Atmosphere can change a lot about how we perceive a place.
When I step into Panera Bread, I feel more sophisticated, taking in the organic color scheme and "FRESH" plastered everywhere. The vision of wholesome bread makes me feel proud to eat somewhere much more upper class than say, McDonald's.
Even the menu gets me excited with names like "Chicken Bacon Dijon" and "Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice". When I finally sit down, I happily scan my meal and take a bite into my hot, crispy Panini. After taking my last bite and last slurp of my soup, I am satisfied, and go about my day.
However, the next time I eat at Panera Bread, I might not feel so satisfied. I might even feel as sheepishly guilty as I do when I devour a BigMac. McDonald's has to make their nutritional values so obvious they stick it onto the packaging. Panera Bread customers buy into that "intimate" feel and don't think twice about the nutritional values (which are comparable, sometimes worse, than any other fast food chain). I'm not a health nut, but it's interesting how a simple environment can drastically change somebody's feelings and opinions about a place. I assume that companies relentlessly abuse this.
Smokehouse Turkey Panini In the end, are we all just pawns of mega corporations?
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