Panda Express — Restaurant in Los Angeles

This retail space was a small indie Chinese restaurant for many years (at least 6 based on my "moved-to-this-area" timer. The owners upped the ante about a year ago by renovating and acquiring a Panda Express franchise license. It is now elevated from the ranks of Happy Golden Room China Garden Buffet to a familiar and consistent brand and menu.

One of the good things for consumers that comes out of a franchise business model is the standard and quality they must maintain to keep the license. In spite of the hefty fees often paid, local owners must run a tight ship and adhere to brand standards... which explains why you don't have Subway sandwich shops with pink interiors. Thank God. This is enforced by scheduled and unscheduled inspections.

So now that he understand the franchise business model take a wild guess on what I'm about to say about food quality, consistency, store cleanliness and service.... A brand is an understood promise - an agreement between consumer and merchant. BMW, Rolex, Coca Cola... You pay slightly more for Starbucks coffee because of their commitment to a consistent logistic and sensory experience. Billy Bob's coffee shack may be cheaper but it's not a good value if it stresses you out, fails to provide enjoyment and perceived quality.

This is a nice clean store that sells reasonably priced Chinese food at a good price and the semi-buffet model makes time from entering to ingestion about as quick as it could be. The owners are a couple and have been polite and good humored through the years. Ironically, ownership and possibly location are the only real differentiators between this and just about any other Panda Express store. This is Chinese-American, not any more authentic than Taco Bell is to real Mexican food or Dominoes to Italian. Unless there's a staff issue I'd rate them all a B+ based on taste and overall...

This Panda is a humiliation for the restaurant chain. Horrible customer service! They are very rude. My first visit: When I walked in I was 2nd in line, couple of minutes later a guy walks in and stands beside me (awkwardly) When it was MY turn he gets near the counter greeds the employee and starts ordering! I politely tell the employee “I’m sorry, I was next in line” she then had the nerve to respond “I know, I’ll help you after him” and starts flirting with the guy. I almost lost it!! But i had my son with me so I just walked out. Now let me tell you about my second visit! I was on the area so I decided to give it a second try! (Different employee this time) she served me a bowl with HALF rice and like 4 pieces of Orange Chicken! I asked her if she can add a bit more than 4 pieces and she answered “you want me to charge you for an extra side”!!! I did put a bit of a fight for her to end up adding more. BUT to top it off! My chow mein was wayyy undercooked and the Orange chicken literally was hard as a rock and looked like as if they had just taken out the freezer and just brushed it with sauce! Just HORRIBLE ! I rather take the drive to Figueroa or Boyle Height ! And i have heard the same thing from a lot more people that has...

Horrible!!! Instead of manager focused on making the food she's laughing with other employees, well about 8 ppl or more waiting for chow mein and Beijing beef. We waited about 10 mins before the cook started on the Beijing beef. At that moment an Emp comes and say that I can't sit well I wait for my food. I get covid and dine in is closed, I have a bad back and can't stand for long. But my thing is the manager didn't have no control over the kitchen and it showed!!! She had another cook bring her things like salt and other ingredients like if she couldn't do it herself! The other guy could have been focused cooking something else but no two ppl to cook one item!! When I noticed that the cook hears Beijing beef ok starting Beijing beef but we have been waiting at the moment it like 15 mins!! And the manager knew we all were waiting!!! So if I can't sit then don't have ppl wait for more then 15 mins!. Never going to that...