Panda Express

Panda Express
Private
Industry Foodservice
Founded 1983
Founder Andrew Cherng
Peggy Cherng
Ming Tsai Cherng
Headquarters 1683 Walnut Grove Ave., Rosemead, California 91770 U.S. (626-799-9898)[1]
Number of locations
 1,746 (June 2015)
Area served
 United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, Mexico,[2] Canada
Products American Chinese cuisine
Revenue $2 billion (March 2014) [3]
Number of employees
 24,995 (2014) [4]
Parent Panda Restaurant Group Inc.
Website pandaexpress.com
A stand-alone Panda Express restaurant in Oakland, California with drive-through window
A mall food court Panda Express at Ala Moana Center in Hawaii

Panda Express is a fast casual restaurant chain which serves American Chinese cuisine. It operates mainly in the United States, where it was founded, and is the largest chain of its kind in that country. Panda Express restaurants were traditionally located in shopping mall food courts, but the chain now operates units in many other environments and formats, including stand-alone restaurants, as well as universities, casinos, airports, military bases, and other venues.

Panda Express has over 1,500 restaurants, located in 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Canada, Mexico, Korea, and the United Arab Emirates. The company does not offer franchises. All units are company-owned and operated.

The chain offers a variety of Chinese-cuisine-inspired dishes (e.g., Orange Chicken; Firecracker Chicken Breast; Beijing Beef; Grilled Teriyaki Chicken; Kung Pao Chicken). "Combo meals" are served with customer's choice of either fried rice, steamed rice, chow mein, or mixed vegetables. No MSG is added to any of the items at Panda Express after it has been delivered to the restaurant, nor does Panda Express purchase from any suppliers who add MSG prior to delivery.[5]

Panda Express is headquartered in Rosemead, California.[6] The Panda Express brand is a casual, fast-food variation of corporate sibling and predecessor Panda Inn (a chain of upscale, table service restaurants).

History

A typical Panda Express in Fort Worth, Texas (2014)

The Panda Restaurant Group, parent company of Panda Inn, Panda Express, and Hibachi-San, was founded by Andrew and Peggy Cherng and Andrew's father, Master Chef Ming Tsai Cherng.[7] Andrew Cherng and his father are from the Yangzhou region of China's Jiangsu province, while Peggy was born in Burma and raised in Hong Kong.[8] Both Andrew and Peggy Cherng are alumni of Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas (where they first met).[9][10] Peggy Cherng received her B.S. degree in applied mathematics from Oregon State University in 1971, and her M.S. in Computer Science and Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Missouri-Columbia.[11] Andrew Cherng also received his M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Missouri.[12]

In 1973, when Andrew's parents moved to the United States, Andrew went into business with his father and opened their first Panda Inn restaurant in Pasadena, California.[8][9] At the beginning, business was lacking to the degree that Andrew had to offer special deals and freebies so that customers would dine at Panda Inn.[13] In 1982, Peggy joined Andrew in the restaurant business.[8] While operating Panda Inn, Andrew became acquainted with then-UCLA head football coach Terry Donahue, as well as Terry's brother Dan, who happened to be in the real estate business.[8] It was because of this connection that in 1983, Donahue Schriber Real Estate, the manager of the Glendale Galleria, invited the Cherngs to develop a fast-food version of Panda Inn for the Galleria's food court, and Panda Express was launched that October.[14] The chain has steadily expanded across the United States since then.

At first, Panda Express restaurants were found solely in food courts in major shopping malls.[8] During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Cherngs began experimenting with supermarket-based branches, through a deal with Vons, and then stand-alone restaurant locations.[8] Because Peggy had worked for several years as an software designer and engineer for defense contractors like McDonnell Douglas, Panda Express computerized its operations early on.[8][9] Peggy also brought a systems analysis perspective to the business and worked through the logistics and standardization issues necessary to scale up the concept.[8][9]

In 1997, the company opened its first stand-alone, drive-through restaurant, in Hesperia, California.[15]

In 2000, they launched Panda Cares to give back to the community. They provide funding, food and volunteer services to children in need and disaster relief efforts.[16]

In 2008, the Cherngs were the recipients of the City of Angels Award, given by the LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce,[17] for their contributions to the greater Los Angeles area.[18]

On November 23, 2009, it was announced that Panda Express had selected Trusonic to provide Asian themed background music to its store locations.[19]

On the ABC News TV program Nightline, April 18, 2011, there was a feature segment on Panda Express and its success. The segment described how Andrew Cherng encourages his workers and management to go through self-help programs emphasizing Landmark Education.[20]

In June 2013, it was announced that the restaurant chain will pay $150,000 to settle an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission action on behalf of at least three female teenagers who were allegedly sexually harassed between 2007 and 2009 by one male kitchen supervisor in Kauai, Hawaii.[21]

As of 2014, the Panda Restaurant Group had annual sales of over $2 billion and close to 25,000 employees.[22] They also opened Panda Innovation Kitchen in Pasadena with their daughter, Peggy Cherng, overlooking majority of the restaurant's business.[23] The idea for Panda Innovation Kitchen is to experiment with new flavours and ingredients to come up with new menu items. In addition, they also opened a tea bar to introduce trendy Chinese drinks such as boba milk tea and new innovative drinks like the Fortune Cookie Shake.

International

Panda Express also operates in Mexico and Canada.[24] In October 2013, the first Panda Express located in Canada opened its doors on Hunt Club Road in Nepean, Ontario. Panda Express was formerly located in Japan. It also opened in Korea.[25]

On May 26, 2014, it was reported by Arabian Business news that Panda Express would be opening a restaurant in the United Arab Emirates.[26] The restaurant was the first Panda Express in the Middle East.

Overview

With approximately 1,700+[27] locations, it is the largest Chinese fast food restaurant chain in the United States.

The company's highest revenue location, bringing in over US$4 million annually, is located at the Ala Moana Center food court in Honolulu, Hawaii.[28]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "About Us". pandarg.com.
  2. ↑ "Panda Express". pandaexpress.com.mx.
  3. ↑ "The Tao Of Panda - Panda Express Chinese Restaurant". pandaexpress.com.
  4. ↑ "The Tao Of Panda - Panda Express Chinese Restaurant". pandaexpress.com.
  5. ↑ . Panda Express does not add MSG to any of our entrees or sides and we do not purchase products from suppliers who add MSG. However, glutamate is found naturally in some ingredients.
  6. ↑ "Contact Us." Panda Express. Retrieved on February 26, 2010.
  7. ↑ Panda Restaurant Group History
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Eng, Dinah (5 February 2013). "How Panda Express brings Chinese food to the mall" (Fortune). Time Inc. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Greenfeld, Karl Taro (18 November 2010). "General Tso, Meet Steven Covey". Bloomberg BusinessWeek (Bloomberg, L.P.). Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  10. ↑ "Cherngs honored for contributions in L.A. area", Baker Pride alumni magazine, Baker University, Baldwin City, Kansas, Spring 2008 issue.
  11. ↑ "OSU ALUMNI FELLOWS 2000: OSU honors veterinarian, animal nutrition researcher and president of Panda Management, Oregon Stater Association News, Oregon State University, 2000
  12. ↑ "Profile: Andrew Cherng", Fremont College, Board of Advisors.
  13. ↑ "The Tao of Panda Express - Los Angeles Magazine". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  14. ↑ James Flanigan, "Cooking Up a Powerhouse of Chinese Fast Food," Los Angeles Times, October 8, 2001, C1.
  15. ↑ Bruce Haring, "Panda gains higher visibility for chain amid shift from malls, food courts," Nation's Restaurant News, August 9, 2004, 6.
  16. ↑ "Our Family Story | Panda Express Chinese Restaurant". www.pandaexpress.com. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  17. ↑ "LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce - Home". laxcoastal.com.
  18. ↑ "Andrew and Peggy Cherng of Panda Restaurant Group Receive City of Angels Award Honoring Contributions to the Los Angeles Area", Business Wire, February 8, 2008.
  19. ↑ "Panda Express Selects Trusonic(R) to Provide In-Store Background Music", PR Newswire Association, November 23, 2009
  20. ↑ Berman, John; Rosenberg, Sarah, "Panda Express: Self-Help Courses and Zumba Are Recipe for Success? CEO Says Motivational Forums, Not Orange Chicken, Make His Business Successful", ABC News Nightline, April 18, 2011
  21. ↑ U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (June 3, 2013). "Panda Express Agrees to Early Settlement with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to Resolve Sexual Harassment Suit". The National Law Review. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
  22. ↑ Panda Restaurant Group information page
  23. ↑ "How Panda Express Grew From Family Business to Global Empire". NBC News. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  24. ↑ The Panda Story: 2011, Pandaexpress.com Accessed: August 4, 2012
  25. ↑ "Building Panda". Archived in 2000.
  26. ↑ "Gourmet Gulf set to launch Panda Express in UAE". By Andy Sambidge on Monday, 26 May 2014 3:50 PM.
  27. ↑ Bartiromo, Maria (November 2007). "Positive Thinkers".
  28. ↑ Shimabukuro, Betty (January 17, 2007). "Orange Chicken on the house". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved January 17, 2007.

Further reading

External links

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