My Panera Office

Archive for the ‘Resturant Office’ Category

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The Hidden Costs of Business Telecommunications

By Sylvia Rosen

 Believe it or not, your business telecommunications infrastructure can come with a lot of hidden costs. Since these are “hidden” costs, it’s unlikely that you budgeted or expected them when you first set up your system.There are two big sources of hidden costs: telecom contracts and mobile phones. However, if you are aware of these hidden costs, you will be able to take the necessary steps to eliminate them.Here’s how: 

Telecom Contracts 

By really evaluating your telecom contract and streamlining equipment, such as your small business phone system, you can eliminate hidden costs. A hidden cost isn’t necessarily a fee that your vendor is trying to sneak in there; often it includes costs such as post-installation charges. 

Furthermore, not only should you review your telecom contract so that you know what you are paying for, but you should also review it to make sure you are paying for what you actually need. In 1997, telecom billing overcharges were over 80%. And guess what? In 2010, billing overcharges were still close to 80%. Companies have been overpaying on their telecommunication costs for the past 14 years. 

Here are two steps to take to avoid overpaying:

• Figure out how many phone lines and what features your business will need BEFORE you begin to shop.
• Ask other businesses how much they paid for and what vendors they went with.

You can easily get rid of hidden costs by being prepared when it comes to setting up your telecommunications infrastructure. 

Mobile Phones

 The rise of mobile phones in the workplace can lead to a lot of hidden costs. The two biggest sources of hidden costs in mobile phones include: apps and data overage. Apps may be free or inexpensive to purchase, however, it’s their use that can eat up data plans. For example, most cell phone carriers charge by the megabyte. AT&T charges about $2 per megabyte over the maximum. 

To put that into perspective, using an app for one minute is three megabytes – or an additional $6 per minute. In addition, what costs even more money is when you don’t even have a data plan set up; this can lead to a lot of surprising charges. The best way to avoid these costs is to include a data plan in the mobile plan that you provide your employees – and let them know about it!

 Hidden telecommunication costs can negatively impact your small business. If you don’t take the time to look for them and get rid of them, then you’re just wasting money. Spend your money on the right telecom setup for your business but don’t waste your money on telecom equipment that you don’t actually need.

About the author: Sylvia is an online writer who connects with business professionals to write articles on a variety of telecom products, including office phone systems.

There have been cases when our mobile phone internet applications have left us stranded when we need it the most. At these times it is Wi-Fi and free networking zones which have helped us through and to help our brains to cool off and release the tension. A hot coffee has worked wonders and bread from one of my favourite places, Panera Bread does the rest of the job. Panera Bread has made it so convenient for people to enjoy a hot cup of coffee and work or network with free wifi service.

Morning is one of the best time of the day for any person to enjoy coffee and soft, amazing tasting bread at Panera Bread while finishing all your work in a jiffy without paying anything for the wifi service. It just makes the day for anyone. A cup of coffee helps to get rid of all the mental stress you might be going through at times and having it at Panera Bread in that amazing environment which just to your liking, not loud and absolutely soothing along with the best bread available makes you forget all the tension you were going through just some time ago when your office network suddenly crashed.

Panera Bread has been serving great bread and coffee to thousands of people everyday for a long time. It has now made its mark a permanent one in the minds of people with the introduction free wifi service to help people not miss any of their work or any fun even when they are at Panera Bread.

Panera Bread has not only set standards in bread making and coffee but also its service but now it has spread to new limits with mixing of free networking zones for people. It has set a benchmark in add-on services at bread and coffee houses for others to follow.

Many of us use Panera Bread as our office on a regular basis, enjoying the sweet smell of fresh pastry and some of the best bottomless cup coffee around.  For residents of Oshtemo Township, Kalamazoo, Michigan Monday, Panera Bread was serving as office for business people and library for school children.  Due to the wifi connection being up and running at the West Main Street Panera Bread, every table was full with students and professionals glaring at their laptops.  Click here to catch the full story.

Sure, Starbucks has it brand deeply embedded in its coffee.  But, is it really all that much better than Panera’s coffee?  Not to me it isn’t.

One of the great things about officing at Panera Bread instead of Starbucks is I get free refills of coffee in a nice mug the entire time I am there, whether to just brouse the web for 15 minutes or meet with clients and do some bookwork for a few hours.  I pay for one cup and drink all I want.

Starbucks announced today that it is offering an even larger coffee than the their Venti.  The Trenta, as the new tall coffee will be called, will is 31 ounces and will sell for 50 cents more than the Venti.  And, still no free refill.

Ambiance, wifi, and free refill, top notch coffee, not to mention the great pastries, Panera Bread will still ranks number one for  the venue of my restaurant office.

3 Articles that Can help you with a Kitchen Office

Some of us office at Panera because we do not have space at home. Yet, we do have worked to do at home. Here is an article that can help you organize some office space in your kitchen.

• How To Create Functional Office Space in the Kitchen, from Curbly.
• How To Create a Kitchen Office, from Ron Hazelton’s HouseCalls
• Space Saving Hints to Create an Efficient Kitchen Office, from Building Materials 365

Enjoy your office away from the office with a joke about Panera Bread. Or, is it a joke, or is it social commentary?

Enjoy your Panera office away from the office or office away from home, and know that some of the profits of your purchases go to offering the same Panera breads to those who cannot afford them.

The Panera Bread Foundation opened its second non-profit community cafe — called Panera Cares — on November 22nd in Dearborn, MI.  Panera has plans to open another in Portland, OR, in early 2011.   The first was openned in Clayton, MO in May.

From PBT Consulting: Customers who stopped in for their morning coffee and brioche Monday at the Panera Bread eatery in Dearborn got a surprise: a menu board that no longer has prices but “suggested donations.”

From Dearborn Free Press Dearborn, a Detroit suburb, was selected as the location of the second Panera Cares Cafe based on a diverse population of individuals who can sustain the cafe as well as individuals who may need a hand up.

Well I guess it is alright to celebrate the staff at Panera being at the office. After all, without them being in the office, we could not be setting in our office and being served by them.

So, hats off to the Panera Bread personnel at our favorite restaurant office.

This panera in South Bend, IN won an office of the day contest.

Panera Bread Restaurants opens its first franchise in Brooklyn soon.  Our favorite officing restaurant,  Panera, is right around the corner to most of us.  There are 1,400 Panera Bread Restaurants located in 40 states, yet its 345 Adams Street location will be the first in Brooklyn.  We will soon be reading tweets from that borough.  Believe it or not, there is no Panera Bread Restaurant in Manhattan.  Ouch! Where do people office?

Welcome Panera Bread Brooklyn.  That kind of purses out the lips doesn’t?

Click here to read the entire story of the the Panera Brooklyn opening.

Panera Ranks Number 1

Health.com lists Panera number one among America’s Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants. The food at our favorite place to office is appreciated by top health experts.

Health.com say they “scored the chains on such factors as the use of healthy fats and preparations, healthy sodium counts in entrees, availability of nutritional information, and the use of organic produce to determine the 10 highest-ranking restaurants.”

To read the entire article click here.