Yelp seemingly made a mistake putting this Panda in the American (New) category, but that's closer to the truth than "Chinese." Anyone living in the Fast Food Nation knows Panda Express is no closer to Chinese food than Chef Boy-Ar-Dee is to Italian. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it.
I prefer this location to the one out Charleston by Home Depot. It's more pleasant and relaxing because there are no stun tunes blaring while you try to enjoy a meal. Last visit to the Charleston location they had the heat cranked up even though it was at least 80 degrees outside.
Yes, Vons has tunes piped in over a dreadful sound system but the store wisely tones it down. It's what "background" music should be: in the background. Kudos to the store manager. Their climate control shows they are not in denial about what's going on outside.
This Panda has a strange practice of not being ready at the stated opening. If you arrive at 10 a.m. expecting to choose among their menu items you will instead find the cook scrambling to get things going. You'll be asked to come back later!
BEEF BROCCOLI? FORGET IT!
Another visit we arrived at 10:30 and asked for beef broccoli. It'll be a 9 minute wait, we were told. We assumed the solo attendant would get our order started right away. NO! She finished waiting on the other five customers first. By then we were halfway through our meal. She explained that beef broccoli is best consumed fresh. The hurried preparation compromised the quality, however. Forget beef broccoli. Choose something else.
It's not the staff's fault. The proprietor seeks to maximize profits by hiring a single multitasking attendant. Like many businesses practically guaranteed a steady flow of customers, they couldn't care less about any one customer's experience.
If you can work around the problems this location throws at you, it's not a bad place to grab a bite before shopping.