Panda Express

UPDATE 4/13/22: The service and quality of food at this location has improved since my original review was posted. They still struggle to keep it staffed all the time so the lobby is often closed or the store closes early, but that's a sign of the times. I've been visiting this location for years but lately they've really been struggling. Their menu is extremely limited and has been for many weeks (maybe even months) due to supply chain issues. What's worse though is that the "chicken" pieces have almost zero meat. It's all chewy, fried breading, no meat. Just got an entire bowl of orange chicken, and I think maybe ONE piece had actual chicken inside the breading. The rest were all breading. The flavor was also very off from how their orange chicken used to taste. I ate only a third of the bowl before I had to quit because it was inedible (again). The rice is also often hard and old. I'm really not a picky person, but this location really seems to be going more and more downhill as time passes. There are few options around my workplace but the list just got even shorter because I feel like this location is no longer an option after many bad experiences in a row. I hope they are able to resolve their supply chain and quality issues.

So keep in mind the job market is trash, but do not bother coming to this Panda Express around 5pm. They simply cannot keep up with the demand even with the lobby shut down. I tried calling three times to see if I could skip the long drive-thru line and meet them at the door for my mobile order... no answer on any of them.

Decent price and the food is filled all the way up (at least for the to-go box). The staff is friendly and the place is quite clean. The food is MSG-free, thus it’s not mouth watering like a lot of Chinese places but the flavor just isn’t unique. However if you’re in Springfield, you might as well try the local Chinese restaurants over a franchise like Panda Express. Thus the low stars are purely because of all the local businesses you could support instead of eating at Panda Express. However, Panda Express is still a decent place to try once in a while.