P.F. Chang's — Restaurant in Sarasota

We've been dining at PF Changs for years and this location has by far the worst service and the most under-trained staff of all the locations we’ve been to.

We arrived on time for our 6:00 reservation. Even though there were only around 3 tables occupied, we were told our table wasn't ready yet. A few minutes passed and they took us into the dining room to be seated but they sat us right next to an occupied table. What's wrong with spacing groups out a little? We requested and got moved to another table however, midway through our dinner a large group was seated right next to us. We thought "oh well". We have nothing against people. It's just nice to have space, especially when the restaurant is only 10% occupied.

Our waitress was cheerful and friendly but also ended up being all talk and no action. She took our appetizer and drink order, however, she didn't know the craft beer selection and I didn't feel like waiting for her to run off and find it.

When she took the drink order she commented that she'd also bring over 4 glasses of water. We got our drinks and appetizers but after probably 20-25 minutes, still no water. We reminded her and she said she'd get right on it which she did but the water was delivered to the wrong table. A bit later, we reminded her yet again and she confirmed it had been delivered to the wrong table. Water arrived a few minutes later but it was what the other table had ordered as it had lemon slices. If you can't get something as basic as water right, maybe you need to revisit your training and procedures?

Another training issue... when you deliver entrees and appetizer plates are still sitting in front of us, TAKE the appetizer plates and set them on your tray. Don't push them aside and leave them on the table to make room for the entrees.

One of our appetizers was their “signature dish”, Chang’s Chicken Lettuce Wraps. Although the taste was fine, using a wedge of iceberg lettuce is a failure as the lettuce breaks and as you work through the wedge, the pieces become smaller and smaller.

Entrees arrived fine and were ok, just not hot. We finished eating and the waitress brought the bill over... one bill. Shouldn't it be the norm to ask how we are paying and how we'd like it split up before bringing the bill out?

Also, for the third time, we were overcharged for wine. It was only a buck or two so at that point we didn't feel like arguing it and simply took it out of the tip. We always tip a minimum of 20% at sit down dining establishments but in this case, we couldn’t justify rewarding bad behavior. After all, the acronym TIP stands for “To Ensure Promptness” and we didn’t see that level of service.

We won't be returning to this location...

Marshall Mathers once said, “While I dip it in PF Chang’s sauce.” That was enough for my good friend and I to want to try this establishment. Let’s first touch on the food. The calamari was excellent. Perfect blend of friedness and seafood along with a great horseradish dipping sauce. Not to mention the lemon was very juicy and squeezable. As for the orange chicken entree, while it was enjoyable, the quality wasn’t able to separate itself enough from say a Panda Express. I’d say that classifies as a negative given the price difference. Now let’s tackle the service. Our server was indeed friendly and checked up on us multiple times throughout our stay. However, when it came time to sink our teeth in on our tasty entrees, my friend was given an incorrect order. A mistake that they corrected rather fast if I must say. Still an inconvenience nonetheless. When it came time to pay, our checks were split incorrectly and I had to bite the bullet on paying for the appetizer instead of my friend. Sad face. When the fortune cookies were brought out, mine was empty. That’s not a fortune cookie. That’s just a cookie. I’m starting to think maybe it was a metaphor for how empty life can be sometimes. Either that or I accidentally ate it. A true 2024 mystery. Lastly, the tip percentages on the check were severely incorrect. For people who don’t pay as much attention as I do, maybe they accidentally tip 60% simply following what the bill says. Let’s hit on the atmosphere. The lighting was perfect with serene chandeliers above us. The place seemed very well kept and clean. Large murals of ethnic women with katanas sprawled across the walls. It takes me back to that one dream I had when I visited China. All in all I’d say I was slightly let down. The numerous service mistakes along with rather subpar food leaves me torn with this review. At least I can finally resonate with Marshall Mathers. We, The Bad Food Reviewers of Sarasota, rate PF Changs a 2.4...

Yesterday a friend asked us to eat with them at PF Chang's in Sarasota. I hadn't eaten at one for years but remembered the one in Seattle fondly so we agreed. The restaurant and staff were as I had hoped, friendly and the place was nicely decorated. That said, I was hungry and we were there to eat. I ordered the Kung Pow Shrimp. They even offered brown rice so I couldn't wait to devour it. When it arrived I couldn't tell what the shrimp was. Some kind of mystery meat or perhaps not meat at all. It had no taste, it was unrecognizable. It was possible fried, definitely cooked to death, covered in breading, then smothered in sweet sauce. If it really was shrimp, while often overcooked, this was the worst in my 68 years. We cook and eat a lot of shrimp. I would not serve these to anyone.

My wife ordered the Budda's feast. That looked much better than mine with a ton of veggies. The issue with hers was the tofu. It was oddly mushy and slimy at the same time. Nothing like the picture on their website. We eat a ton of tofu, and this stuff was strange. Sure, you could eat around both issues, but we shouldn't have to. Both were simple dishes that could have easily been great.

If my friends weren't sitting there telling us how special the place was to them, I would have asked for the manager, sent the food back, then drove down to Kendo Japanese Restaurant in Venice. Their Thai basil Kendo bowl w/tofu is absolutely delicious. Full of food you can recognize, at half the price. I'm baffled at how a restaurant chain that's has been around so long can mess up adding shrimp to rice with vegetables. The website says food cooked fresh every day. Our meals were of low quality and mine was nutritionally uncertain. I worried about what I had just put...