r/PandaExpress

Panda is a corrupt organization period. Y'all ask us to do things that violate health code and other things and then write us up for the dumbest shit imaginable. I just spent 3 weeks in the hospital and that is most likely tied to a safety violation that can't be proven, and I get written up for having a moment where I stopped to get a drink of water even tho it's on a accomodation approved by hr. I was written up for standing around. When getting the acomodation to take a pause to get a drink of water. During downtime. Yet the original manager that violated OSHA and health code and company policy has been sheltered and protected and nothing happened with them. This is a joke.

I'm applying for a shift leader position, I do have experience in the food industry and there is a big difference between going from a small family place to a more comercial area.

Any recommendations?. Anything I should expect or how can prepare myself, any recommendations from more seasoned employees ?

Anything I should say or not say in the intreview?

My location recently added a side room for managers and higher ups to be in to come visit and train.

What sucks is that all of us employees are getting the worst of it. Deep cleaning every single night, take pictures of everything as proof, do things this way or manager talks to you for 20 minutes repeating shit you’ve already heard. Oh and get this? For all the extra shit we do now, we don’t get a raise. I understand deep cleaning to an extent, but we’re literally pulling out the meat drawers and wiping it out completely, doing the front floor in kitchen because our sides people are WAY too slow to get it done - which is aggravating on its own because all of us cooks are more than capable of doing the front and back floor if we’re on sides and it’s now just catering to the slow people instead of telling them to get their shit done asap like the rest are capable of. This job is starting to blow and I can’t even leave until my kid is born. One cook is a few days away from his last day and another cook is about to put in his two weeks and these managers are so out of touch that they don’t care or notice they’re pissing EVERY single worker off with this stuff. Sorry to vent. But nobody else cares or understands.

Sitting in my local restaurant and just watched the manager swap out the price on the menu board for the Family Meal (3 LG entrees + 2 LG sides) from $41 to $45.00. That's a nearly 10% increase.

That was the only change I observed.

Never ordered it personally, but how does that compare? And how often do prices adjust generally?

(Am in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, if it matters.)

Bring back. Tired of the hot orange.

That is all

Hi!
I have a test in the next few weeks, I was wondering what they would ask me, what are the most important key things I should remember and how it’s scored (I’m doing module one and two).

hi I like panda express but I want to know what everyone's normal orders are

yesterday I got bowl with chowmein and orange chicken, what about you guys?

Panda Express is currently hiring and I would like all future employees to know, if you so choose to work for this company, to be cautious!

I am currently employed with Panda Express, but I have put in my two weeks. My last day is next Tuesday, August 18th and this day couldn't come any faster. I was hired as FOH (Front of the House) Kitchen Staff and worked for the company for 1 year and 2 months.

When I first applied to Panda Express, I went onto Reddit to have a better idea on what the expectations are from current or former employees prior to my interview. I read a lot of negative reviews and saw a couple of positive reviews. I needed this job in the beginning as I was a part-time student and needed a part-time job to accommodate to my school schedule and I don't regret it. However, I do regret working for Panda Express for as long as I did.

Alright, let's get into it.

• Panda Express has inconsistent expectations!
• Panda Express treats their Shift Lead's terribly!
• Panda Express Management receives commissions from promoting within the company.
• Panda Express starting pay is $21.00.
• Panda Express encourages favoritism.
• Panda Express hires mostly Hispanic or Latino employees.
• Panda Express is an incredibly fast-paced environment.

> Panda Express has inconsistent expectations! The company, although established in 1988, changes their policies and operations all, the, time, and it was incredibly frustrating for me as an associate. From the way the pans and utensils needed to be placed, to how associates needed to act while serving guests. I only worked with the company for a year and the company has changed their policies and procedures countless times.

> Panda Express treats their Shift Lead's terribly! The company has high expectations and pushes that onto their Shift Leadership. The amount of stress and constant conversations from upper management have driven my Shift Leads to quit! I had 4 Shift Leads when I was hired and now I have only one left and she's been unbearable for almost a month due to the company expectations. As an associate I have no idea what the expectations are for her specifically, but everyone feels it and it has negatively impacted the working environment.

> Panda Express Management receives commissions from promoting within the company. The company encourages growth and is always looking for associates to promote, but heed with caution, as management receives a nice bonus if you decide to promote. If you decide to promote then that's great! But if not, don't let upper management pressure you into growing into a company you don't see yourself in long term as a career.

> Panda Express starting pay is $21.00. There are no negotiations regarding pay. The company is paying quite well, but as I learned as an associate it comes with a cost.

> Panda Express encourages favoritism. Please, this is important. Management looks for associates to promote as mentioned earlier, but they also look for associates who they like as the company encourages networking from within. Panda Express is looking to expand their business operations and need staff to manage and operate their new locations. However, through this networking corruption is bound to follow as favored associates or management often mistreat the other employees and cause discord in the workplace. I have seen many associates quit from the blatant favoritism.

> Panda Express hires mostly Hispanic or Latino employees. The company has a high amount of Hispanic/Latino employees, who mostly speak Spanish. This is not an issue, the issue is how some of the employees don't speak or understand English and that can be frustrating for the guests and other associates. When I first applied, I was shocked to learn some of my co-workers and I couldn't have a conversation or understand each other since their was a language barrier, which sucked when it came to working together on tasks. I took the initiative to learn Spanish so that I could understand my co-workers, not all associates of a different ethnicity will do that. I also was the only African-American that worked at my location. All my co-workers are Mexican. You find this at other locations at Panda Express, especially in the SoCal area.

> Panda Express is an incredibly fast-paced environment. The company is a fast-paced casual restaurant business and everything happens quickly! From serving guests, cleaning the dining area, to stocking up on supplies. It is always busy and will be stressful! I do well in stressful work environments, but the stress at Panda Express was unbearable! Especially with everything I mentioned earlier that drove me to make the decision to quit working for the company.

In conclusion, I don't think Panda Express is the worst company ever. However, there is a lot of issues the company is facing that makes working for them awful and has driven many associates, including me, to look for employment else where.

If you're still considering Panda Express after reading this, I applaud you and good luck!

I'm just curious, do you know if they hire someone as an assistant manager who never work and have no idea about panda express. I'm currently training for an assistant manager at taco bell and also want to try Panda express. All the benefits look good, I'm hard working, so I don't mind working in fast-paced. I know I read a lot of people talking about bad side, maybe you can tell me all the good side too

Ate at Panda Express today, which was really tasty, but the unsweetened tea container was empty. Asked an employee about it, hoping they would fill the container, and was informed they only had sweetened tea. I asked if there was a tea container behind the counter for drive-thru orders as many other fast food places have, and was told no. Is that so? No other tea containers but what's in the dining area? Also, what is the protocol for when tea runs out? No one makes more tea that day? I drink unsweetened tea instead of sugary drinks (can't have artificial sweeteners) and would have ordered bottled water had I known there was no tea. Thanks.

hi everyone! so my manager came to me and is expecting me to promote to shift lead. she wants to start training this week because next week, our assistant manager will be leaving panda and for the mean time, she wants me to be in charge of a few days out of the week. i'm a counter help and all i know is how to drop teriyaki but ill be starting my training on sides and opening. i'm just a bit worried about that, is it hard? do any other shift leads have any advice for me about this?? any and all shift lead advice is very appreciated 😊