Panda Express — Restaurant in Port Arthur

Formal Escalation – Unresolved Complaint / Request #2402021 To: GuestCare@pandarg.com Cc: [Add additional contacts or regional managers if applicable] Dear Panda Express Guest Care,

I am writing to formally escalate my unresolved complaint filed under Request #2402021, originally submitted on April 16, 2025.

Despite your system-generated confirmation stating that my concern would be reviewed and responded to “as soon as possible,” I have yet to receive a single substantive reply. On April 30, I followed up directly through your system to request an update and stated my intention to escalate the issue if no response was received. Unfortunately, no one has contacted me to this day.

To reiterate, this complaint stems from a continued and recurring issue at one of your store locations where online orders are accepted—even when the majority of the menu is unavailable upon arrival. This has happened more than once, most recently requiring a 25-minute drive to pick up a confirmed order that could not be fulfilled. I outlined these concerns in full in my original submission.

The lack of acknowledgment or response from corporate has only compounded my frustration. This is not a one-time mistake at the store level—this is now a systemic failure in your customer service model. If your company values guest feedback and loyalty, this situation demands resolution and accountability.

At this point, I am requesting: A formal response addressing the details of my original complaint. An explanation for the failure to follow through on Request #2402021. Clarification on your company’s policy regarding order fulfillment and store closing procedures.

I would appreciate a prompt and direct reply to this message. If this matter is not addressed within a reasonable timeframe, I will be forced to share my experience publicly, including with consumer advocacy channels.

Sincerely, James Bowers Update, and it's been three weeks corporate promises to respond, but yeah, just crickets shows how much individual stores. I don't care and uh, how much corporate cares Update a week has passed no response .i copied corporate on below this is the 3rd day, still waiting to hear what they have to say. But it does appear at this point that customers Are not important to Panda Express at the store. Level or the corporate level My disappointment with this place continues to grow. At 8:00 PM, my son placed an online order that was accepted without issue. We then drove 25 minutes into town to pick it up, only to be told that nearly everything we ordered was unavailable. This isn’t the first time — it’s a continual issue with this location. But what makes it especially frustrating this time is the fact that they accepted our online order. That creates a reasonable expectation that the food would be there when we arrived. There are only two things on the menu that I actually enjoy, and — again — they were out of both. Substitutions are not an option for me, so there goes dinner. So thank you, Panda Express, for having me spend nearly an hour on the road for an order you confirmed — and once again, not being able to follow through. Completely unacceptable.

Pulled up at 9:26 and was told limited menu. The only sides they had was super green I get wanting to sell out completely but I drove 20 miles there and was unable to be served probably because of corporate policy not so much the store employees themselves but somebody's making the call quick cooking at 9:00? Why not just close at 9:00 why not have most of your items on your menu available until closing time? What an inconvenience and a disappointment customer service...

This is a weird place to eat in. I wanted to eat there as a test before I invited my wife to eat there with me. I got 1 entre and 1 side for about $10, without a drink. Maybe that's reasonable. But here is the rub. I only drink water. So, I asked for a cup of water, I was given an empty cup, and the server pointed to the farthest corner in the facility and said that's where the water spigot was. So I placed my order on one of the tables and picked up the empty cup and tracked over to the farthest corner of the facility, and got my cup filled. Ok, no problem so far. So when I sat down to eat, I realized I didn't have any utensils, so I walked up to the food server behind the counter and asked for utensils, I was then directed to the same farthest corner where the water spigot was. So I went there again and picked up a packet of utensils. I sat down again to eat my chicken entre, and I needed a knife to cut up the chicken pieces. Then I noticed the utensils packet didn't have a knife. So, I returned to the serving line and asked for a knife. The server informed me they didn't have knives for their customers. I contemplated his answer and thought how would I eat the grilled chicken pieces without cutting them up. Then it dawned on me that the PANDA EXPRESS was a Chinese food establishment, and I had never seen any Chinese person use a knife at the dinner table, besides eating sticks. I was also concerned about snatching the grilled chicken pieces with my front teeth on which I just had major surgery. But, I managed to eat the larger pieces than I normally put in my mouth. But, when I started to consume the barely cooked broccoli florets without cutting them up, I had to cover my mouth to avoid exposing my wide open mouth for the broccoli. Well, I was able to manage that also. But as soon as I began chewing on the food that had filled my mouth, I instantly realized the food needed salt to make it palatable. So I walked up to the serving line again and asked for salt. The server quickly informed me that the PANDA EXPRESS did offer salt to their customers. After this unforgettable ordeal, I was thankful I had not taken my family to this weird restaurant. Needless to say this will be my first and last visit to PANDA EXPRESS. I definitely will never expose my family to this...

Warning Review: I gave a 1 star review because I had to choose something. Here is a warning review, if you eat at this Panda Express today, you should pay very close attention to your drink cups and especially the lids. Today, my wife, my 12 year old son, and I ate at this location. We were given our drink cups from behind the counter. My son and I walked over to the area of the fountain machine to make our drinks. My son finished first and stepped over to get a lid and a straw. I then reached out to get one of the lids and noticed a clear liquid on the lids. The liquid was on my fingers. I sniffed the liquid on my fingers to see what it was. Right next to the lids which by the way we're in lid holders mounted flush with the countertop, was a red bucket with murky water and a blue cloth in it. Im guessing someone was at some point wiping the counter and walked away leaving the bucket there. When I smelled the liquid it smelled like stale water. I put 2 and 2 together and realized that tge liquid on the lids came from that bucket. I hurried to my son and told hom not to drink his drink and I took his lid. Here is the absolute worst part!!!! I went to the register to let them know about the lids and I needed new ones. An employee comes over to the lids and takes the top few away and says ok those are good without checking them. I grab another lid and it still has liquid on it....I tell the employee. Im still astonished at his response but here it is...he says its just sanitizer. I said would you want to drink sanitizer? His reply was priceless....well he said, your not drinking with the lid are you?! Are you kidding me? Panda Express where is the food safety education?! He continued to argue his point. I finally said im.not going to argue with you, I need new lids. Where's the health department when you need them! Just know if you got a large drink lid from here this afternoon it had liquid sanitizer all over it. Btw he didn't say no when I asked him if he would drink...