Panda Express
Panda Express is an American fast casual restaurant chain specializing in Americanized Chinese cuisine, founded in 1983 by Andrew Cherng and Peggy Cherng with its first location at the Glendale Galleria mall in Glendale, California.[1][2] As part of the family-owned Panda Restaurant Group, it has expanded to over 2,400 locations, predominantly in the United States, making it the largest Asian dining concept in the country.[3][4] The chain is renowned for signature dishes such as the original orange chicken, developed by executive chef Andy Kao in 1987, which has become a staple contributing significantly to its menu appeal and sales exceeding $3 billion annually.[5][3] Panda Express emphasizes quick-service formats with customizable plates, bowls, and family meals, focusing on fresh ingredients prepared in large woks, while maintaining corporate ownership of most outlets to ensure operational consistency.[6] Its growth trajectory includes plans for over 130 new locations in 2025, reflecting sustained demand and strategic expansion into drive-thrus and non-traditional venues like universities and airports.[7] Founded by immigrants—Andrew from China and Peggy from Taiwan—the Cherngs built the business from earlier ventures like Panda Inn, prioritizing employee development and philanthropy through Panda Cares, established in 1999 to support underserved communities.[5][1] While achieving billionaire status and industry-leading average unit volumes, the company has faced legal challenges, including settlements for employment discrimination claims and wage violations, though these have not halted its operational momentum.[8][9]Origins and Founding
Early Ventures and Establishment
Andrew Cherng, who had immigrated to the United States from Taiwan in 1966, partnered with his father, master chef Ming-Tsai Cherng, to open the first Panda Inn restaurant on June 8, 1973, in Pasadena, California.[3] The sit-down establishment was funded with approximately $60,000 from personal savings supplemented by a Small Business Administration loan, following six months of remodeling an existing property.[10] [11] Panda Inn offered Chinese dishes adapted for American palates, emphasizing fresh ingredients and family-style service, which contributed to its early operational success.[12] Over the subsequent decade, the Cherngs expanded Panda Inn to additional locations in Southern California, refining their menu and operations through direct customer feedback and iterative improvements.[1] This period established the foundational recipes and business practices that would inform future ventures, with the restaurants achieving consistent profitability by focusing on quality control and efficient kitchen workflows.[13] The establishment of Panda Express stemmed from an opportunity presented by a Panda Inn customer, a developer for the Glendale Galleria mall, who in 1983 requested a quick-service adaptation of the Panda Inn concept for the mall's food court.[14] Andrew Cherng opened the inaugural Panda Express location that year in Glendale, California, introducing a fast-casual format with pre-portioned entrees served over rice or noodles to accommodate high-volume mall traffic.[1] [5] Peggy Cherng, Andrew's wife, contributed to customizing the operational model, including menu assembly lines and portion controls, enabling rapid service without compromising perceived freshness.[5] This pivot capitalized on the growing demand for convenient, affordable Chinese-inspired meals in non-traditional dining settings.[15]Key Founders and Initial Concept
Andrew Cherng and his wife Peggy Cherng founded Panda Express as a fast-casual extension of the family's earlier restaurant ventures. Andrew, who immigrated from Taiwan to the United States in 1962, initially partnered with his father, master chef Ming-Tsai Cherng, to open the first Panda Inn in Pasadena, California, on June 28, 1973, focusing on traditional Mandarin and Szechuan-style Chinese cuisine in a full-service dining format.[12][1] The initial concept for Panda Express emerged from the need to adapt Panda Inn's recipes for quicker service in high-traffic mall environments, emphasizing American Chinese dishes like orange chicken and Beijing beef prepared with fresh ingredients and wok-cooked methods to appeal to broader U.S. tastes. Andrew Cherng envisioned a model that combined authentic flavors from his father's expertise with efficient, assembly-line operations to serve busy shoppers, marking a shift from sit-down dining to counter-service fast food.[15][12] Peggy Cherng, who joined the business after meeting Andrew and bringing her operations expertise from Baker's Square, customized the kitchen layout, menu presentation, and supply chain for scalability, ensuring portions were standardized and service times minimized. The inaugural Panda Express opened on October 11, 1983, at the Glendale Galleria mall in Glendale, California, initially generating modest sales of about $3,000 in its first month but establishing the blueprint for rapid expansion through franchising and company-owned units.[5][1]Domestic Growth and Operations
Expansion Timeline
Panda Express opened its inaugural location in October 1983 at the Glendale Galleria mall in Glendale, California, marking the start of its domestic expansion as a fast-casual American Chinese restaurant chain.[16] Initially focused on mall food courts and high-traffic venues, the chain grew steadily through the 1980s by prioritizing site selection in shopping centers and supermarkets.[16] By 1988, Panda Express had expanded beyond California with its first out-of-state outlet at the Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, demonstrating early diversification into tourist-heavy markets.[17] The chain reached 173 units by 1995, including its debut airport locations at Denver International Airport, which broadened access in travel hubs.[16] Subsequent growth accelerated in the late 1990s and 2000s:- 1999: Attained 300 locations nationwide.[16]
- 2002: Surpassed 500 units, reflecting maturation in core markets like the West Coast.[16]
- 2007: Opened the 1,000th restaurant in Pasadena, California, coinciding with $1 billion in annual revenue.[16]
- 2012: Exceeded 1,500 locations across the US.[16]
- 2015: Entered the East Coast market with initial openings in Manhattan, New York, targeting high-density areas previously underserved by the chain.[18]
- 2017: Celebrated the 2,000th worldwide restaurant (primarily US-based) in Manhattan, with approximately 2,011 total US units by year-end.[19][18]