THE PANDA STORY


  • The Panda Restaurant story began when Andrew Cherng, a young man from the picturesque Yangzhou region of China, came to the United States to pursue his American dream. With little money but a lot of heart, Andrew and his father Master Chef Ming-Tsai Cherng started the first Panda Inn restaurant in Pasadena, Calif. The fine dining restaurant introduced the robust flavors of Mandarin and Szechuan cuisine to Southern California and became the inspiration and standard for the Panda Express restaurants that are loved across the world today. With the help and support of his wife Peggy, Andrew knew that quality meals made with fresh and premium ingredients served fast and hot would win over the hearts and stomachs of hungry guests. Today, Andrew and Peggy's vision and passion continue to guide the growth of Panda Express across the United States and abroad.

  • 1973

    Andrew Cherng opens the first Panda Inn in Pasadena, Calif., with his father, Master Chef Ming-Tsai Cherng. Panda Inn was one of the first restaurants to introduce the robust flavors of Mandarin and Szechuan cuisine to Southern California.

  • 1983

    After the success of Panda Inn, Andrew Cherng opens the first Panda Express. The restaurant is located in the Glendale Galleria in California, and the new concept is a pioneer in the quick-service Chinese food market and quickly becomes the Chinese food of choice for consumers and developers.

  • 1987

    Panda Express expanded operations, opening its first location outside of California in the Ala Moana Shopping Center in Honolulu.

  • 1988

    Panda Express is the first quick-service to open in a supermarket with its Vons/Pavilions location in Arcadia, Calif.

  • 1991

    Panda Express opens its first street location in Long Beach, Calif.

  • 1992

    The first Hibachi-San Japanese Grill opens in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.

  • 1993

    Panda Express celebrates its 10-year mark with its 100th restaurant opening. Also, the first Panda Express university location opens at UCLA, and the company opens its first free-standing location in Barstow, Calif.

  • 1994

    Nation's Restaurant News recognizes Panda Express as one of its first-ever "Hot Concepts" honorees.

  • 1997

    Panda Express opens its first drive-thru location in Hesperia, Calif.

  • 1999

    Panda Cares is launched, a company-wide community involvement initiative dedicated to providing food, funding and volunteer services to children's organizations and disaster relief efforts.

  • 2001

    Panda Express celebrates diversity by entering their "Bringing Cultures Together" float in the Tournament of Roses Parade. It is the parade's longest float, and captures the Tournament Special Trophy for exceptional merit in multiple classifications.

  • 2002

    Panda Express celebrates its 500th opening in San Diego.

  • 2005

    Andrew and Peggy Cherng are inducted into the California Restaurant Association's Hall of Fame.

  • 2006

    Panda Express opens its 888th restaurant in Sacramento, Calif. Eight is considered the luckiest number in Chinese culture, so this opening is particularly exciting.

  • 2007

    Panda Express opens its 1,000th location in Pasadena, Calif., and achieves $1 billion in revenue for the first time. Panda Restaurant Group was ranked No. 1 by QSR Magazine in the Asian quick-service category in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.

  • 2008

    As it celebrates its 25th anniversary, Panda Express gives some competition to its top-selling dish, Orange Chicken, by launching a new entree — Beijing Beef™— which quickly proved itself as one of Panda's top-selling dishes.

  • 2009

    The Wok Smart™ system is debuted to highlight healthier eating options at Panda Express. There are more than 15 Wok Smart™ items, which are 250 calories or less.

  • 2010

    Honey Walnut Shrimp launches in March garnering huge success. The premium entrée, made with fresh tempura shrimp, wok-tossed in Panda's signature gourmet honey sauce and topped with glazed walnuts receive the prestigious MenuMasters Award for Best New Menu Item of the year.

  • 2011

    Panda opens its first international location in Mexico City and continues to grow with 1,551 restaurants in 45 states.

CAREERS

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    Mission & Values Apply Online Benefits

    19,000 Panda Associates living one common mission: “Deliver exceptional Asian dining experiences by building an organization where people are inspired to better their lives.”

    People – Guests and Associates alike – are the foundation of our business. Panda is committed to exceeding guest expectations by remaining dedicated to the development and growth of all our Associates. Great Associates result in exceptionally happy guests.

    Known as the "Panda Way," our company culture places special emphasis on encouraging our Associates to focus on a healthy lifestyle, continuous learning, developing others and acknowledging others. We believe that this, coupled with our five fundamental values – proactive, respect/win-win, growth, great operations and giving – provides our Associates with an environment where they can both inspire and be inspired.

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    Mission & Values Apply Online Benefits

    Panda Restaurant Group includes the original Panda Inn concept, our full service restaurants; Panda Express, our Gourmet Chinese food served in a fast casual environment; and Hibachi-San, our Japanese grill mall-based restaurants. The family owned and operated company is still run by founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng. With annual sales of more than $1.5 billion, we continue to add more than 100 new units annually.

    Panda offers excellent benefits and rewarding opportunities, from entry-level positions to management. We have restaurant positions available nationwide and support center positions available in the Los Angeles area. Join our growing team with more than 1,400 locations across North America.

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  • Back to Careers
    Mission & Values Apply Online Benefits
    Panda Mission: “Deliver exceptional Asian dining experiences by building an organization where people are inspired to better their lives.” To achieve our mission, our actions are guided by five values.
    Proactive: We identify opportunities for growth and lead others to create the future we envision.
    Respect / Win-Win: We treat each other with respect and seek “win-win” relationships with guests, business partners and our communities.
    Growth: For Panda to grow, we must each learn and grow. We are humble and open to new ideas as our world is constantly changing.
    Great Operations: Great operations are Panda’s competitive advantage, both in our restaurants and support center.
    Giving: We give our time and resources to support one another and our communities.
  • Back to Careers
    Mission & Values Apply Online Benefits
    Panda respects and acknowledges the relationship between your personal well-being and the company’s well-being, so we offer all associates the following benefits:
    • Competitive pay and excellent bonus opportunities
    • Career development and advancement opportunities
    • Paid time off and paid holidays
    • Medical, dental and vision insurance
    • 401(k) plan with company match
    • Associate discounts: Panda Express, Hibachi San, Panda Inn and Theme Parks
    • Lucrative associate referral bonus
    In addition, management and support center exempt associates receive:
    • Basic life insurance and long-term disability insurance (offered to eligible associates)
    • Voluntary life insurance (offered to eligible associates)
Panda Express, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

PANDA NEWS & PRESS

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

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Frequently Asked Questions

FUNDRAISERS

Let Panda Express help you raise money for your school, organization, club, team or other non-profit organization. Invite your friends and family to dine-in or take-out at Panda Express and we will donate 20% of the event sales.

Apply Today Frequently Asked Questions

Panda Cares

Panda is committed to giving our time and resources to support one another and our communities. Established in 1999, Panda Cares promotes our spirit of giving by serving the health and education needs of underserved children. More than $22 million has been raised for charities and causes in the United States and internationally.

Go to Panda Cares

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Fundraisers Panda Cares

Venues

  • Panda is Growing

    Panda Express has 1,551 restaurants throughout the United States and Puerto Rico and is America's fastest growing Chinese restaurant concept.

    Venues: Our teams of award-winning designers and architects give Panda Express its unique, fun and progressive look. See our different venue types to the right.

    Growing Fast: Panda is aggressively seeking new locations. Click here for our site criteria. If you are a developer, real estate broker or landlord and would like to submit a site for consideration, please email RestaurantDevelopment@PandaRG.com

    No Franchise Stores: The Panda Restaurant Group operates all of our restaurants. We do not offer franchises at this time

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  • Design

    The Panda Express experience starts as soon as our Guests lay eyes on our building. Our store design elicits warmth, comfort, and cleanliness that is reinforced once inside with our carefully chosen cultural cues and hand-selected surface materials. Creating a meaningful and fantastic ambiance for our Guests is top priority and our design process is one of many details we put into our goal of being loved by our Guests.

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  • Street/Drive-Thru

    These core venues are highly visible and provide convenience for our Guests. Our expertise in ground-up development allows us the flexibility to take on ground leases and purchase opportunities and transform them into stand-alone street stores with or without a drive-thru.

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  • End-Cap

    Flexibility and creativity allows us to build quality and inviting Panda Express locations in many different developments. End-cap and in-line spaces give us options to be in areas with limited street location availability. Our in-house designers are well versed in building iconic Panda Express’ in these locations without compromising our unique and distinctive look.

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  • Mall

    Our first mall location opened in 1983 and with 1,551 locations, mall venues continue to be a successful part of our portfolio. Understanding the needs and special requirements for mall locations is our expertise. Without compromising our brand identity, we work closely with our mall partners to create a space that fits the needs of the venue while giving Guests the Panda experience that they have come to love and trust.

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  • Non-Traditional

    Panda Express’ non-traditional venues include locations on universities campuses, sports stadiums, airports, casinos and other creative spaces. Adapting to these special venues requires creativity, vision and great partnership with our host. We are committed to work hand-in-hand with our partners to ensure the success of our store beyond the construction phase.

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