Panera Bread Ethnographic Analysis Paper

I first dined at a Panera Bread over five years ago. Prior to buying my first chocolate chip cookie from Panera Bread, I viewed this store as a foreign restaurant in which middle-class Caucasians would eat at in order to feel wealthier and socially more important. Since my first encounter with this restaurant chain, I have had many eating experiences at Panera Bread locations in Connecticut, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and most recently Maine. The Panera Bread in Maine, however, is much different than many of the other restaurant locations I have visited. Unlike in my home state of North Carolina, or even Massachusetts, the Panera Bread location in Topsham, Maine is racially homogeneous and carries with it a particular atmosphere that I

People are eating and communing like in many other restaurants, but within this restaurant I venture to assume that there are social norms in place that are not present within other institutions. Over the course of my ethnography, I plan to talk with customers and the staff of Panera Bread about the demographics they perceive dining at this eating establishment. Each individual I come in contact with will be asked a series of questions yet to be determined; these questions, however, will provide insight on each individual perception of their surroundings. Even though I will be speaking with both customers and staff, I will pay particular attention to the responses of Panera Bread staff because they are individuals that witness the majority of the social dynamics of this restaurant. Bronisław Malinowski utilized this concept of participant observation to observe the inhabitants of the Trobriand Islands, and similar to his ethnography, I would like to immerse myself in the Panera Bread culture for approximately 2 or 3 hours at a time to witness the differing interactions and social values present in this community. The information regarding the workings of this community will hopefully reveal the tangible differences between the Panera Bread location in Topsham in comparison to other Panera Bread locations. Even if the information I compile results