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With 2009 projected to bring the company's restaurant total to well over 1,200 and in excess of $1 billion in annual revenues,
the privately held Panda Restaurant Group is the largest and fastest growing Asian restaurant company in the nation,
dramatically outperforming its competitors. Three concepts – Panda Inn, Panda Express and Hibachi-San – each provide different
flavors, settings and service styles. Same store sales, the industry's benchmark measurement of growth, have increased annually
every year from 1994 through 2008. New restaurants are opening at a fast pace – including more than 160 in 2007, and over 160 in 2008.
Today, under the leadership of Founder and Chairman Andrew Cherng; his wife, Co-Chair Peggy Cherng, PhD; and company CEO Tom Davin, the family-owned Panda Restaurant Group employs a team of more than 18,000 associates and oversees its successful restaurants throughout 37 states and Puerto Rico. While versatile in non-traditional venues such as malls, airports and amusement parks, the majority of Panda's portfolio is made up of street locations. Panda continues to aggressively accelerate its development focusing on end-caps, free standing buildings and drive-thru concepts. In 1997, Panda opened its first drive-thru restaurant in Hesperia, Calif., paving the way for more than 300 drive-thru concepts today.
Panda Express is the growth engine of Panda Restaurant Group, designed for people who welcome the exciting tastes of Chinese food. Each Panda Express is designed with its full-service roots in mind. From granite table tops, to vibrant colors and cultural dÉcor, Panda Express restaurants reflect the company's uncompromising passion to bring quality Chinese food to neighborhoods across the United States. At the core of Panda Express' values is its commitment to guest satisfaction. Panda Express and its associates promise to energize guests with signature dishes such as Orange Chicken and Broccoli Beef, to enlighten guests through cultural celebrations such as Chinese New Year and the Dragon Boat Festival and to care for its guests through gracious hospitality and community involvement. Leveraging their operations expertise and wealth of knowledge about Asian cuisine, Panda Restaurant Group introduced Hibachi-San in 1992, a mall-based quick-service restaurant featuring a variety of Japanese grill and bowl entrees. As the industry leader in Asian foodservice, Panda Restaurant Group has become deeply committed to the communities it serves with donations to countless non-profit organizations. Panda Cares is the company's community involvement initiative, providing food, funding and volunteer services to organizations benefiting children and disaster relief efforts. Panda's family of restaurants has even assisted one of the animals that inspired their name – in 1997, Panda Restaurant Group adopted Pei-Pei, now a full-grown panda, living in the Giant Panda Breeding Research Center in Chengdu, China. Panda's mission is to deliver exceptional Asian dining experiences by building an organization where people are inspired to better their lives. The company has put its people at the forefront of its success, supplying countless tools for professional advancement as well as personal growth. The company's significant expansion plans mean unparalleled opportunities for those with a passion for Panda. |
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Andrew and his father, Master Chef Ming-Tsai Cherng, established the first Panda Inn restaurant in 1973 to serve gourmet
Mandarin and Szechwan cuisine in an upscale, casual-dining atmosphere. They quickly won a loyal following with such original
dishes as Tea Smoked Duck, Honey Walnut Shrimp and Lotus Leaf Rice. That provided the springboard and the inspiration for
the launch of Panda Express in 1983, fulfilling Andrew's vision of providing Gourmet Chinese food served in a fast casual
environment.