Panera Bread, located at Dartmouth Mall is partially wheelchair accessible. Handicap parking spaces are easy to find for many are located in the front row of the mall parking lot. The entry door is not automatic so my friends held the door open for me. The door is plenty wide enough to fit my chair.
The counter where you order your food is of a perfect height for me in my wheelchair and I had no problem paying the cashier for my lunch. The counter where you pick up your food is too high for me to reach. The employees were kind, courteous and friendly.
I found the tables to be a perfect height for my wheelchair. This Panera Bread also has sitting area with a nice fireplace that one can sit by to relax and use the wireless internet service if you have a lap top computer. Desks are in this sitting area as well and all are a perfect height for me in my wheelchair.
Tony and I went to see if the restroom is wheelchair accessible. We found that the hall leading to the restroom is very narrow which made it difficult for me to turn my wheelchair into the restroom, so Tony my friend wheeled my chair in backwards so I could make the turn. Once inside I found the restroom to be fully wheelchair accessible with plenty of space to maneuver my chair around. It has a large handicap stall with all the ADA required safety grab bars located at a perfect height on the wall. The accessible sink is a perfect height for my wheelchair and I could reach the soap and towel dispenser easily from my chair and the pipes under the sink are covered as is now ADA required.
I give Panera Bread THREE STARS for wheelchair accessibility. They can earn the other Two Stars if they install automatic entry doors, lower a section of the counter where you pick up your food and widen the hall that leads to the restroom. All the Panera Bread café that I’ve visited have high counters where you pick up your food that are not wheelchair accessible.