[IN>IL]

I am sitting in Panera this afternoon because Comcast has not hooked up my internet yet.

I tried to pull up gunbroker.com and it was blocked by a filter. Glock was blocked. Smith and Wesson was blocked. www.galleryofguns.com was blocked.

I spoke with the manager to see if I could get around the filter, being that I work in law enforcement and have "legitimate business" on those sites, but to no avail. She said that she would not allow "GUNS" in the store if state law allowed her to ban them. She said, "the only reason someone would bring a gun into Panera is if they were robbing us and we don't want that."

I then patted Glock 23 that was silently sitting under my shirt and told her that I will never come back to this store again! In addition, I pointed out that I had been in her store for an hour and I had somehow held back the urge to rob the place, which is probably the case with most people who carry concealed. She said, "I don't know of anyone who carries a gun here!" I said, "That's the point of a concealed weapon... you just never know!"


I started to walke out and told her that I am posting this on all of the firearms sites I can find!

[Oleg Volk]

No one objected to open carry in Nashville.

[El Tejon]

No one objects to open carry in West Lafayette, Indiana Panera either.:uhoh:

Which store? Wait, are you in Bloomington?!?!:what:

Now I understand.:D

[Leanwolf]

"I am sitting in Panera this afternoon ... "

So what is "Panera??"

L.W.

[Kacerdias]

I routinely carry concealed at my local New Hampshire Panera with no trouble at all. The internet portion is filtered using 8e6 boxes and block all sorts of other things too. By default they'll block anything with "sex" in the URL. "Knives" are also blocked. It's a corporate CYA thing, not just against guns.

Want to get around it? If your system at home has dynamic DNS and remote desktop enabled, you can log in using terminal services and browse anything you want through that tunnel. Or, use an HTTP proxy service to bypass the filter.

I wouldn't worry so much about it. Just keep that Glock (or whatever) tucked away. You can open carry in some states (like NH) but don't be surprised when you get some odd stares. Sad, but true.

[Erinyes]

Panera Bread. It's a soup and sandwich type chain restaurant/cafe.

[MilsurpShooter]

Never heard of them but if I ever find one they won't get my buisiness

[Leanwolf]

ERINYES - "Panera Bread. It's a soup and sandwich type chain restaurant/cafe."

Thanks, Erinyes. Never heard of 'em. Is the soup any good??? :)


L.W.

[vis-à-vis]

Hmm. I usually meet a fellow at Panera on Thursday's to discuss the works of St. Augustin. I will have to open carry next time I go and find out.

LeanWolf: The soup is tasty and they even make a mean bagel

[Ohio Rifleman]

So what is "Panera??"

Panera is a restaurant/bakery. You can get sandwiches and bread and other things like that there. I've actually been there once, when a teacher gave out gift cards to the place. Seemed nice to me. Maybe it was just that one place that was anti-gun?

[El Tejon]

Usually have good salads=>http://www.panerabread.com/

[.cheese.]

IN>IL isn't alone. I have heard of many Panera shops banning Glocktalk and other gun related sites. I've even heard the local Panera does, but I have yet to verify that myself as I don't use wifi connections I am not 100% sure I can trust.

[PILMAN]

Damn and I thought Panera Bread had good food too, looks like i'm no longer going there. I'll make my own damn sammich.

[KINGMAX]

PANERA = LIBERALS = packed full of them

[El Tejon]

. . . and hot chicks.:D

[Technosavant]

Around here, Panera Bread = St. Louis Bread Company, and their bagels are the bomb. In a good way.

They do NOT post their stores off limits to CCW (as is allowed under MO law).
I can't vouch for the web filtering, but it is not unusual for standard web filtering software to come out of the box with weapons-related sites blocked, just as porn sites are. Unless the defaults are overridden, most gun sites (esp. manufacturers) will be blocked. Take that one up with the filtering software company.

In addition, many Paneras are franchised. This means that Panera corporate might well not have anything to do with that local shop (could even just be an anti manager).

[jpk1md]

Panera is the Starbucks of Bread/Soup places...

[fletcher]

"the only reason someone would bring a gun into Panera is if they were robbing us and we don't want that."


I *KNEW* I forgot something on the way out...



That aside, I never saw a sign posted on the ones around here. Is it the local manager/owner that has this issue, or is this a chain thing?


PANERA = LIBERALS = packed full of them

I will agree with that from what I have seen in Cary.

[Johannes_Paulsen]

If you had to pay for the WiFi access, I suggest disputing this through your credit card when the statement arrives. Do it within 30 days of the statement date.

[springmom]

Deltacharlie, somehow I expect a visit from Art's grammaw...

I don't think the fact that you couldn't access Gunbroker means that Panera is anti; this is a very common filtering on public computers. Try looking up sex related topics. Heck, try looking up "breast cancer"...you won't be able to do that either, but it doesn't mean they're anti-mammogram :neener:

The clerk, on the other hand, was a real anti. You might drop a note to corporate about her attitude, as I doubt they really want you boycotting their store.

Springmom

[Deanimator]

Right after Columbine, a friend and I stop at Starbucks on the way back from the range or a gunshow.

The slacker behind the counter says (of my NRA cap), "Boy it must take guts to wear that hat these days!"

I replied, "Who's going to make me take it off?"

[JohnL2]

That girls logic, or lack thereof, is just astounding. Astounding I tell you.
We all know criminals are terrified of store policies.:rolleyes:

I must be one of the few human beings on earth who has never been in a Starbucks yet. I refuse to spend 4 or 5 dollars on a cup of coffee. I don't care what fancy name you give it.

[Black92LX]

Panera is not good if you are hungry either?

Spend $10 on soup and sandwhich leave hungry:cuss:

[jester5167]

Blocking gun sites is sadly not that uncommon on free wi-fi hot spots. However the coverstation that you had with the manager may be something that you want to right to the head offices about. If this is the policy of the chain that I will boycott them as well, however if this is the feeling of one manager hopefully she will be corrected by her boss on our rights.

[SIRVEYR666]

Yeah, I hate Panera too. They just aren't the same since Dimebag passed on. That whole Damage Plan and Down thing was awful sounding stuff. I quit listening to them after The Great Southern Trend Kill. Cowboy's From Hell and Vulgar Display of Power are my favorite albums...


Hey...wait a minute...you said Panera...I thought we were talking about Pantera (http://www.officialpantera.com/)!:p

[Big Calhoun]

Call me slow, but I'm still trying to correlate how blocking 'guns' from the internet affects someone physically bringing a weapon to the store. :confused: Is there some new technology I'm not a aware of? Can you now download a gun torrent and a gun magicly appears in your optical drive bay, loaded and ready to go?

[IN>IL]

I will add that this was at the Panera in Valparaiso, Indiana. I am sure it is not corporate policy be as dumb as this manager was ;) I wrote to corporate and I am waiting for their reply. I will be sure to post it on here first thing!

[Tin Gizel]

I can't say that I frown on Panera for blocking Gun Sites. The Panera's around me all offer free WiFi....they pay for it and thus I believe they have the right to filter out whatever they deem offensive.

I wouldn't want to sit down there to eat and watch some guy next to me downloading from GayMulletPorn dot com......

However, her attitude about someone bringing in a gun is rediculous. If they were to become an official 'gun free' zone then i'd be outta there pronto and never return.

Maybe i'll have to open carry into a few of my local panera's and see what the reaction is.

[Gus Dddysgrl]

I love Panera's food. My girlfriends and I hang out there each week with their kids. It's kinda like a mom's or moms-to-be group. I carry to protect all of them (and myself), but none of them know it. They are all quite naive and may be afraid of guns especially with all their small babies crawling around. I don't usually get online there since we're all talking and stuff. I'll continue to go to be with my girls.

I do love their bread though.

Gus

[Dorryn]

Ive concealed carried in Panera before... lol

[FXWG]

I must be one of the few human beings on earth who has never been in a Starbucks yet.
Nope... at the ripe old age of 47, I have drank exactly 1 cup of coffee in my life. And it made a repeat performance 15 minutes later.

[Bazooka Joe71]

Yeah, I hate Panera too. They just aren't the same since Dimebag passed on.

Haha, that actually took me about 2 seconds to realize what you were talking about.:D

Guess I'm a little slow today.

[Titan6]

Their motto is a ''A loaf in every arm'' not ''A arm in every loaf''.

[HUMONGO]

We used to go to Panera all the time to watch the hot chicks. Then they dropped the Cuban Sandwich off the menu and replaced it with an Avacado Panini.

'Nuff said.

[Deanimator]

We used to go to Panera all the time to watch the hot chicks. Then they dropped the Cuban Sandwich off the menu and replaced it with an Avacado Panini.
What a coincidence! That's why I stopped going as well, although I'm not sure what they replaced the Cuban sandwich with here.

[Seancass]

. . . and hot chicks.

hmmm, i might have to stop in there more often. too bad a piece of bread and 1 slice of meat adds up to $6.

[Speer]

She said that she would not allow "GUNS" in the store if state law allowed her to ban them

Yeah, cuz, like, once the bad guy, like, notices the gun ban, he won't bother robbing you. Yeah.

[jetman]

The Panera Breads in the Columbus, OH area don't seem to be so anti-gun. I've surfed AR15.com and a couple other gun sites on their wi-fi service. I've carried several times in there and have not seen any "No Weapons signs" I've seen at other places.

[bogie]

Okay... Looks like we've got a few blazing geniuses here...

Whoopee. You carried someplace.

That's not the point.

The point is, a counter monkey, with delusions of managerial skills, appears to have made an actual decision based upon her emotions. Sounds like it was in one store - otherwise they'd have the Big Ugly Signs up all over St. Louis...

So, what are WE going to do about it? Other than a bunch of "Well, I carried..." and "I don't like their food, so I'll never eat there..." and all that crap?

IN, what's their address info? Post it. We need their corp PR folks, and their headquarters e-mail.

They need to get more than ONE note... They need to get a LOT of notes, asking...

"A law enforcement friend of mine in Valparaiso (or however you spell it...), told me that your stores were now prohibiting all concealed weapons carry, including that by police and holders of legitimate permits. Is this true? I'd really like to keep patronizing your stores, but I'm not able to leave my weapon in the car when I'm having lunch."

Object is to (a) determine if this is corp policy; and (b) to bring down a world of grief on the countermonkey...

[Geno]

As I sat in a community center, waiting for my daughter to end her art class, I worked on the internet. Many of the sites were blocked. I found that If I reloaded enough times, or fast-enough (I don't know which combination it was) I was able to get past the block. :evil:

[Stevie-Ray]

Well, I for one will wait til I see a response from HQ. I've always carried there and there are no signs in MI. Can't comment on the wi-fi crap because I don't have a laptop and probably won't get one. I've worn several NRA shirts and jackets and have never received even a questioning eye. Nothing but good service and great food. Oh, and:

Spend $10 on soup and sandwhich leave hungryI've NEVER left there hungry, and even though I usually get one of their large IC Mochas along with our meal, our bill is generally less than $20. I don't consider that bad.

[txgho1911]

I am glad you identified the NW location info as there are tons of people in Indiana who lawfully carry who might be quite perturbed.

[Zundfolge]

gunbroker.com = 66.150.49.152


just ping a web address and you'll get the IP address and usually that'll go around whatever stupid blocking they have

[esmith]

Mostly liberals work and eat there, so i wouldn't be suprised if they were anti gun.

[bogie]

It's not about "how to get around blocking software."

It's not about people in your particular locale.

It's not about your compressed definition of someone else's politics.

And it isn't about your personal dress code.

Sheesh.

[Hardtarget]

Here in mid. Tenn. I've been to the Panera in Rivergate mall area. :D Concealed is concealed. What they didn't know....

Mark.

[skinnyguy]

She said that she would not allow "GUNS" in the store if state law allowed her to ban them Well, I'd only be carrying one anyway, I guess I'm ok with that, but anybody who has a BUG with them may want to leave that in the car.

[10 Ring Tao]

As was said, its a corporate thing. They use third party software to filter their results, and that third party has all their settings set to 'Ultra PC Pantywaist'.

[bogie]

Okay... We now have the definition of "concealed," and someone else getting pedantic about plurals. Still another dislikes possibly poofty programming.

And it seems that nobody has noticed an opportunity to feel out the corp, and maybe get the "manager" a little more noticed by the boss-types than normal... Can you imagine the conversation? "Er... Ethel... We _want_ those people as customers."

But no... You guys wanna play with definitions, and the whole "mine is more concealed than yours is" game...

Sheesh. Gun people are freakin' useless politically.

USELESS.

Yes. I'm irritated. We've got bitching. We've got posturing. What we don't have is any sort of productive activity around the area.

[Bunkerbuster]

My experience is different. Panera is now my hangout place. I changed it from Starbucks. I typically hang out at 4 different Panera bread in Colorado, and all great experience.

It is really amazing place. I once went to Panera with my sister when she got into an car accident. Manager came upto us and told her to to pick a pastery of her choice on the house!

Once, other Panera bread employee and manager keep giving me free coffee after seeing me with Starbucks coffee cup once outside the widow. haha

Yes, they do block gun related forums, but I think THR does work at Panera.

:)

[Cosmoline]

What's Panera?

[TheDisturbed1]

Yeah, I hate Panera too. They just aren't the same since Dimebag passed on. That whole Damage Plan and Down thing was awful sounding stuff. I quit listening to them after The Great Southern Trend Kill. Cowboy's From Hell and Vulgar Display of Power are my favorite albums...


Hey...wait a minute...you said Panera...I thought we were talking about Pantera!
hahaha i thought they mis-spelled Pantera at first... It kinda confused me until I knew that Panera was a bread/soup shop. Confusing lol

[FieroCDSP]

OP: You should have said "well, it's lucky that you have me and my Glock to protect you from someone interested in robbing the place." Or something to that effect. Promote the cause. (I know it's never easy to think of something pithy in the moment.)

[zoom6zoom]

THR does seem to fly beneath the radar. My corporate firewall blocks any "weapons" related sites and THR gets right through. The Paneras I have been to locally have no problem with open carry.

[Stevie-Ray]

Yes. I'm irritated. We've got bitching. We've got posturing. What we don't have is any sort of productive activity around the area.For cryin out loud, take a chill pill already! What you suggest is up to the original poster. Not a bunch of "my cousin's brother-in-law's friend's uncle know's somebody that heard on the internet that you are not gun-friendly" calls and or letters.
Everybody seems to be posting their own experiences because most, evidently, don't seem to see a problem at their respective outlets. If you don't like the responses, there's nothing that says you have to read this thread.

Geez, who peed in your oatmeal?

[kellyj00]

ok, why would any self respecting man go into a Panera bread anyway?
Seriously... all they've got is soup and girly overpriced sandwiches.

Unless, of course, you're going in to meet women.... all of them 35ish with children. All power to you, Lord knows I don't want them.

[budney]

Yes. I'm irritated. We've got bitching. We've got posturing. What we don't have is any sort of productive activity around the area.

How many high-roaders are there in the vicinity of that particular Panera? Perhaps it's time for an "Official Open-Carry Panera Coffee Talk."

--Len.

[Cheeseybacon]

PANERA = LIBERALS = packed full of them

Hehe, that's EXACTLY what I thought before I even read the first paragraph of this thread. It's so true. I don't know anything about the people at my local Panera, but immediately upon entering, my "liberal-dar" goes off. :p

Anywho, contrary to popular belief, it IS possible to get a filling meal at Panera. The secret is to avoid the sandwiches completely. What you have to get is soup in a bread bowl with a side of bread/baugette/whatever they call it. If you do it right, and are dilligent about generously dunking each piece of bread into the soup, you can actually consume every drop of soup without ever touching a spoon. There is no denying that it is an extremely, almost uncomfortably bready way to go, but if you're stuck in Panera and you're absolutely hungry beyond belief, it's the best option available. The soup + bread bowl + side of bread will definitely satisfy a grumbling gut. I recommend the broccoli and cheddar.

[exar]

I will visit my local Panera here in Evansville over the weekend and carry. I will report back with the results.

[jerkyman45]

Well then I guess it karma that their stock took an 8 point hit the other day.

[10 Ring Tao]

Indeed. Soup in bread bowl is the only thing I ever get there.

I wish I lived in an open carry friendly state, where we could put together a highly visible but quiet protest.

[bogie]

Uh... Would they even know what you were protesting about?

1) We need to determine, for sure, if this is a single store decision. At any rate, it'd be a good chance to fire a few hundred pithy notes at the corp's upper management.

2) If it is a corp policy, we need to hit them hard, from across a BUNCH of gun boards.

3) If it isn't a corp policy, we need to have that sign come down.

Now, all that stuff is constructive activity.

What isn't constructive is a buncha folks saying that they don't like the food (doesn't matter), that they carry concealed, so nobody should know anyway (also doesn't matter), and that they know how to get around an internet blocker (really doesn't matter).

[ECVMSparky]

Funny, when i saw this thread, i mistook it as "PANTERA" is not gun friendly.
I thought, "hmmmm, coulda fooled me from their music" :-)

Just lost my business.................

[collateral]

the panera in toledo doesnt block any gun sites that I know of. Ive been there and gotten online via my PSP serveral times.

The tim hortons right by my house doesnt either, and IMO, their food and drinks trump panera's any day haha.

[Slinger]

Usually have good salads

What's that?

Went there with the wife last week for lunch. I was the only male under 60 who wasn't wearing a tie and playing on a laptop. Sixteen dollars for 2 chicken sandwiches! Yikes! No Maxwell Street Polish on the menu? Girlie food!(No offense girls)

No one even noticed my S&W under my White Sox shirt. Din't ask if they cared either.

[ECVMSparky]

( By Collateral)the panera in toledo .......

Been there, i used to live in Monroe, shoot at Monroe rifle and pistol......

[scurtis_34471]

I happen to like Panera. The grilled focaccia sandwiches are excellent with a caesar side salad or a small bowl of french onion soup. Their coffee isn't bad either. Its a good place to kick back with a light meal, some good coffee and a book or a laptop.

[mrmeval]

I go there often to get their single serv bacon and egg soufflé in the morning. I don't like their brewed coffee but love their espresso. I've never had any problem there except when there is a huge line.

Most free WiFi places put those filters in as they never know who will be using it and they don't want pervs or kids going places that would cause the business grief.

If you have always on internet at home you can use VPN software that can bore through most filtering and firewalling, runs an encrypted link home and lets you serf where ever you care to in total privacy.

http://compnetworking.about.com/od/vpn/tp/vpnsoftwarefree.htm

This one is free and works very well.
http://openvpn.net/

[tasco 74]

been past the panera restuant many times.... i'm just not gay enough to go in:D........................................

[Don Gwinn]

Panera makes delicious stuff--the Frontega Chicken sandwich is awesome. Their bagels are mighty.

I don't think they realize that I carry a pistol in there, especially since most people in Illinois don't realize it can be done legally. I know they weren't blocking THR or TFL last time I took the laptop in.

[Stevie-Ray]

Panera makes delicious stuff--the Frontega Chicken sandwich is awesome.Copy that! Or, a you-pick-two of Frontega Chicken and a bowl of Broccoli Cheese or French Onion with a french baguette on the side.:D

[stevemis]

I've carried concealed in several Panera Bread locations here in Raleigh. They don't serve alcohol, and I've never seen a no concealed weapons sign.

I will say the prices are outrageous, and the food isn't really that good... but if you need a quickie cup of coffee and internet, it works.

For what it's worth, I've worked with those 8e6 content filters before. They do have the ability to enable and disable filter categories, so either the manager was misinformed or didn't want to bother, or both.

The content filter itself is passive, which is pretty cool: If the 8e6 fails, the network would be unprotected content-wise, but it would still work. So.. if someone happened to .. uh... trip on a power cord.... well.. you know.

Of course, standard workarounds apply... encrypted tunnel/VPN or VNC (realvnc.com) back to your machine at home and use that remotely. It gets you the content you want, and keeps nosy people sniffing the wireless from seeing what you're doing.

Steve

[modifiedbrowning]

Bogie, while I understand what you are saying and agree fully, you really need to work on your delivery. Insulting people is not the way to get people to do something.
I am a very sarcastic person myself, but as seen by the lack of responses to your posts it is probably not the best way to go in this situation.

[sonofodin]

I lived right up the road from the club Dimebag was shot at. Down's first CD, Nola, was one of my absolute favorite Sludge Metal cd's. I gave my only copy to my ex fiancee in high school. On a side note, used to steal gf's laptop in college and show all my friends the guns n knives I owned via manufacturers website. No filter kicks ass.

[MattB000]

The service sucks, that is reason enough to not bother.

[damien]

Use a proxy.

If you have a server somewhere on the Internet, Remote Desktop to that server and then use the browser on the server to get wherever you want to go.

That is how I get here when at work. Wouldn't want the sheeple to know where I am browsing...

[Caimlas]

Each establishment will obviously have different policies which are enforced based on the people at the store.

That said, I won't patronize a chain which has an openly hostile stance against firearms, if I know about it. I just can't bring myself to do it. If the corporation gains financially by my patronage, and they actively discriminate against select civil liberties or "hot" topics, I won't be going in there.

Think of it this way: the corporation gains nothing by preventing access to anything, possibly with the exception of things like child porn. The only thing they will do is alienate people who want access to that material; people trying to access illegal material will say "oh well" and try elsewhere. It's basically a conscious "f*ck you" to people with those interests, whether legit or not. They offer "free" wifi to their customers, so they shouldn't discriminate. (Are they going to ban every jihadist web site? How about file sharing networks and sites like torrentspy.com? How about google.com, which assists people finding illegal, illicit, and otherwise "disagreeable" material?)

People find this behavior abhorrent from governments. It is. It should be equally abhorent from a "free agent" like a corporation which gains little to nothing by supporting such things. Unlike the government you live under, however, you've got much more choice in which companies you patronize. Keep that in mind...

[Zen21Tao]

I see some posts calling this a "corporate policy" but do we know if this particular location was an actual corporate owned store as opposed to a franchise location? If this is a franchise, then I can't see blaming the corporation for the policies of a private owner. For those unfamiliar with franchises, a private franchisee is basically a private restaurant owner that basically pays the corporate headquarters to use their name and distribution channel. However, the franchise owner owner sets his or her own policies. If this was a corporate location, then I for one would boycott the chain.

[Autolycus]

So how does anyone know it is filled with Liberals? I used to work there and we had a lot of conservative people in my opinion.

I guess I would have to start with the question, what does a liberal look like?

[IN>IL]

Well, Tecumseh, going with the logic in this thread, if you want to know what a libreal looks like, all you need to do is look in the mirror because you worked at Panera!

[seeker_two]

After looking at the menu at the Panera in Waco......I'll just stick with Quizno's, thanks....

Quizno's actually puts MEAT (and lots of it) on their sandwiches.... :D

[Trip20]

To further irritate bogie I'll offer this for discussion:

There are no Paneras in my area. :)

[El Tejon]

I wore two guns openly into a Panera this morning, a 1911 and my Kahr P9 bug. No one even looked at me, which is a shame because even though it was early the place was filled with cute girls.:cool:

[HeavyDuty]

Quizno's actually puts MEAT (and lots of it) on their sandwiches....

... after they run it through the dishwasher. Yuck.

I'm not trying to justify Panera blocking web access to gun related sites, but (if it is a corporate decision) I'll bet it's more of an attempt to restrict underage people, not censorship.

Besides, Panera is a *major* MILF-fest!

[Im283]

no way will i ever go to Panera, seeker knocked them stating a preference for Quizno's. Now quizno's tastes alright but I ain't paying ten bucks for lunch anywhere, liberals or conservatives aside.

And anyway, what does a liberal look like? what does a conservative look like?
What does a CCWer look like? I am soo confused now.

the heck with it I am sticking with a dollar menu and eating in the car.