Panda Express — Restaurant in Menifee

Bad Managers

This review is concerning one new manager in particular, Karina, who failed to in their duty to meet my need and concern as a customer and disguised their concern for the business as an act of discrimination, pride, prejudice and belittling.

Yesterday, 5/23/25, I went into Panda to have a remake of my order since they messed it up. I spoke to the associate at the register and she got Karina, they manager. When Karina arrived I told her there was an issue with my order.

No sooner than I told her there was an issue she automatically jumped to conclusions and said why I had an issue with the tofu and why because it was fresh. Then she lied and said I complained 3 times that week and got 3 remakes.

My mouth dropped in horror as Karina stood there and lied. She made me the problem because she failed to take accountability for the food served. Instead, she attacked and lied about me.

What kind of manager does that??

I asked Karina why she said that. Wondering why she lied. She said that she was trying to see what was wrong with the tofu and how to make it better.

Really Karina?? Is that what you call it when you attack me and lie that I came in 3 times that week to get my orders redone? No.

Karina went on to say that she is concerned their tofu didn’t meet my standards and that they follow the recipe all the time. She told me I can go to Hemet for their tofu. Not only did she not resolve the reason I came in there but she diverted me to another Panda to cover up the lie she spoke.

So to solve her own lie and save the business from me Karina told me that I could never have a remake done since I came in 3 times that week for a redo.

So I was punished and discriminated against and told to eat elsewhere to resolve Karina’s lie that I came in 3 times that week for a redo. And this is what Panda Corporation and the Menifee store consider an honest and trustworthy manager?

I came in for a simple redo but found myself in a verbal situation with someone who needed mental help.

I told Karina what changed from my experience and what the difference in taste was. Karina denied and dismissed it. Giving me the impression that their pride and ego is worth more than making the dish great again and that it is an inability to fulfill their job duties and more an unresolved personal issue than anything else.

Eventually after 10 minutes of this Karina remade my plate. After she did that I spoke to her again at the register and informed her that her statement of me coming into the store 3 times that week for a remake was not true. She agreed. Then I asked her how long she has been at that store? 4 weeks. And that was wrong of her to say that and not what I’ve expected of a manager. She apologized for saying that. I thanked her for my food and left.

Writing this review in the early morning hours I realized my soul was not at peace with what transpired at this location and the negative encounter I had with Karina. It saddens me she would lie and blame me instead of take responsibility.

My soul is not at peace eating here anymore. Karina needs help. She needs management classes, mental health class/counseling, conflict resolution classes, cultural competency classes and an ethics class. Because if she could lie about me and take her issues out on me when all I did was come in there for a redo then there is a bigger issue at hand.

I pray the store and corporate read this. I will pray for Karina today. And I will take my...

On January 23, 2020 at 6:30pm we visited the Menifee Panda Express to support our school's fundraiser. Panda is my son's absolute favorite restaurant. He orders the same thing every time. 50/50 fried rice and chow mein, 2 orders of orange chicken, spring roll and wontons. Within 15-20 minutes of him eating his dinner, he said he felt itchy all over and his tounge felt weird. I lifted up his shirt, and he was completely broken out in hives. I'm extremely familiar with these types of hives because my son has an extreme allergy or sensitivity to WALNUTS!! Mind you, we ate at Panda 2 weeks ago, where he ordered all the exact same foods and had no adverse reactions. My thought is that last night some how the Honey Walnut Shrimp was cooked in the same oil or same pan as any of the items my son ate like orange chicken. His pediatrician was confident it was a contamination with walnuts. Today, my son was unable to attend school because he's still suffering with hives. His pediatrician gave him steroids to be on for the next four days as well as benadryl every six hours. I'm thinking it's no longer safe for us to be customers of Panda Express since I can't trust this won't happen again and my son's health and well being are for more important to me than the $35 I spent on food that made him sick. I'm sure you can all understand and sympathize with my son's situation and use this instance as a teaching moment in your restaurants to not cross contaminate nuts into other food. Furthermore, I understand Panda hires younger girls, however let me just add that I think its extremely inappropriate when your girls are trash talking to each other the client they served right before me, right in front of me. Trash talk about your paying customers after work! It's just bad business!

After 7 days of contacting Panda and sending them pictures of the hives my son had, they never...

If I could write a negative star review I would. Management there has absolutely no idea how to train their employees and allows their employees to be constantly rude to the customers. My fiance and I we were in line got up to the register the cashier swiped his card once and then proceeded to ask him if he had another card implying that he had no money when she refused to manually enter the card numbers. The manager was standing there and refused to intervene or rectify the situation. Then when we called a few minutes later after going next door to grab food which our card was gladly accepted with no issues he said that he was the manager and then lied turning it out that he was the shift manager he didn't want to give out the corporate number he didn't want to give out his store number he was exceptionally rude lied to my fiance over the phone saying that they would never treat their customers as such causing an embarrassment to him and I. I would not go there unless you would like to be treated as a low life. You are a disgrace to...