Pei Wei Asian Kitchen — Restaurant in The Colony

Edit: November 2022-

This location has improved. I tried it again last week and the service and food was much much better than in previous experiences.

Previous/original post: Food quality is good but the consistently poor service is making me go to other locations until management is overhauled at this location. I typically order Pei Wei 2-4 times per month. I'm deciding to make the drive to other locations regarding the following experiences over the past 1-2 months:

Dedicated pick up parking spot is ignored. At this parking spot, there is a sign instructing you to text the store with your name for an associate to carry out the order. I arrived and texted the store at 5 minutes after my estimated preparation time. There was no response and I eventually went in the store after waiting 10 minutes. Male manager asked me if I was picking up. I told him I had been waiting and had texted at the pick-up spot for 10 minutes. There was no apology or explanation. He quietly handed me my luke-warm to-go order that had been sitting there for 10-15 minutes.

Recently ordered Thai coconut curry with extra beef/broccoli through the app for in-room dining 30 minutes later. I arrive and let the associate running the line know that I had placed a dine-in order in the app. They instruct me to look for it in the To-Go cubbies. I reiterate that it's a dine-in order and I also verify that my order is not prepped in the To-Go area. I show the young associate my app order confirmation screen as well as confirmation email. I'm asked by her "Did you cancel the order? Did you order it for this location?" Bear in mind the address is clearly shown on the confirmation app screen and email. I sit down to wait and the male manager comes up to me and asks me the same questions 2 additional times, "Did you cancel the order? Did you order it for this location?" I pulled up my banking app to show that there hasn't been a cancelation/refund. I felt like I needed a lawyer to prove that I made the order. The male manager eventually returns and says that they can't find the order and he grabs my phone out of my hand without asking to go input the order. Soon after the manager grabbed my phone, the associate says, "Oh, is your name **? It's a dine-in order. That's why we couldn't see it." 45 minutes after I had ordered the food and 15 minutes after I had arrived, and 15 minutes after the app told me to expect my dine-in order to be ready, the staff throw together the dish in a to-go box with 0 explanation or apology.

For a few weeks, I have been suspicious of the "extra protein/extra vegetable" portions that I select in the app and pay 5+ extra dollars for. I figured my above dine-in experience was a good opportunity to test it out. I order the exact same dish as above but selected no extra beef/broccoli. I just order the dish as is with regular protein and broccoli amounts. There was the exact same amount of beef and broccoli in my 2nd dish.

I have waited and managed in the service industry so I'm fairly forgiving in these situations. The Highland Village Pei Wei location has made some mistakes with my order before but they clearly cared, apologized, and make it right ASAP. The management at this Lewisville Castle Hills location are egregiously apathetic at all levels. You will be frustrated at best if you patronize...

This particular Pei Wei has to be the worst one of all Pei Wei's. They have seemed to have lost their training and management manuals. Let me see...let's start with the tables... Over half the tables were dirty and at the time I went there were only 5 people eating at 2 tables and me. No reason to have dirty tables and condiment area when there were 2x as many staff as patrons in the building. And then condiment table area... Soy sauce was an off brand soy sauce that had a funny taste to it. Soy sauce is cheap so I am not sure why they had a cheaper soy sauce than the normal or their own for that matter. No chopsticks in the building??? No crushed red pepper sauce??? Only one hot mustard container to share among everyone. No spoons or knives in the building??? They did not even have a basic necessity like Sweet and Low for tea which was also out and that was one of the reasons I go to Pei Wei is for their tea. And now the food... I ordered Mongolian Beef...well...at least I thought. It was not the right recipe and the steak was burned and over seasoned a lot. It tasted like a burnt piece of bark basted with a can of salt. My sons basic chicken fried rice they could not get right and my wife's bento box was a disaster as well. Both of their orders were overcooked and over seasoned as well. And please do not let me get started about their rice...it was also overcooked and not washed before cooking. And finally the price... Their price on their menu board for a bento box is $9.89. When I looked at my receipt i was charged $10.78 with no extras or anything added. Mine and my sons meals were also about $1 more on receipt than on their menu. It is not drastic enough to have people complain because in fact most don't even know they are being overcharged. Overall... PEOPLE PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS PEI WEI AND LET IT GO OUT OF BUSINESS BY ITSELF. GO TO ANY OTHER PEI WEI IN THE WORLD BUT THIS ONE. THIS PEI WEI FRANCHISE SHOULD BE EMBERRASSED TO CALL THEMSELVES PEI WEI OR A PF CHAINGS RELATED FRANCHISE. THE FRANCHISOR SHOULD PULL THIS ONE FROM THE FRANCHISEE IMMEDIATELY. I LOVE PEI WEI AND PF CHAINGS AND THIS ONE IS A DISGRACE TO...

Been here MANY times and the food is okay for something fast. Biggest problem is that they have cross contamination issues. HUGE problem if you have allergies(my husband) or are vegetarian/vegan(myself). My husband had a reaction this past weekend after eating a bite from his food. Spoke with the manager, and he said he would check back with us that evening and his regional manager would call next day...didn't happen. I was visibly extremely upset, as anyone would be after going through a scary moment and the obvious lack of follow through means that they just don't care. That lack of care means they don't care about the state of their kitchen, their staff training, nor customers and for that, I will never return. If you are vegetarian or vegan, it might help you to know I found chicken bits throughout my meal and unfortunately it's not the first time. I also want to add that the tables are always sticky. Never a clean surface. This restaurant is in great need of an overhaul on staff.

I've also read the reviews for this location today and so far all the one's I've read on long waits over 30 minutes, dirty surfaces, and rude staff are all accurate for every instance I've been here. Now I was not the most pleasant person this last trip in when I returned the contaminated food, and to confront the manager, but I most certainly had good reason. I never am rude to people who work with the public but this place and the staff are beyond. The cashier completely ignored me both trips on Sunday, even before I ordered. In my opinion, Pei Wei's home office needs to come in and...