It’s official: The first Panda Express store in the Philippines will open at SM Megamall.
Word spread rapidly about the Panda Express opening after the announcement in 2018 that Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC), one of the world’s largest and fastest growing Asian restaurant companies, will partner with Panda Restaurant Group to bring Panda Express to the Philippines.
Panda Express has successfully popularized American Chinese cuisine through authentic Chinese recipes adapted to global tastes, setting the brand up as the largest Asian dining concept in the US and the largest American Chinese concept in the world.
To date, Panda Express has more than 2,000 restaurants around the world. Outside the US, it is present in Canada, Guatemala, Aruba, Japan, Mexico, El Salvador, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Panda Express journey
The brand was borne out of a successful immigrant story, in which co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng both went to the US in pursuit of a better life.
In 1973, Andrew and his father Ming Tsai Cherng opened the sit-down Chinese restaurant Panda Inn, the first dining concept that led to the creation of Panda Express in 1983. Andrew and Peggy opened the first Panda Express in Glendale, California with the goal of bringing together bold flavors, quality, and convenience to the dining experience.
The key to the company’s success over the years lies in its values-based culture, focusing on growing its people, serving quality ingredients to guests, and giving back to the community.
Four years after its first store opened, chef Andy Kao created the Original Orange Chicken, which was inspired by the flavors of Andrew’s hometowns, Yangzhou, China and Hawaii. The dish consists of crispy bite-sized chicken covered in a sweet and tangy sauce. It is now the most famous dish on the Panda Express menu, having sold more than 90 million pounds of this crowd favorite.