routine inspection records published by: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation; New York State Department of Health; Wake County Environmental Services. Records through October 1, 2026. https://www.fastfoodfact.com/panera
The counts as a file: Florida CSV or JSON; New York State CSV or JSON; Raleigh and Wake County CSV or JSON. Each file covers one place and names its source.
Frequently asked questions
How does Panera do on health inspections?
It depends on the place, and each place counts something different. Panera has enough routine inspections to chart in three of the 10 places this site covers (Florida, New York State and Raleigh and Wake County). Its restaurants came in clearly under the local rate in all three. The figures describe those locations over those years, not the brand everywhere and not any one restaurant.
Can the Panera figures be compared between places?
No. Florida counts inspections that recorded at least one high-priority violation, New York State counts inspections that recorded at least one critical (red) violation and Raleigh and Wake County counts inspections that marked at least one item out of compliance in the state form's section on foodborne illness risk factors. Those are different events under different rules, so a lower number in one place does not mean cleaner restaurants there. The only fair reading is each figure against its own place's local rate.
Where do these figures come from?
From inspection records published by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the New York State Department of Health and the Wake County Environmental Services. We count routine inspections only, match restaurant names to chains with a published table of name patterns, and need 100 inspections in a place before charting a chain there.
Does this say anything about the Panera near me?
No. A figure here sums up many inspections at many locations. For one restaurant's record, look it up with the health department that inspects it; each place page on this site links to its source.
Related tools
How often state inspectors recorded a high-priority violation at each chain's Florida restaurants, against the rate for all restaurants in the state.
Open tool →Fast food chains in New York StateHow often inspectors recorded a critical violation at each chain's restaurants in New York State outside New York City, Suffolk and Erie, against the rate for all food service establishments there.
Open tool →Fast food chains in Raleigh and Wake CountyHow often county inspections marked a foodborne illness risk factor out of compliance at each chain's restaurants in Raleigh and Wake County, against the rate for all restaurants and food stands in the county.
Open tool →