Panda Express — Restaurant in Kansas City

Arriving at Panda Express at Legends in Kansas City, I encountered a scene that epitomizes the last-hour blues of fast food dining. It was about 45 minutes before closing, and the atmosphere was already shifting towards the end of the day. Choices were scarce, and the staff made it clear that there would be no fresh batches forthcoming. They were clearly in conservation mode, preserving their limited supply for any straggling customers.

As someone who’s seen the spectrum of service, from the sublime to the catastrophic, it was disheartening to watch the portioning of my meal. Each grain of rice, noodle, and nugget of orange chicken was doled out with a precision that suggested rationing in wartime. I get it, the young staff had their own night ahead of them, and I was just another late-night inconvenience. But the sight of them meticulously counting out portions was almost comical in its bleakness.

The robot-like demeanor of the server only compounded the disappointment. No smile, no warmth, just the mechanical efficiency of someone counting down the minutes until they could punch out. It was clear this was a job to them, nothing more, and any semblance of customer service was long gone.

As for the food, well, it's Panda Express. Mediocrity is their brand, and they deliver it consistently. The taste was what I expected—nothing more, nothing less. But even the predictability of Panda Express couldn't offset the poor service. This visit highlighted the low of all lows in service quality.

Lesson learned: never go to a fast food joint in the final hour before closing. It’s not worth the scarcity of options, the lackluster service, and the palpable sense of impending freedom from the staff. This particular Panda Express at Legends won’t be seeing me again at the end of the night. Consistent taste might bring me back, but only when there’s more than an hour left...

Probably won't be going back here. It wasn't a terrible experience, but it wasn't good either... Very dirty tables even AFTER the employee had "cleaned" them. 2. The food at this Panda Express just tasted extremely low quality compared to others I've been to (and they cut their Lo Mein noodles at about less than an inch each which made them hard to eat; and just odd...). 3. No diaper changing tables, so I had to change the newborn's diaper on a thin changing pad I had brought, but on the bathroom floor (which was also very dirty). 4. The employees were... okay. They all seemed to be over 20, but acted like they were shy high schoolers that didn't want to take the lead. And they were gossiping about other employees casually. 5. They were out of straws and size M lids and instead of telling me at the cash register they let me buy drinks, waited for me to find out I couldn't give my toddlers straws, and then acted like it was just something that couldn't be helped. 6. Being out of lids and straws happens; but it would have been better business to clean up the condiments/drinks/trash section and maybe had a sign noting that they were out. Not having the area trash free meant that it just seemed like someone wasn't doing their job...

This place is supposed to be open until 10 pm. When you go to the drive through after 9pm they have no food left to order and refused to make it. I've been told more than once the cook has cleaned the kitchen already. I no longer will eat here. To many other fast food place open around it that stay open and make it fresh.

Update: I Decided to try this one again hoping they had new management. Food was all freshly made. The problem was not enough help. One person working the counter and she was also working the drive through. Taking money and no gloves on when dishing food. Manager was doing some thing in the back. Then some girl came out from back and said oh I'm sorry for your wait. Manager just looked and me said nothing. There was NO ONE else standing in line. The line out side had 3 cars at time I walked in. The service is still lacking at this one.

November 5th, 2020...3rd time... had door dash deliver. Order was wrong. I ORDERED ORANGE CHICKEN RECEIVED SOMETHING ELSE..???? ORDER WAS...