Update: 01.18.06 I stand corrected. Crispers now offers wifi at select locations.
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I don't eat at Crispers anymore. If there is a Panera Bread nearby I will always choose Panera. Why? Free wifi.
I used to be a huge fan of Crispers. Publix is a minority shareholder in Crispers, and I always support Publix, but they're losing my business.
A few years ago when I worked in Lakeland, FL, you could always catch me in a Crispers a few times a week. Now that Panera has a location in Lakeland, I will go there instead. In fact, when I travel I will look-up Panera locations in my destination city since I know I will be able to get online there.
In my travels I talk to many people that share the same opinion, they seek out Panera Bread. Are we a large demographic? I don't think so. But we have what they call the 'veto vote'. The 'veto vote' is often talked about with vegetarians. If a group of four is determining where to eat lunch, the vegetarian will always veto any location that does not offer a veggie option. The same goes with the wifi-seekers. We suggest locations we know that we can get online.
Often I am not dining alone. I have business lunches at Panera. On Thursday somebody who I do not see as a huge 'techie' said, "I love Panera because I can open my laptop and show people some of the things we are doing via the Internet."
I really would love to be able to go back to Crispers. Crispers' product is very similar if not the same as Panera's, so free wifi is the deal breaker.
Crispers are you listening? What's the cost of adding wifi to your locations? If you do add free wifi I know that my patronage alone at few of my local locations would be enough to cover the cost. What's the downside?
P.S. I wrote this post at Panera Bread :-)
Visitor Comments
ive been working at the downtown lakeland store for 3 years...its depressing how much we've changed and got rid of some of the best stuff we had.
Posted by: murray | February 17, 2006 10:52 PM
doggy steps Buy cheap doggy steps as seen on TV
Posted by: doggy steps | March 25, 2006 1:52 AM
All Crispers locations have FREE WIFI connection so come on back and enjoy.
Posted by: Gordon | May 3, 2006 3:26 PM
Not all of them.....the newer stores have it, but the olds ones are slowly being converted over.
Posted by: Josh Hallett | May 3, 2006 3:29 PM
We quit eating at crisper a while back because we would order food for the entire office 10 + people and they would almost always screw up the order. We got so tired of it we just quit ordering entirly. I actually have place a order for pick up for as dinner party tonight and if they screw this up I am writing them off my list forever.
Robert
Merritt Island Florida
Posted by: wasilladog | June 15, 2006 4:35 PM
HEY YOU SHOULD TRY A NEW CONCEPT FROM THE COMPANY THAT BROUGHT MOES SOUTHWEST GRILL
ITS CALLED DOC GREENS ONLY 2 LOCATIONS SO FAR IN FLORIDA BUT THEY ARE POPPING UP ALL OVER THE STATE.
SALADS AND SANDWICHES PREPARED RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!!!! NOTHING PREMADE OR PREPACKAGED. FREE WIFI THE PLACE HAS EVERYTHING FOR SOMEONE!
GIVE IT A TRY www.docgreens.com
Posted by: Mario | June 27, 2006 8:13 AM
Josh, I just listened to your seminar at Manero's and wanted to let you know it was AWESOME!! Keep up the great work!!
Posted by: Sarah Hyland | September 19, 2006 2:28 PM
I have cut back on going to Crispers, along with many frinds and colleagues, because of the change in the salad portion size. The pricing and the titles of the salads are the same but the portions have decreased quite a bit. The new containers with the flat tops do not allow for the same larger servings that used to come in the rounded top salad packaging. On October 10th at a Winter Park, Florida store (Hwy.436) I got a lot of items for a business take out. All of the salads had the new flat top packing. All of the people being served that evening were extremely disappointed in the less than usual portion sizes for the salads. Perhaps it was a mixture of the preparer not putting much in the serving plus the the packaging. You can't put as much in a flat top bowl as a rounded top bowl, period. All of the people agreed that they have never been disappointed in Crispers until now with the new salad packaging and less than usual serving sizes. Our business is now going elsewhere.
Posted by: Jim Hanson | October 16, 2006 12:19 PM
guys crispers has lowered the sizes of the salads by 1 ounce of lettuce and cut our labor hours dramatically it seems they dont care for customers or employees anymore only making a larger profit
Posted by: sadly i work for crispers | October 30, 2006 7:21 AM
It isn't that the Panera Wi-Fi at Waterford Lakes wasn't working, it is that they don't have Wi-Fi at that store. If you search the Panera site for locations by Wi-Fi, you will find that only a fraction of the stores actually offer it. There are 4 Paneras close to me that don't have it... I'd have to go to the 5th closest store to get it.
Posted by: Jay | June 27, 2007 9:04 AM
I have stopped eating at Crispers because they removed the baked potatoe from their menu. Now I have found that they take advantage of their staff and work them just under full time so they don't have to pay benefits. Promise raises they don't fulfill and pay older employees just entering the company more than they will pay a young girl that has worked there for 2 years. Our youth today just don't get any breaks no matter how hard they work.
Posted by: Karen | January 25, 2008 2:35 PM