text: Anyone who knows me - and that's you, buddy - know I (used to) love Panda Express. Enough to keep menus up at my desk at work to advertise. Note: they are coming down tomorrow. Yeah, I've been lazy up to this point, but now that this is in print, I gotta keep up with my obligations.\n\nI just can't take it anymore. The prices increase with...every...single...visit. As does the wait in the drive thru. My first experience with both the price gouging and the 8 minute wait through the drive thru (God, I'd pray for 8 minutes now) I thought: \"Well, the food is still great and this might be a one-time occurrence.\"\n\nBut, just in case, on the next visit, I timed the experience - clocked at 12 minutes - and I almost asked for a discount, you know, to bring back the price to the previous visit. My reasoning for the markdown? Duh, gas prices have increased.\n\nI'm not dumb or ignorant enough not to know the two are intertwined, but like a lot of other Americans, I will be finding another place to spend my money for a better value. Panda has done NOTHING to convince me to return. Well, aside from the cuddly bears in their marketing. Okay, okay, I kinda like those talking pandas, but it's not working.\n\nStill, I rate Panda Express 2/5 stars because I still love their food. I can't find Beijing Beef anywhere else and that's my favorite. Also, their \"Chow Mein\" - by the way, guys, that's more like LO MEIN, but still - is good as is their Orange Chicken (though I've had much better at a Chinese Buffet.) Unfortunately, you'll have to pay an extra dollar for shrimp items, and take my word for it: it's not worth it. I'd barely order them at the same price.\n\nLesson? Don't choose the Drive Thru, save up for your yearly visit there - as I will, but can a restaurant stay open if that's the case? - and prepare for a long wait if you don't go inside. It's about the same amount of time as if you went to a standard sit-down establishment, such as Applebee's...for about the same price.