Think working at Panda Express is an easy
job? You may rethink your opinion once you find out what goes into it:
constant monitoring, memorization, short breaks. It's a lot more than spooning up orange chicken.
If a Panda Express worker wants to slack off in a moment of downtime at the cash register,
those who've already worked at the chain would advise rethinking those moments of weakness.
According to some employees, the boss is watching. In a Reddit thread asking about
expectations for a first day of work at Panda Express, a former employee warned,
"Follow the cash handling policies you learn on the video modules they show you. Follow
them strictly — they watch the cameras and audit your store when they see violations."
The same member also claimed in another Panda Express-centric Reddit,
"There are cameras pointed at every workstation and there are people who sit at a desk and watch
every single transaction and if you have to void something because someone changed
their mind or forgot their wallet, it flags you and the GM has to explain why you had to void."
And in a different Reddit discussion on working the cash register,
a person associated with the company explained,
"The [camera] shows us what you deleted and who you rung up next.
When it shows you have high deletes, it gives out a red flag and we check the cameras to
make sure there aren't any incident[s] like stealing or giving out free food."
If there's one thing Panda Express workers seem to all agree on,
it's that you better know those food codes by heart if you want to succeed.
One Redditor and year-long Panda Express employee advises,
"Memorizing the codes before hand is good [because] if you're on the line and don't
know the codes, your coworkers are prolly gonna be a bit agitated."
Then in a different Reddit conversation seeking advice for a new job at PE,
a Panda Express worker emphasized,
"Getting to memorize all the food and codes will be super helpful."
Another Redditor responded to someone asking for job tips with,
"Memorize all the codes for the sides and entrees, so you can write them down
whenever something is waiting or for the cashier to type it in quicker."
Sounds like the unified consensus from Panda employees is that learning the
codes relieves a ton of possible at-work stress.
While Panda Express is offering more options for vegans and vegetarians lately, there's definitely
been times when employees' hands were tied when it came to having vegan or vegetarian offerings
for clientele who asked. In a Reddit AMA from a head cook at Panda Express, a commenter asked
about what he or she could order from the menu as a legit vegetarian offer. The cook explained,
"Unfortunately aside from our rice, no. [...] More comes down to could there be contamination?
In our company's eyes, there is always that risk,
so we prefer to say no there is not, even if it would seem like a vegetarian option."
We assume with the increase in people opting for plant-based diets,
the Panda Express workers are getting this question a lot these days.
One of the most common questions fast food workers get is,
"Do you get free food?!"
In a Quora thread that poses the question
of whether employees consume the food at Panda Express, a former worker explains,
"Yes. I definitely did when I worked there and will still eat there. The food
is good – we would eat some on our breaks and sometimes we were able to take leftovers home."
The key word there is "breaks," because,
according to another used-to-be Panda Express employee on Quora,
"We are offered a free meal during our shifts. Depending on your schedule, if you signed the
waiver, you would only get 1 ten minute break for every 6 hour shift you worked. [...] Since
10 minutes is such a short amount of time for a break, they offered free food."
It's not often you hear about fast food employees earning bonuses but this is
apparently one of the upsides to being a Panda Express worker. A Quora user wrote,
"When I worked for Panda, we received bonuses every three months. The amount
you got depended on how many hours you work per week and how well the store does quarterly."
The user went on to reveal that the bonuses aren't measly either, saying,
"I have never received a bonus worth less than $100."
This is in addition to other perks, such as free food and drinks from other dining establishments,
plus opportunities for salary increases and promotions. It's clear that easy access
to a lot of Orange Chicken is not the only benefit to manning the woks at Panda Express.
"Sky is the limit."
Ever wonder how Panda Express manages to get those vegetables so soft and easy to chew? The
behind-the-scenes crew learns the ins and outs pretty quickly once they're up and running at
their designated Panda location of employment. A Quora user answered an inquiry regarding how
Panda Express cooks their famous vegetables, saying it's all about the step just prior to
sauteeing the veggies. The purported Panda Express shift leader explains,
"They boil the vegetables. (Broccoli, Cabbage, and kale) for about a minute and
they toss it into the wok. I recently learned how to make the veggies."
It all makes sense now. You work at Panda Express,
and you learn a very simple trick for bringing your stir fry to the next level at home.
Serving spoons and tongs are obviously a big part of working at Panda Express. Since it's more of an
assembly line style of fast food, the workers have to brace for hungry customers watching their every
move as they prepare those plates or take-out containers full of delicious Chinese fare.
So it's no surprise that learning how to properly use the big utensils that retrieve
the food from bins and woks is paramount to success as a Panda Express worker.
A Redditor giving advice to a new addition to the Panda Express team says,
"I always cringe at how new employees hold the [spoon] and tongs and everything,
but you only improve as time goes by."
The Panda Express employee continues,
"Make sure to follow SSSP (stir, serve, stir, place) with the spoon placed having
the 'bowl' part touching the upper left side and the handle resting against the
bottom part of the right dish handle. Its all about appearance at panda."
Pretty much anything is fair game on TikTok, so it's fascinating
to see what goes viral there. When a woman working at Panda Express decided to make
a TikTok video giving a play-by-play of how the Orange Chicken is made at
everyone's favorite Chinese food drive-thru and mall staple, the internet lost its mind.
The video, which entails the worker stirring garlic in a sizzling hot pan and ladling
the special sauce before tossing in a vat of fried chicken pieces, has as of October 2021,
garnered over 3,700 shares and over 2,500 comments. What we can all learn here is,
Panda Express workers not only know how to make cooking at a fast food restaurant seem
fun, they also definitely don't feel creatively stifled on the job. This
woman not only handles orange sauce like a total pro, she also seems to have fun while doing it.
Customers should always be kind to those preparing and serving their fast food.
Not only is it the right thing to do, but at Panda Express, it may pay off. A Reddit thread
notes that Panda Express employees really do incentivize customers to be friendly.
"Treat every guest like you're family member that are coming in."
According to an assistant manager answering a question about Panda Express hacks:
"Ask politely. Everyone that I work with agrees that if a customer come[s] in acting nicely,
we tend to give extra. [...] I give discounts usually half off,
depend[ing] on how polite you are 10 [minutes] before we close."
So, maybe swing through a half hour before closing time if you want to get lucky?
In another Reddit AMA, the Panda Express employee said they didn't
mind giving multiple samples to polite customers. The employee went on to say,
"One major thing I learned by working at fast food
restaurants is to always be nice to people who are serving you,
if you are nice your order is less like[ly] to be screwed up, and that is just showing respect."
It pays to be nice, in more samples of Kung Pao Chicken and a cheaper final tally.
"Man, we got a great place. Let's rock and roll."
For the most part, Panda Express prides itself on really fresh food. However, a few of its
employees have indicated that certain select items do regularly get nuked in the microwave.
In a Reddit exchange, two Panda Express workers confirmed in separate comments that
"Mandarin chicken is microwaved." Then in a Panda server's Reddit AMA thread, the server confirms,
"The food that is saved for the next day if there are leftovers is Mandarin Chicken
(we microwave this), steamed rice, and BBQ pork. All the rest the cooks will serve fresh."
There's a lot to pick from on the menu at Panda Express. There's also the question of
what damage you're willing to do calorie-wise. There are certainly some things on the menu
that are lighter. It turns out, the employees serving up the goods might be able to offer
some prime Panda pairing options. They tend to learn exactly what goes best with what.
If you're going to get one of the three "healthier" chicken entrees — Kung Pao Chicken,
Mushroom Chicken, or Black Pepper Chicken — it's best to pair them with teriyaki and broccoli beef,
and steamed brown or white rice, according to one Quora user. And apparently,
the sweeter flavored chicken dishes tend to taste better alongside chow mein and fried rice.
At some popular chain restaurants, a lot of the food isn't as fresh as you might think, so
the employees don't get to see the whole process for how they're made. However, at Panda Express,
the workers get a first-hand glimpse into how most of the dishes are prepared before
they hit the assembly line. As a Quora user who served as a cashier at Panda Express explains,
"I got to see how some of the entrees are
made [...] there's a lot and I mean a lot of sugar involved so be careful.
Your brain may crave orange chicken more and more, the more you eat it."
So when a Panda Express worker sees a row of bins and woks full of steaming Chinese food,
they likely also see all the sugar that went into making the delicious grub.
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