Like the first, on Hitt Road, this one will be near a Wal-Mart, at 720 South Utah Avenue, right where Pioneer Road intersects. It is being developed by Michael Cadell of Rosemead, Calif., who has plenty of experience. Going by his LinkedIn profile, Cadell is facilities manager for more than 125 restaurants in Panda Restaurant Group's Central California and Valleys regions. As construction project manager for the Northern and Central California and San Francisco Bay Area regions, he has built or remodeled more than 40 locations in three years.
The company itself dates back to 1973, when Andrew Cherng and his father, Master Chef Ming-Tsai Cherng, established the first Panda Inn restaurant in Pasadena, Calif., to serve gourmet Mandarin and Szechwan cuisine in an upscale, casual-dining atmosphere. The success of that restaurant provided the springboard for the launch of Panda Express in 1983, fulfilling Andrew Cherng’s vision of a restaurant that combined the gourmet cuisine of Panda Inn with a fast-casual format. The first Panda Express opened in the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, Calif.