Panda Express launches at Glendale Galleria (1983)
Andrew and Peggy Cherng open the first Panda Express in a Glendale, California mall food court, building on their Panda Inn sit-down restaurant in Pasadena. The fast-casual format, built around items like orange chicken, catches on quickly.
The small counter grows into a chain that expands first across California malls, then nationwide.
Panda Express tops 2,300 locations globally, becoming one of the largest Asian restaurant chains in the United States.
This San Antonio airport location is the latest step in that long expansion, moving the brand into more travel venues.
