P.F. Chang's — Restaurant in Upper Providence Township

We regularly have ordered family take out for 6 people in hopes in-restaurant food experience would be better than take out… however, last night we decided to eat in with just 3 of us.

We heard that their kitchen was swamped earlier and even joked with the waitress, hoping to show understanding; I’ve been a waiter before, ran a bar and restaurant, so I get it to the best of my ability (understanding everything is different everywhere but there are some universal truths across the customer service/food industry).

The appetizer came out with a round of drinks and that was it. We sat with empty drinks (one refill of a soda) for about 40 minutes while the waitress seemed to make an effort not even look at us or make eye contact, least she be asked for anything.

I pointed that out to her after having to raise our voices to get her attention after 20 minutes - which we shouldn’t have needed to do.

However, we did have the pleasure of overhearing her complain to her peers regarding our unrealistic expectation of a drink refill, food (even just the kids chicken and white rice as he was starving), checking in, even letting us know there would be a delay, in the face of her table count and the kitchen backup - we have no way of knowing if the kitchen was still backed up or that was just an earlier, temporary situation.

Her response to us was that she had a lot of tables; having worked football Sunday football regularly - I get that but I still check in on my customers and glance around to make sure everything is ok or even use runners to help with drink refills. However, it’s easy to identify someone purposefully avoiding eye contact/interaction with tables.

Finally, I went to the bar to ask for water and there was no bar tender there to ask.

For overall time: 7:45 wait - not horrible 8:00 - sit 8:10 - Waiter appeared (places kids meal, 1 app, 2 adult meals) 8:25 - Within 15 minutes we had drinks and appetizer 8:45 - nothing, empty drinks, restaurant more than half empty, no food 8:50 - talk to manager to ask status No one came to check in, let us know, etc 9:00 - asked for water 9:20 -...

Despite coming in on a severely quiet day (sports-day kept people home), this location was clean, quiet and beyond hospitable. Starting with Brett at the door, he was welcoming and genuine, immediately starting the vibe off with a few well-placed jokes and being incredibly friendly. Jaivil took over from there, making sure every moment of our stay was enjoyable and ensuring we were never left wanting. He checked in multiple times, pausing to chat when he had the time. The food was amazing, cooked to perfection and delicious. The tea was fresh and the perfect temperature.

Second visit 11/10/23: Madi and Jake deserve a huge round of applause for keeping up with tonight's crazy dinner rush. It was non-stop food and drinks all around, and these two bartenders went above and beyond to make sure everyone had everything they needed. They both checked in with us multiple times throughout our dinner, ensure our drinks never emptied and our food was ordered asap. Empty plates disappeared magically, and new orders were immediate. They both did fantastic making sure our night (and I'm sure everyone else's) was very enjoyable. As a side note, the holiday menu is amazing, delicious, and well worth coming back to try.

Third visit 1/13/24: Xander has definitely kept the ball rolling. From the start of our visit to the end, he was a blast. Every piece of the meal, he asked our preferences and made suggestions based on what he thought we'd enjoy. The plum wine is out of stock? Here's three other similar drinks. We asked for a special order? Not a problem, he even figured out how to ring it up appropriately. Food items we ordered were described in detail and he shared his own experiences with each one. He took the time to be human, be personable, and have a real conversation with us. He shared his own stories when asked, and made a point to make us feel welcome. The entire meal was fantastic, and Xander's hosting definitely made the...

I don't make google reviews, generally. If I do, it's because I have nice things to say. I, unfortunately, do not have nice things to say today about my experience at PF Chang's yesterday afternoon.

I will start by saying that everything that I experienced is in no way any of the employees that I interacted with yesterday's fault. This store is obviously going through a management crisis and the employees I interacted with were genuinely trying their best with the dumpster fire that I do not doubt management dumped in their laps.

From start to finish, my partner and I were at this location for no less than 90 minutes. We started by waiting 10 minutes at the front desk, only to be seated by one of the SOUS CHEFS (who, in my experience, shouldn't have hosting duties as a part of their job, but what do I know). We then sat down, placed our orders, and waited another 20 minutes for waters. 30 minutes later our appetizers arrived, then we waited another 20 or so minutes for cold entrees. Everything was bad. I found a hair in my food. The broccoli was mushy. My partner ordered teriyaki chicken and got sesame chicken instead -- we didn't say anything because we didn't want to wait another hour for a replacement.

Multiple tables remained un-bussed for the entirety of our meal. There were more fruit flies than employees on premises. The entire experience left myself and my partner laugh crying the whole way home. It's not often that you leave a restaurant still hungry, but there's a first time for everything.

If management is reading this, I implore you to take care of your staff and do better. The whole experience felt unfair to them, and while this will become a great story for us to tell at parties it sounds like a genuine nightmare of a work...