Who owns Panda Express? The chain is owned by its founders, Andrew and Peggy Cherng, through their privately held compaPanda Restaurant Groupnever been sold to outside investors, and every location is company-owned.
Last updated: October 2026. Facts checked against Panda Restaurant Group’s official company information.
The Founders: Andrew and Peggy Cherng’s Story
Andrew Cherng was born in Yangzhou, China, and moved to the United States for his education, studying mathematics before earning a graduate degree. His father, Ming-Tsai Cherng, was a chef who opened the first Panda Inn — a sit-down Chinese restaurant — in Pasadena, California, in 1973.
Peggy Cherng (née Tsiang) was born in Burma and raised in Hong Kong. She earned a PhD in electrical engineering and worked as a software engineer before joining the family business in the early 1980s. She computerized the young company’s operations — building systems to track inventory, sales, and customer feedback — which gave a small restaurant chain the discipline to scale nationally.
The two married, and together they turned a family restaurant into one of America’s largest Chinese food chains.
Who Owns Panda Express Today?
Panda Express is privately owned — it has never been a public company and it is not owned by a larger corporation. Ownership sits with the Cherng family through Panda Restaurant Group, Inc., the parent company Andrew and Peggy Cherng lead as co-chairs and co-CEOs.
Because the company is private, it does not answer to outside shareholders. That family ownership is a biga big part of why the menu, pricing, and restaurant experience have stayed consistent for decades.
Where Is Panda Express Headquarters?
Panda Express headquarters is in Rosemead, California, in the San Gabriel Valley near Los Angeles. The Panda Restaurant Group campus there houses the company’s offices, test kitchens, and training facilities. The family’s restaurant roots go back to the first Panda Inn, opened in Pasadena in 1973; the first Panda Express followed a decade later at the Glendale Galleria in 1983.
Panda Express History: Key Milestones
- 1973 — Ming-Tsai Cherng opens the first Panda Inn in Pasadena, California.
- 1983 — Andrew and Peggy Cherng open the first Panda Express at the Glendale Galleria, designed as a fast-food version of Panda Inn.
- 1980s–1990s — Panda Express expands across California and then nationally, mostly in malls and food courts at first.
- Today — Panda Express runs more than 2,000 locations, making it the largest Chinese-American restaurant chain in the United States. It remains family-owned under Panda Restaurant Group, headquartered in Rosemead, California.