Panda Express Celebrates 25th Year

The first Panda Express restaurant opened on October 31, 1983 in Glendale, California.

The Panda Express now offers Chinese fast food at 1,200 locations in 36 states, Puerto Rico and Japan.

"When I opened the first Panda Express I hoped the restaurant would be a success, but had no way of anticipating that it would be the start of such tremendous growth," says founder and chairman Andrew Cherng. "During these tough economic times, we are very fortunate to now be in our 12th consecutive year of same-store sales growth with continued restaurant expansion and over $1.2 billion dollars in sales."

In celebration of the 25th anniversary, Panda Express is premiering a new signature menu item, Beijing Beef.

Congratulations Panda Express!

UPDATE: Like the false In-N-Out Anniversary hoax, there is also one circulating about Panda Express anniversary discounts. It is false, too. You can read more at Snopes.