Panda Inn
 | |
| Genre | sit-down Chinese restaurants |
|---|---|
| Founded | Pasadena, California (1973) |
| Founder | Andrew Cherng, Master Chef Ming-Tsai Cherng |
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Andrew Cherng, Founder and Chairman of the Board
Tom Davin, Chief Executive Officer |
| Owner | Panda Restaurant Group |
| Website | http://www.pandainn.com/ |
Panda Inn is a chain of sit-down Chinese restaurants in California owned and operated by the Panda Restaurant Group.[1][2][3]
Its original founding goal was to bring new varieties of Chinese cuisine, such as Mandarin cuisine and Szechuan cuisine dishes, to Southern California, which had traditionally favored Chinese Cantonese cuisine.[4]
History
The first Panda Inn was founded by Andrew and Peggy Cherng and Andrew's father, Master Chef Ming-Tsai Cherng,[5] all of whom used to live in the Yangzhou region of China's Jiangsu province. They started their first Panda Inn restaurant in 1973 in Pasadena, California.
In the 1980s, after many Panda Inns had been opened in Southern California, the Cherngs opened the Panda Express chain of fast food restaurants.
Andrew Cherng and his wife Peggy Tsiang Cherng are alumni of Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas.[6]
References
- ^ "What's black and white and ready to get fancy? Panda Group facing off with P.F. Chang.(RESTAURANT)(P.F. Chang's China Bistro Inc.)(Panda Restaurant Group Inc.)". Los Angeles Business Journal. August 13, 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ^ Booe, Martin (July 12, 2001). "A Two-Strike Start, but Panda Inn's a Hit; It's not dim sum, it's a buffet, and it's a chain, but this skeptic finds good food and value for the money in La Palma". Los Angeles Times. p. F.44. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- ^ Nelson, David (December 12, 1985). "Horton Plaza's Panda Inn Plum Tree Beef Arrives in San Diego, At Last". Los Angeles Times. p. 6. Retrieved 2009-02-01.
- ^ "About Panda Inn", Panda Inn website.
- ^ "About Panda Express (Inn)" - archived 2003
- ^ "Cherngs honored for contributions in L.A. area", Baker Pride alumni magazine, Baker University, Kansas, Spring 2008 issue.
Further reading
- Jennings, Lisa, "Having words with Peggy Tsiang Cherng: chief executive and co-chair, Panda Restaurant Group", Nation's Restaurant News, August 1, 2005
External links
- Panda Inn Official site
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