Newly opened fast food - Chinese Kitchen per the Panda Express logo self description. It has a drive thru and plenty of parking spaces around it for seasonal holiday or beach tourist traffic.
A plus was being cheerfully welcomed when walking into Panda Express. Every employee greets you and I have to admit that was pleasant to experience. Since it is a brand new building it is very clean and brightly lit. The door I entered was mis-marked saying "use other door" and pointed elsewhere. But the open mis-marked door was just steps away from the ordering station so I know it was the correct door. An entire family and a man also entered the same door immediately before me.
I utilized the Panda Express App which also provides rewards. Today on my very first order I received 20% off the total bill for placing my order online. I have also received, after picking up this first takeout order another reward which says buy 3 plates get 1 plate free. Nice reward system. The reward system also works if you eat in the restaurant by simply scanning your receipt into the app.
My husband and I over ordered so we could try a lot of their menu. We got a family feast, a plate, a chicken egg roll and an order of vegetable spring rolls.
They have a limited menu compared to local asian restaurants.
We asked for serving utensils, napkins, sweet and sour sauce, and hot mustard in the app. Our requests are shown on the receipt but none of it was in the bag. No one was actually in line when I entered and my bag was sitting on a metal rack and immediately given to me by a polite employee. I think it would have been nicer if the staff had reviewed and provided my requests (that are shown on the receipt they stapled to the outside of my bag) since they had visible down time.
The next issue ... no chicken egg roll for my husband who really wanted the meat. There was instead a double order of vegetable spring rolls which were tasty enough BUT someone should have told us about the exchange! The two items are the same price BUT my meat loving husband ordered a meat item and had to eat a vegetable item.
I am enclosing a picture of the Chili Crisp Shrimp which look nothing like what is shown on the ordering app. The app shows golden battered shrimp with chunks of onions and peppers. There is none of that in our order and it looks like a blackened cajun dish. It tastes like the amount of blackened bits of pepper flakes and is scary hot. Burnt sauce is not enjoyable.
We did enjoy all our other entrees which included Honey Walnut Shrimp (though please note it only has tiny bits of walnuts ... don't expect half or whole walnuts), mushroom chicken (it has a fair amount of zucchini in it instead of only mushrooms which I enjoyed but others may prefer mushrooms only and should know that is not what they will get), orange chicken and Beijing beef (which my husband felt was over sauced and he left quite a bit of that sauce on his plate).
We also tried the fried rice (hubby says it is boring and needs more soy sauce) and the chow mein. I am ok with the chow mein but it is basically thin noodles that tasted buttery with cabbage.
Overall my husband stated that Kwong Fa, on the other side of Eatontown, has a broader menu and he prefers their lo mein to Panda Express chow mein which is unlike any chow mein we have seen on the eastern seaboard.
Me? I tried to contact Panda Express directly because the back of their receipt says they would love our feedback. Unfortunately Panda Express does not provide the required 22 digit survey number OR store number on the front or back of their receipt to use their survey. Their desire for an opinion needs a Panda Express IT Department review. To be 100% fair the back of the receipt also says the survey may not be available for some purchases. Perhaps they don't want to hear surveys on purchases from their newly opened kitchens because they expect many, many tweaks to be needed. Personally ... don't ask for my opinion if you are not ready and willing to hear it!
I would sum Panda Express up as reasonably priced fast food Chinese as long as you are content with its very short menu. Don't expect gourmet food.
So despite the decent Panda Express rewards system it is back to Kwong Fa, on the other side of Eatontown; for a broader menu and reliable delivery straight from that family owned business. We will go to Panda Express on the days when Kwong Fa is closed. read more