Panda Express — Restaurant in Lakeland

Went to this place tonight...had to wait for orange chicken and chow mein.. no big deal we saw the long drive thru line when came in.. my husband and I get our drinks and take a seat. The nice cashier brings out food to us when it ready.. ok this is going to be good right..wrong!! Chow mein has a burnt taste to it.. my husband's you could actually smell that it was burnt. I got back up to the counter and explained to cashier that the chow mein taste burnt.. she goes to her manager and comes back and offers rice . My husband and I discuss this you see we prefer the noodles. We decide to just get a different order of chow mein. Go back to the cashier and ask for different chow mein..tells us 4-5 minutes.So we wait. NOT ONCE DID THE MANAGER COME OUT !!! ( I'm watching them make it... I'm watching steam come out of the big wok before anything is even put into it) I've cooked enough over the years that's not good... I was right !! As my husband said "it's not as bad as the first batch".I couldn't eat it to me it was still just as bad. Know to clarify something I knew there should be some steam because it needs to be hot but not this much. The employees were going everything they could to help people and no manager in sight..I asked one young lady what their manager was doing ? I didn't feel that is was right for these employees to be busting their bottoms trying to get everyone the help they need and he can not be bothered to come out ! She tells me that he in the room stocking . With the drive thru backed up and people inside ??!! He should have been right there with them helping out not in somewhere "stocking"... ( I knew you need to stock before you can close but he could have helped out) there was only 2 people cooking . I don't blame the employees for anything they did the best they could ! I BLAME THE MANAGER FOR THIS BAD EXPERIENCE !! To those of you wondering yes I've been a manager at a fast food...

Whoever the manager is at this location needs to fire everyone expect lady cooking in back. I was told 8 minute wait for teriyaki chicken. Fine, but while waiting the order taker/runner for drive-thru literally kept touching her hair and then using same gloves to push the customers noodles back into box. I spoke with Madelini the manager (she said) about runner touching food with dirty hands and she didn’t even tell employee to change gloves. Madelini went outside to deliver orders and came back inside and started touching the pots and food utensils. I wait another minute to see what Madelini would say to employee and SHE SAID NOTHING! I finally said if you don’t get her to change her gloves I’m going to record her and posted it. She went and told the employee but she continue touching items. Madelini must of realized I was watching her so she sanitized her hands. Which should have happen once you came back inside since the door has to be touch to open it.

Another customer is literally standing at cashier register and four employees are standing at counter talking to each other. He had to ask somebody to check him out.

Finally the chicken is done and then no noodles so I waiting totally of 20 minutes and they wasn’t even that busy.

I worked in food service during college and I totally understand how stressful it can be but the attitude at this location is we definitely don’t care about cleanliness and we can care less about customers.

My son loves PE but I would never eat there again until management gets a better team! And train them proper food handling! Nobody wants to get home and have somebody else hair in...

Went here lastnight because it was spirit night for my son's school. Went through the drive-thru because I'd just picked him up from school & thought it would be quicker. When I mentioned spirit night & name of my son's school. Girl on the headset told me "I don't know what that means" so I explained again and she laughed. Whatever, placed my order & she told me to pull up & they'd bring it out. Every car that was behind me got their food brought out & left. I was now the only car in the lot waiting. Only two customers were seated inside. I got fed up waiting & Went inside. The manager was yelling around the kitchen "i want that girl to get in here, let her come in here" which was about i presume someone else in the driveway or maybe me since I seemed to be the only one waiting on food. The only reason I even bothered going here was to support my son's school, since no one could even comprehend what I was telling them. The school probably won't get the money anyway. I told the other girl when I went inside about spirit night & she just dismissed me "I don't know what you talking about" This place is trash not just lastnight but every single time food is wrong, workers are rude. The chowmein was a half packed box of dry noodles with no lettuce nothing in it. Its honestly the worst fast food place in Lakeland. I won't be going back. I've already let the school know I was there, incase they don't get their proceeds. Since none of...