Panda Express — Restaurant in Austin

I called in advance for a fresh batch of kung pao chicken as I usually do at most Panda Express locations. When you order a family meal it is about the same size as an entire batch. The staff here does not really have a command of the English language unfortunately. Although that is usually okay they don't communicate with the customers enough to ensure a seamless and enjoyable experience at this particular fast casual restaurant. After frequenting this particular chain and doing business with this company for a long period of time I know how the particular dish should taste; in this case it's kung pao chicken. Just following a recipe doesn't necessarily make you a good cook and I understand that people feel a bit disenfranchised working in the food service industry due to the amount that they are paid or underpaid. A lot of the food that's out at this particular location is old. It has a lot of sauce on it or the liquid has leached out of the food as it sat. Like any other company, Panda Express has cut costs over the years and they've changed recipes in order to be competitive but in this case the quality of the food has decreased over time. It is either that or each location, as I have experienced ,varies greatly. There is no consistency when it comes to this particular chain. It is still a better option than going to another fast food restaurant because most things are actually made from scratch, however if they're not made properly it's not worth the effort of the employee and it's not worth patronizing for customers. On top of that you add management that's very short with you when you have a special request due to dietary restrictions, and you have a one-star situation. It really makes me sad to write this review because this is one of the fast food chains in the country that I think are really good and can be amazing if they have the right management. I noticed there's a great deal of cronyism based on race in these particular restaurants and I've confirmed that by filing applications for employment and being rejected because I'm not Hispanic. I needed to test the waters to find out if this was the type of environment that was being allowed to propagate at this particular chain in this particular City. I'm very sad about this and I don't think I'll visit Panda Express anymore simply because there seems to be some problems at the middle management level that need to be resolved before this chain can continue to grow and be successful and be a place that I and my family want to patronize. 1 star, visit a local Chinese restaurant, support a small business and avoid eating lazily-made...

It’s funny that this place has 5 star reviews. Pay attention to the names of the 5 star reviewers. Similar to that of the manager. . . Certainly a “Hey! We’re getting a lot of bad reviews. Can you and your friends leave some “fake” good ones to boost our rating” kinda of vibe.

Anyway, The young dark haired blonde girl was rude (as usual). Always seems to not want to be there (pretty standard these days since Covid. Businesses seem to have their D team working). Seems like she’s entitled and forced to get a job by her parents, or mad at the world and taking it out on customers. This girl purposely gave me small portions because I asked for my teriyaki to be cut smaller. She got an attitude, went to the back for a while, heard a bunch of dishes, pans, etc being moved around, violently. Some even dropped on the floor. When she came back, wasn’t even sure the cutting board was clean (didn’t look like it) or knew if she picked it up off the ground. I ordered 3 items because her portions were so small. The people that came in after me ordered 2 items and had almost half a plate more than I did. Sick of this girl. I get attitude EVERY SINGLE TIME from her. Previously, she refused to chop the meat into smaller pieces. This girl should not be employed until she straightens up her attitude.

The food itself has taken a deep dive. I used to like coming to panda every few weeks, but with the quality of employees couple with the lazy prep of the food by people who don’t want to be there is really putting this chain in dire straights. I see bankruptcy in the future. I would really suggest panda hire people that need their jobs and want to be there. I get it, there wouldn’t be very many people working if it weren’t necessary, but if I treated my clients like panda employees treat regular customers, I’d be homeless. I’m done with this chain. It was half descent...

Typical long wait that has started to become a custom at all of the Panda Express locations here in Austin. This one I will not return to due to the complete lack of customer service. While I was clearly waiting for food to be cooked so I could order I patiently waited to the side; when it was done I finished asking what I wanted as my 3 sides on the bigger plate and proceeded to move down to ask for Egg rolls and sauce. The young guy grabbed my plate rang it up and told me to insert my card when ready. Well since I’m still standing nowhere close to the register I guess it would appear I’m not ready. 🤦‍♂️ He took the hint and was like oh was there something else you wanted? I looked him dead in the face; “ no apparently your done with me even though I was going to finish my order with other items.” Proceed to pay, not aware of price since no interaction was going to happen with this worthless employee. Then left without a goodbye, thank you,...