Panda Restaurant Group


Panda Restaurant Group, Inc., parent company of Panda Inn, Panda Express and Hibachi-San, was founded by Andrew and Peggy Tsiang Cherng and Andrew's father, Master Chef Ming-Tsai Cherng, the family originating in the Yangzhou region of China's Jiangsu province. They started their first Panda Inn restaurant in 1973 in Pasadena, California. Ten years later a developer of the Glandale Galleria, who was a patron of Panda Inn, asked Andrew to start a fast-service version of his restaurant in the new mall. In 1985 the store went from five locations to nine in just one year.
The group has its headquarters in Rosemead, California. Panda Express in the largest Asian-American restaurant chain in the United States, with 2,200 branches. In 2019 Panda Express opened its first branch in Manila, Philippines, as a joint venture between the Panda Restaurant Group and Jollibee Foods Corp., JBPX Foods.
Andrew Cherng, age 70, and his wife Peggy Tsiang Cherng met at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas. Peggy Cherng went on to receive her B.S. degree in Mathematics from Oregon State University in 1971 and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri.The company debuted on Forbes' 2016 edition of America's Largest Private Companies
The Cherngs invest their personal wealth out of their family office, the Cherng Family Trust.

Companies

The Panda Restaurant Group includes Panda Express, Panda Inn, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers and Hibachi-San.
Panda Express, the most popular, has over 2,000 locations as of 2018, making it the largest Chinese fast food chain in the United States.
Panda Inn, a sit-down restaurant chain, has 6 locations, all of which are in California, plus Wasabi, a Japanese concept.
Panda Group has been aggressively supporting popular Asian chains by introducing them in the American market. Uncle Tetsu, Yaki Yan, Pieology and Ippudo are all concepts supported by Panda Group.
In 2018 it was ranked 143 on the Forbes list of America's Largest Private Companies.

Philanthropy

The majority of the Cherngs donations are done through Panda Cares, the giving arm of the Panda Group, and the Panda Charitable Foundation, to education, youth leadership development and health. Since 1999 Panda Cares has raised over $107 million.
In July 2017, the company pledged $10 million to the Children's Hospital Los Angeles, where the sixth floor will be renamed the Panda Express Floor.