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Company: Panda Express, Rosemead, CA
Nomination Submitted by: Havas Formula
Company Description: On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express® is the largest American Chinese restaurant concept in the world. Family-owned and operated since 1983 by co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express is best known as a trailblazer for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller The Original Orange Chicken® and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year - Food & Beverage - Large
 Nomination Title: Panda Express
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since January 1 2020, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 200 words used.
Founded in 1983 by Chinese immigrants and current co-CEOs, Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express has grown to become the largest Asian dining concept in the U.S. Today, Panda Express still operates as a family-owned business, and is known as an American Chinese trailblazer for its wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller The Original Orange Chicken®, which has defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Starting as a single store front in Southern California, the Panda Family has grown to more than 40,000 associates (employees) worldwide and over 2,300 locations. In addition to serving quality American Chinese favorites, Panda Express and its founders are dedicated towards its mission of inspiring better lives for its Panda family, guests and communities at large. In 1999, Panda established Panda Cares, the philanthropic arm of Panda Express, and raised more than $282 million and countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over 13 million youths and supporting communities to date. In 2020, the organization established the Panda Cares Scholars Program to provide necessary funding, academic support and leadership development to help high school and college students learn, lead and thrive towards a bright future.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the organization's achievements since the beginning of 2020 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 243 words used.
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With the surge of racial violence towards various communities, we launched the Panda CommUnity Fund in May 2021, a $10 million investment program that supports immediate and sustainable solutions to uplift diverse groups, including people of color and other marginalized communities.
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Every year, Panda Cares®, commemorates its anniversary called Panda Cares Day on August 8th with a celebration of giving back. In 2021, Panda Cares launched a traveling Panda Cares Tour Truck offering special chocolate-covered fortune cookies in exchange for suggested donations to local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and Boys & Girls Clubs. The truck stopped in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
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Panda continues to meet guests' demands for convenient and high-quality menu offerings. In 2021, Panda partnered with Beyond Meat® to add more plant-based innovation for guests’ evolving preferences. The launch of Beyond™ The Original Orange Chicken™ symbolized the brand’s journey to offer more diverse and plant-based options, while still delivering comfort and crave-ability in innovative ways that Panda fans know and love. Panda Express is the first national Asian restaurant concept to serve Beyond Meat across the U.S.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 250 words used.
The pandemic brought changes to the industry that we never expected, but Panda was able to adapt and evolve quickly to recover. All the hard work our operators and COVID-19 Task Force put into keeping our people and guests safe has paid off in building brand trust in our communities, beating other national chains in COVID-19 safety for 2 years in a row.
At Panda, we strive for an environment where respect for others, learning and innovation are emphasized and acknowledged. We launched the Panda CommUnity Fund during Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month with a $1.5 million pledge to AAPI organizations dedicated to promoting cultural understanding and acceptance. Over the next five years, this fund will continue to allocate resources to help foster a more respectful and inclusive society for tomorrow.
We’re proud of Panda’s philanthropic efforts through the Panda Cares Foundation, focusing on supporting underserved youth in health and education. Since 2020, our associates and guests have donated over $88M to local organizations like Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and Boys & Girls Clubs, impacting 19M youths. In 2020, Panda Cares was awarded the “Courage to Care” award by CMN Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
A pioneer of American Chinese cuisine, Panda remains committed to delivering delicious food and rewarding guests with freshly prepared choices without sacrificing flavor. Beyond The Original Orange Chicken was met with undeniable excitement from guests this summer, as it sold out across all participating SoCal locations less than two weeks into launch.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
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