Some of them have online ordering, and you can check the most recent inspection, which is on display at the front of the store in most states. You can also probably check health inspection status online (I can, and I get a history of violations and whatnot).
But honestly, just pointing at the menu works wonders. And usually the person working the front counter speaks really good English, at least in my experience.
Yeah, I'm not interested in pointing. I'm gathering here that everyone else's social comfort matters but mine doesn't because y'all wanna think I'm a racist instead.
I'm offering options, that's it. My main goal here is to help you get better food and support smaller businesses without increasing your costs.
I don't know if you're a racist or not, nor did I imply that whatsoever. I get it, talking to someone with poor English can be difficult, I know that first hand since I'm married to someone from another country and have trouble communicating with my in-laws (my SO speaks really good English). So I'm suggesting ways to avoid most of the problem you stated with minimal discomfort.
I also don’t believe money should be skimped on the food industry.
Nor do I, which is precisely what places like Panda Express do. They use mediocre ingredients, pay staff low wages, and are franchised, which means a chunk of the profits goes to the parent company. Smaller mom & pops generally live in the community and the owner often hand-picks ingredients each day/week. Also, the staff usually work for tips instead of minimum wage (my wife averaged a fair bit more than minimum wage), and the owner is usually relatively well-off (like $100k+), but not rich, whereas managers at a fanchise will get a lower-middle class wage, like $40-60k).
That said, we go to Panda Express occasionally as well. My kids like it, service is usually pretty quick, and they're literally everywhere. So I'm not going to shame you or anything for it, but I do think you'd do well by trying something different.