Just saying the impression I’ve gotten is that there’s a significant proportion of commenters on food boards (recalling here, FFC, CH) that turn their noses up at the mention of Panda Express in any discussion of Asian food. I have the same impression about Taco Bell, McDonald’s, Burger King, Domino’s, Pizza Hut, etc… All, IMHHO, have their own places in the food world, but don’t compare well to ‘real’ purveyors in the same genre.
I’ve already stated that I’ve had entree items like Orange Chicken, Kung Pao Chicken, Honey Walnut Shrimp at neighborhood Chinese places here that did those dishes better than Panda. That said, I’d certainly admit that Panda does them pretty well. Maybe more like Habit Burger vs McDonald’s. It’s all personal, though, I think.
When I lived in SoCal I luv’d Panda Inn. High quality ingredients, perfect texture, and really tasty marinades/sauces. Try their Sweet and Pungent Shrimp and Chicken Salad.
Panda Express is fast food, not cooked to order, with lesser quality ingredients… so this can adversely affect the quality of the food (especially the sauced/battered stuff). Now if you go inside and try and grab some dishes they’ve just finished up it can be quite good, but if you’re hitting up the drive thru you take your chances how long it has been sitting around.
I suppose if I did not have so many meals at a Panda Inn I would appreciate Panda Express a bit more, but sometimes I find it a little disappointing.
Yogi has a whole bunch of “Yogi-isms”: “If you see a fork in the road take it!”.
Maine has only only the one Panda Express (as far as I know) in the Maine Mall’s food court. I never would’ve tried it some 30-ish years ago but all of the other stalls were slammed. I was surprised-- really good authentic American Chinese Food! So much better than the miserable but cheap McD’s basic cheeseburger I was hoping for (hey I like them too but they ain’t gonna win any burger contests). Over the years I saw their stall get more & more popular-- based on my experience of seeing only 1 or 2 people ahead of me to a line stretching out to the tables.
I think PE probably raised the consciousness of Orange Chicken. Haven’t eaten there in 6 or seven years now.
The Panda Express locations near me have all been in strip malls. I’ve never seen one with a drive thru. If you go to one here when they’re busy you’ll get to see the cooks wokking up new batches of entrees. Sometimes you have to wait a bit if you want an item they’ve just sold through. That may be a real plus in the quality.
Panda is good for what it is: cheap, fast asian style meal. I’ve bolted down that teriyaki thing a few times. Filled the gap and was $5. There ya go. Wasn’t great… wasn’t garbage, though.
They still provide Tabasco so I’m not sure I follow your point.
I like Chipotle. Probably get lunch there a few times a month. Lots of people like it based on their business. I still kick myself for not having bought CMG. Looking at a graph of the stock since inception shows how much of mind boggling good business it been.
