Panda Express - Newark

The staff at this restaurant is consistently friendly and polite, even when they are very busy. The young employees do a great job of keeping the line moving sm... read more The staff at this restaurant is consistently friendly and polite, even when they are very busy. The young employees do a great job of keeping the line moving smoothly and the food quality at Panda is excellent.

We decided to order from Panda Express because we love their food. When we arrived, we saw that the restaurant was crowded inside, so we decided to make an onli... read more We decided to order from Panda Express because we love their food. When we arrived, we saw that the restaurant was crowded inside, so we decided to make an online order and wait outside. The expected time for our order to be ready came and went without any notification. After waiting for a while, we called to ask about our order and were told it was ready. When I went inside to pick it up, I had to wait in line along with several other people. The pick-up counter was at the opposite end, so I had to navigate through a crowd of people to get there. As someone at high risk for COVID-19, I have been taking precautions for over a year and expected to feel safe. Unfortunately, I did not feel safe in this situation. While I enjoy eating at Panda Express, the long wait time and crowded conditions made the experience less than ideal. If I had to rate this experience on a scale of 1 to 10, it would be a 7.5.

Staff here is always super friendly and accommodating, even when super busy. These guys keep the line moving really well and food is quality for Panda read more Staff here is always super friendly and accommodating, even when super busy. These guys keep the line moving really well and food is quality for Panda

Good food, friendly staff, fair prices read more Good food, friendly staff, fair prices

We decided we wanted to get food from here because we live Panda Express, so we pulled up and found there were too many people inside than we felt comfortable w... read more We decided we wanted to get food from here because we live Panda Express, so we pulled up and found there were too many people inside than we felt comfortable with, so we decided to do an online order and wait outside until it was ready. We got a time that it was expected to be ready, but that time came came and went without any notification that it was ready. The minutes just kept ticking by as the expected time of readiness just kept rolling over into the next minute. We finally had to call and ask if our order was ready and we were told that it was. So, I went inside to collect the order, and still had to wait while surrounded by at least 6 other individuals/couples also waiting. Because the pick up counter is on the opposite end of the entryway, I had to walk through a sea of people to get to that counter and again once I left. Pandemic measures were totally inefficient and ineffective. I know that not everyone has taken this pandemic seriously, but I do since I'm considered high risk. I've sheltered in place for over a year and now that I'm gradually making my way back into the world, it would be nice if I felt safe in doing so. In this case, I did not feel safe. I love Panda Express food, so my complaint is not with the food. And under normal circumstances having to go inside to pick up my order would not be a big deal. These things are considered when writing this review. But, having to wait almost 15 minutes past the estimated time of our order being ready, having to eventually call, and finally having to navigate past and through people, and still have to wait was more than I feel is reasonable. If this was a 10 point scale, the number would be a 7. I have no way of giving 3.5 stars.