Panda Express facts for kids
Logo used since 2014
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Panda Express location, Midtown Manhattan
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Food service |
| Genre | American Chinese cuisine |
| Founded | October 1983 In Glendale, California, United States |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters |
1683 Walnut Grove Avenue, Rosemead, California, U.S.
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Number of locations
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2,200 (2019) |
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Area served
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United States (also Puerto Rico & Guam), Mexico, Canada, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Guatemala, El Salvador, Aruba, Philippines, Germany, Indonesia |
| Products | American Chinese cuisine |
| Revenue | 3 billion (2017) |
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Number of employees
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39,000 (2018) |
| Parent | Panda Restaurant Group |
Panda Express (Chinese: 熊貓快餐) is a popular American fast food restaurant chain. It specializes in American Chinese cuisine, which is Chinese food adapted for American tastes. With over 2,200 locations, it is the biggest Asian-style restaurant chain in the United States. You can find Panda Express restaurants mostly in North America and Asia, but also in other countries.
Panda Express used to be found mainly in shopping mall food courts. Now, you can find them in many different places. These include stand-alone restaurants, universities, casinos, airports, and amusement parks. The chain offers many American-Chinese dishes. Some popular choices are orange chicken, sweet fire chicken breast, and Beijing beef. They also have grilled teriyaki chicken and Kung Pao chicken. Some special dishes like honey walnut shrimp cost a little extra. The company's main office is in Rosemead, California. Panda Express is a faster, more casual version of its sister restaurant, Panda Inn, which is a fancier sit-down restaurant.
History
The company that owns Panda Express is called Panda Restaurant Group. It was started by Andrew Cherng, Peggy Cherng, and Andrew's father, Master Chef Ming Tsai Cherng. Andrew and his father were born in China. Peggy was born in Burma and grew up in Hong Kong. Andrew and Peggy met while studying at Baker University in Kansas.
Andrew and his father opened their first restaurant, Panda Inn, in Pasadena, California, in 1973. At first, not many people came to eat there. Andrew even offered special deals to attract customers. In 1982, Peggy joined the restaurant business. Through a connection, the Cherngs were asked to create a fast-food version of Panda Inn. This new restaurant, Panda Express, opened in October 1983 in a mall food court in Glendale, California.
A second Panda Express location opened in 1985. Since then, the chain has grown steadily across the United States. Chef Andy Kao is said to have created the famous Chinese-American orange chicken recipe in Hawaii in 1987.
At first, Panda Express restaurants were only found in mall food courts. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Cherngs started trying out new locations. They opened restaurants inside supermarkets and then stand-alone restaurants. In 1997, the first stand-alone restaurant with a drive-through opened in Hesperia, California. Today, less than 2% of their restaurants are in malls.
Peggy Cherng had a background in software design. This helped Panda Express use computers early on to manage its operations. She also helped the company figure out how to grow and keep its food and service consistent.
In 2005, Panda Express began opening restaurants on college campuses. Some of these locations even let students use their meal plans there. As of 2007, the restaurant that made the most money was in the Ala Moana Center food court in Hawaii. It earned over US$4 million each year!
In 2013, Panda Express opened its first location in the western Pacific, in the American territory of Guam. The first restaurant in Alaska opened in December 2015. By 2017, the Panda Restaurant Group had sales of over $3 billion and nearly 39,000 employees.
The Cherngs also opened the Panda Innovation Kitchen in Pasadena. This kitchen is a place to try out new flavors and ingredients for future menu items. They also added a tea bar to offer drinks like boba milk tea. In December 2017, Panda Express opened its 2,000th location in New York City. In 2022, Panda Express even looked into expanding into the Metaverse. They filed a trademark for "PANDAVERSE" for virtual food and drinks.
International Locations
Panda Express has expanded beyond the United States. You can find their restaurants in Canada, Saudi Arabia, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, El Salvador, the Philippines, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia.
The first location in Mexico opened in Mexico City in September 2011. In October 2013, the first Panda Express in Canada opened in Nepean, Ontario. The first location in Calgary opened in October 2016.
In November 2014, the first Panda Express restaurant in the Middle East opened in Dubai. The first location in South Korea opened in Seoul in September 2014. In July 2016, Panda Express opened its first restaurant in Guatemala, in Guatemala City.
In September 2017, Panda Express opened its first location in the Dutch Caribbean country of Aruba. This restaurant is at the Queen Beatrix International Airport. In January 2018, a second Panda Express opened in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In July 2018, Panda Express entered El Salvador. They opened two locations in the capital city of San Salvador.
In September 2018, Panda Express announced a partnership to bring its stores to the Philippines. The first restaurant in the Philippines opened in December 2019 at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong. More branches have opened since then.
Panda Express also had locations in Russia, but corporate support for these operations was suspended in March 2022. The company returned to Japan in November 2016 after a previous agreement ended. As of August 2022, there were nine restaurants in Japan. In October 2020, a fake Panda Express restaurant in China was reported for using the company's logo and menu without permission. In August 2022, Panda Express opened its first European location at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
Giving Back
In 1999, Panda Express started a program called Panda Cares. This program aims to "give back to the community." They provide money, food, and volunteer help to children in need and for disaster relief. Since 2010, the company has placed donation boxes in all its restaurants.
Panda Cares has raised a lot of money. A large part of it comes from these in-store donation boxes. The charity has given money to programs that teach leadership skills to elementary school students. They have also donated to Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. This helps cover medical costs for children in need. Panda Cares also supports efforts to help after natural disasters.
See also
- List of Chinese restaurants
- PF Chang's
