Breaking Down Your Lunch Time Options

Maddie Stone, Avery Falick
Rhythm Editor, Guest Reporter

Whether you’re out shopping and in need of a cool drink or you’re just deciding on where to meet with friends for lunch, it’s hard to decide where to go, especially with so many similar options.
Panera Bread vs.

Panera Bread vs. The Spicy Pickle

When walking into Panera Bread, one immediately picks up on the cozy vibe. Booths tucked away in corners and comfy couches take the place of the conventional chair and table setting.

The restaurant boasts a wide variety of breads, pastries, soups, sandwiches, and coffees, satisfying any appetite at any time of the day. They’re vegetarian-friendly with various veggie options, and eco-friendly as well by putting their soups in a bread bowl upon request. Even a younger sibling or the kid you’re baby-sitting will be happy here—kid-friendly options such as rich, creamy mac ’n’ cheese or PB&J on whole wheat bread will please even the pickiest of eaters.

The cashiers and waiters are friendly and happy to serve. Food typically arrives in ten minutes or less, instantly satisfying one’s hunger. But don’t think that Panera pre-makes their soups and sandwiches and just leaves them waiting around—all orders are hot off the stove and of excellent quality. Panera never messes up your order.

With free wi-fi, comfy seating, and even a microwave to reheat your order, Panera seems to be coaxing you into staying as long as you like. Customers typically do

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The Spicy Pickle, Panera’s main soup-and-sandwich rival, has service that’s just as fast and just as friendly. However, they don’t push the same relaxed feeling that Panera does—the Spicy Pickle is more energetic, with TVs broadcasting sports and Top 40 hits playing throughout the restaurant.

While Spicy Pickle and Panera both have a similar menu, Spicy Pickle only has a medium variety of food to choose from and fewer vegetarian options. There’s only one kid’s meal option: a grilled cheese sandwich.

The two also have a significant difference in nutrition. Panera Bread’s Tomato and Mozzerella on Ciabatta has 770 calories and only 260 calories from fat while the Spicy Pickle’s Italian sandwich has 970 calories and 540 calories from fat.

While both have the same price, averaging about $6 for a sandwich, and excellent quality of food, Panera Bread definitely gives you more for what you pay for.

Jamba Juice vs. Starbucks Vivanno Smoothies

Jamba Juice and Starbucks’ Vivanno Smoothies have the same general concept.

At Jamba Juice, a “Sixteen” (16 fl. oz.) is the smallest size and the equivalent at Starbucks, a “Grande” is the medium size.

Jamba Juice smoothies also have an “Original” size (22 fl. oz.) and a “Power” size (30 fl. oz.). The Vivanno smoothies only come in the 16 fl. oz. “Grande” size.

A Grande Orange Mango Banana Vivanno Smoothie has 250 calories, while a Sixteen Coldbuster (orange and bananas) has 240 calories.

Both varieties are loaded with sugar, as they are both made with pure fruit. The Vivanno Orange Mango Banana has 30 grams of sugar and the Coldbuster has 49 grams of sugar.

The Orange Mango Banana Vivanno Smoothie also has five calories from fat, .5 grams of fat, five milligrams of cholesterol, 140 milligrams of sodium, 48 grams of carbohydrates, 18 grams of protein and 70% of the daily value of Vitamin C.

The Coldbuster has 1.5 grams of fat, 56 grams of carbohydrates, three grams of protein and 90% of the daily value of Vitamin C.

Since the Vivanno Smoothies can be made with either milk, ice, or Naked Juice, they tend to be creamier than Jamba Juice’s milk and ice based smoothies. The Jamba Juice variety are slushier than the Vivanno Smoothies.

Both smoothies are around $5 in cost.

Though in the end the product is pretty similar, the actual stores are very different. Starbucks is more readily available around the country, with 7,087 company operated stores in all 50 states, plus the District of Colombia. Jamba Juice only has 736 stores nationwide.

Jamba Juice has a much more upbeat energy to its stores than Starbucks’ stores. The employees are friendly and the service is very fast.

Starbucks has more of a lounge-y, relaxed feel than Jamba Juice. The service and friendly factor varies per store. Some stores are busier and, therefore, slower than others. Busy stores generally lead to stressed employees who don’t care about being friendly, they just care about moving customers in and out the door.

So whether you need your smoothie as soon as possible or you’re looking for cozy place to chill and eat for a couple of hours, any of these four options should satisfy your hungry tummy.