Panda Express — Restaurant in Merced

I'm a "frequent flyer" at Panda Express and go to both Merced locations a couple of times a week, and I've done so in the morning, lunch time and early evening. I always walk in and order in real time, never drive thru or via app. That helps avoid "portion shrinkage" and errors (though I have been shorted before by not checking the order before I left), so I always check my order now. I religiously fill out the online feedback form every single time to let Panda know the highs and lows of each location visit.

General observations: Panda is easily the best and price-effective fast food with healthy choices option. IF you have the app and make sure to enter your Panda points and do the online Feedback survey from the code on your receipt. It gives you a coupon for a free small entree. Essentially I'll have enough food for two meals for under $11!

Generally the staff is friendly and greet you when you come in at all locations.

I've also been to the Atwater store, and one in Modesto on Hatch. The Modesto one gets bonus points for having really hot and fresh menu items even at 8:30 at night, including the sometimes elusive black pepper chicken entree. At the Merced stores you more often than not have to ask for it to be made. Though I have been told at the Yosemite avenue store at 9:30 that they weren't making any more fresh items (and most everything was almost gone even though they are open until 11:00).

About this store on Olive -- it's hit and miss on service, though the quality of the food is usually good. This one gets extremely busy at times and the staff sometimes looks overwhelmed. This one seems to get a ton of takeout orders.

Front of house staff needs more training on handling Panda's own feedback survey coupons program. Customers shouldn't have to escalate to corporate to get something resolved, but I have, when a cashier deducted 750 Panda points from my account without my permission and the manager couldn't restore them.

Overall it won't stop me from returning to Panda Express as a go-to because, as I said, the food is tasty and more often than not, piping hot and fresh if you know to go inside and place your order there.

Just make sure to use the survey to politely let them know directly how they're doing re: food quality and recognize the hardworking folks there when things are standout, or need...

If I could give negative stars I would! I usually like this place but after finding a hair in the honey walnut shrimp I ordered, I am done! This place is not only is disgusting they lack training on customer service. I went during my lunch break and by the time I got my food it was time to head back to work. So, on my way back I had the egg roll driving back. Once back at the office I ate some of the shrimp to find a hair poking out of the batter. I called them to inform them of this and the lady I spoke to was nice and even offered to deliver me a plate to my job but I told her I didn't want the food but a full refund instead. She took my name down and said she would let staff know I would be there after work. Fast forward, I return with more than half of the plate along with the other items and the younger lady tried to help but couldn't. The older lady doesn't want to give me a refund for the food items and says I should have brought the egg roll back. First off, I ate that on the way back to work and barely ate my plate of food. At first I was nice til she tried to only refund me $13 of my $18. Part of that order was another thing of shrimp for a my co worker which I ended up not giving her because it came from the same batch the one with the hair was in (so that was part of the food that I returned). When she refused I said it louder that they need to refund because they made the mistake and had hair in my food. She thought I was playing. You're not going to try to make me look wrong and keep my money for an egg roll when I brought almost an entire plate back and everything else, wasted my gas twice, once to get it and second to bring it back to tell me no because I ordered it at 12:40 something. Hello, it was during my lunch and I was at work !!! The lady was dumb as hell but after a little hell raising I got my money. But it took her getting rude before I went off because I was not in The mood just wanted my money back for wasting my money and time on something that could have gotten me sick due to someone's lack of cleanliness....

I came into this store today to get my son a “ cub meal “ however the rice was over cooked . I brought the food back to this location about 15 min later and was told “ I DID NOT GET THE FOOD FROM THERE & that I need to take it back to where I got it . I had to pull up my Bank of America app to show them I had just left that location 15 min ago and here is PROOF . The manager was able to locate the receipt with my credit card that I use . I ask Darren if he can write down the corporate information he told me “ google it and walked off “ I went to my car and cried . It’s so hard being African American, we get accused of things and degraded. Ill be taking this matter to court I don’t want any one to feel how I felt today . Humiliation put me in depression . All the customers watch s how I was treated . Marco and Darren both treated me wrong . I just moved to Merced 3 days I’ll find another location to order from I’ll never ever go back to this one . Over a...