Earth to eateries: some folks DO want Wi-Fi

Earth to eateries: More and more people pick their dining spots based on Wi-Fi availability. If you don't have a public wireless computer network, you may lose business.

Case in point: I had scheduled a lunch meeting in Edina with a tech geek I know, and we were both packing laptops. Wi-Fi was a must for us Mac hounds, partly because we wanted to monitor WWDC developments while we ate and talked.

I craved a Chipotle burrito above all else, but the Edina outlet doesn't have Wi-Fi (as far as I can tell, I had a nonsensical conversation with a worker who understood about 20 percent of what I said to her on the phone).

I also called the local Dino's Gyros since the Falcon Heights location outlet (near St. Paul) does have free wireless, but the Edina one doesn't. (what gives?)

A McDonald's in the area has Wi-Fi, but I wasn't in the mood for a greasy burger and fries. Wireless at that location isn't free, in any event.

So my companion and I ended up at a Panera Bread. This isn't my fave joint to eat, but my sandwich turned out to be plenty good, and the service was superb (the best I've seen in this sort of eatery). I suspect I'll be back.

The word is out on this spot, apparently, because it was chockablock with laptops (even though the network at the nearby public library doesn't require a food purchase). Find Panera Wi-Fi locations here.