(Yicai Global) Oct. 16 -- Panda Express, the biggest Chinese fast food chain in the US, has opened its first restaurant in Kunming, capital of in southwest China’s Yunnan province.
Its restaurant logo is the same as its US parent’s, The Paper reported today. The menu also includes its iconic Kung Pao Chicken and Tangerine Peel Chicken. Five consumers have rated the restaurant since its opening, scoring it 3.57 out of 5, not high on public comment, per the report.
The Paper contacted a staffer in the mall that houses it, who said that the Panda Express is not a knock-off and was introduced by Shenzhen Xiguifu Catering Management, its agent. The Paper was unable to contact the Shenzhen-based intermediary, however.
Andrew Cheng from China established Panda Express in Pasadena, California in 1973. Its tangerine peel chicken, General Tso's Chicken, and Kung Pao chicken have formed many American’s main impression of Chinese food.
A Chinese student studying in the US who had been to Panda Express several times in the US said the taste was just so-so. Its menu is out of synch with Chinese people’s taste, being standardized fast food, and thus may not be able to entice domestic diners.
The chain has opened more than 2,000 stores in the US after over 40 years of growth, and had USD35 billion in annual revenue last year, Forbes data released at the end of the year show.
Wafflebot17 on October 17th, 2020 at 18:52 UTC »
So you can now get Beijing beef in Beijing? Awesome
CrassCanuck on October 17th, 2020 at 18:04 UTC »
As a Canadian expat in China I can tell you there is 100% a market for Westernized Chinese food. I love actual local food but damn if I don't crave some "Cantonese chow mein" every once in a while
Honest_Joseph on October 17th, 2020 at 17:05 UTC »
They can just brand it as “American Chinese Fusion”