How Panda Express Makes 110 Million Pounds of Orange Chicken per Year — The Experts

Panda Express has been a staple of mall foods across the country from its first location in the Glendale Galleria in California in 1983. Since then, it has expanded to 2,300 restaurants that serve American Chinese favorites like kung pao chicken and its iconic orange chicken.

Credits:
Producers: Ian Stroud, Pelin Keskin
Directors: Ian Stroud, Murilo Ferreira
Camera: Murilo Ferreira, Jay Simms
Editor: Charlotte Carpenter

Executive Producer: Stephen Pelletteri
Development Producer: Ian Stroud
Supervising Producer: Stefania Orrù
Audience Development: Terri Ciccone, Frances Dumlao, Avery Dalal
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[eater]

This episode on Panda Express is part of a deep dive into mall food in America. Check out our Mall Food Madness package below!

[crispyjeffers]

One thing I really like about this channel is the video editing format. They don't film the interviewer asking the questions, and instead just film the interviewee answering the questions and moving the narrative along smoothly. It maximizes the amount of time that the person at the restaurant can communicate their story without getting bogged down in a question-response process.

[bentucky]

I love how unapologetic Panda Express is about how they’re Chinese-American food. They’re not trying to be authentic Chinese food, instead they proudly mix in the American palate, taste, and flavor to Chinese cuisine.

[anachrnism]

i'm taiwanese american, and i have a lot of respect for american chinese food. sure, i personally think it's usually too saucy and too sweet. but it's chinese-based food made with the resources immigrants had available, modified to be marketable to the american palate. it might not be "authentic", but it has a lot of history behind it and really has taken on a life of its own.

[cashinmind]

Used to be a General Manager of a Panda Express for multiple years. They pay their store managers close to $100k a year, and its really a great company to work for!

[GabeSegura]

I always respected Panda for not cutting as many corners as so many other american food chains do

[someguy]

I know Panda Express is not authentic Chinese food but it’s my favorite fast food! A few days ago I bought a family meal and it was under $40 and it fed 5 of us, it’s the best bang for your buck at Panda.

[ISeeYouOliver]

Adrian needs to have his own show. He's so good at explaining things.

[Rylai_xiv]

I don't care what people say about panda express. Not only is it really good food for what it is -- fast food (for reference you can get a plate of food at panda express for about the same price as a value meal at other fast food restaurants), it's staggering how high quality the food is given the price point. But on top of that, it's also a very respectable company that treat their employees right.

[Astrohhh]

I always expected that sauce to be pre-bagged and mass produced. It's kinda cool how they make it fresh. No wonder it tastes so good!

[dominiquewong]

As a Taiwanese from Taiwan, I actually enjoyed Panda Express when I was studying in the US. I really hope that panda express can try to expand to Asia to give people hear an experience of American Chinese food.

[jaceyc]

I like how they constantly update the recipe for their menu. Orange Chicken 15 years ago used to be very greasy and sugary, I usually couldn't finish. Now they got quite good, I don't mind eating Panda Express 2 or 3 times a week for lunch.

[downandout]

Years ago I wrote to Panda Express to express a complaint that I had, and I was surprised to be personally responded to by one of the family members. They acknowledged the legitimacy of the complaint that I had, and also sent me a handful of coupons. I've been a big fan ever since. I don't even live in the states anymore, but it seems that I can find Panda Express in airport terminals everywhere.

[Porscheman]

Nicely done - Adrian Lok does a great job with explaining the process as well as taking pride in the Panda Express Corporation. I would hire him in a heart beat!

[officialdavidburrus]

I was not expecting this degree of education from Panda. I’m blown away.

[adb]

It’s interesting how much we vilify fast food chains, this was kind of eye opening for me, as someone who’s always thought of Panda Express and other fast food chains as cheap, highly processed, alternatives.

[_oaktree_]

Wow they've really stepped up their game since I was a kid in the 90s... tbh I don't remember the food being all that good back in the day, but this looks a lot better. You always have to respect fast food workers because no matter what the food is like, they're busting their ass and working incredibly hard for often low pay and no respect from customers. But especially when a huge franchise like this decides to do things right and use higher-quality ingredients, toasting their own spices, it's just great to see.

[kaze]

I have great respect for this style of food. Too often folks in my orbit deride this as un-authentic but that it missing the point entirely. Its not trying to be authentic; the food utilizes ingredients that were/are available to early chefs from Asia/China at the time, the flavours became popular and mainstream, so why mess with a money maker? I highly recommend the book "Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Cafe and Other Stories from Canada’s Chinese Restaurants" by Ann Hui, which really goes out to speak to owners and operators of 'Americanized' Chinese cafes, including her own family history in the industry.

[schao]

I love Panda Express. For anyone saying that Panda or other take-out spots are not authentic....I say yes it is. They're not authentically Asian, but they're authentically American. And the contributions of Asian-Americans and the historical struggles behind their cuisine should be acknowledged and celebrated the same way as other American cuisines like burgers and BBQ.

[kphshnp]

Panda Express has such a bad rep for many food channels on this platform but this food lead is carrying this establishment's name with so much pride and knowledge it's just awe inspiring