Panda Express — Restaurant in Melbourne

Just got back from PAX (gaming conference out west) that featured Reggie Fils-Aime who prior to being the President of Nintendo of America was an executive at Panda Express. He talked about innovation and shared some stories he had done to evolve the Panda Express concept from something that only worked in high traffic areas to any street corner. Hadn't ate there in years so figured I'd give it a try.

Walked in and was immediately concerned I had made a bad choice. Counters were greasy and dirty, food looked to have been sitting there some time, but staff was friendly and lines were short. Ordered some kind of combo with two meats and some vegetables. When I went to pay I requested a water cup as is commonly provided by like every restaurant in America and was pointed to a hand written paper plate that said something like "no free water cups".

Not sure why, but it was kind of the last straw (or last missing straw). Place already had a funny smell to it and was dirty. I was regretting my choice to eat there and being squeezed to buy a soda or bottle water, decided to just bounce to Jersey Mike's (which btw was delicious). If you like bad cheap Chinese this might be your place.

Never really inquired if they just forgot to order cups, had an issue with people stealing drinks in free water cups, or what - but either way seems poorly ran based on the cleanliness...

I recently visited the Panda Express location during an incredibly busy period, and I was blown away by the exceptional service provided by Eden and the employee working the grill. Despite a line stretching out the door and only two staff members managing the chaos, Eden remained a beacon of professionalism and composure behind the counter. Handling each customer with remarkable efficiency, grace, and a genuine smile, Eden turned what could have been a stressful experience into a pleasant one for everyone in line. Their ability to stay calm under pressure while maintaining a warm, welcoming demeanor was truly inspiring and a testament to outstanding customer service. Equally impressive was the employee holding down the grill, working tirelessly to keep the food coming despite the overwhelming demand. Together, Eden and their colleague demonstrated incredible teamwork, dedication, and work ethic, ensuring every customer left satisfied. I have never witnessed such a dynamic duo handle such a challenging situation with such poise and professionalism. Panda Express is lucky to have these two exceptional individuals on their team, and they deserve the highest recognition for their efforts. Thank you, Eden and the grill employee, for making my visit memorable for all the...

The food was okay- but one of us was served cold food. The staff was rude. My family came in before the lunch rush because we were in the area and Panda Express is my mother's favorite; we do not have a location in our town. The staff treated us like we were an inconvenience. They were short on the walnut shrimp that we had come in for and the staff made it seem like it was a huge inconvenience to have to make more. They boxed up our noodles before the shrimp was done, so the final product was that two of us got fresh shrimp and cold noodles and one of us got cold shrimp and cold noodles. The lunch rush hit as we were sitting there and the staff treated several other customers much the way we were treated-acting like someone willing to wait patiently for the dish they had come in for was somehow a burden instead of a normal occurrence.

All in all, we will not make a specific stop at this location again. This is sad because my Mom had been looking forward to this meal since she realized we were headed to Melbourne. There are plenty of other quality restaurants in the area that manage to balance friendly customer service and good...