So, picture this: you’re in a food court—maybe at an airport, maybe at a mall. You’re exhausted, hungry, and overwhelmed by the smell of Auntie Anne’s pretzels. Then you spot it: that giant, red-and-white panda sign. You grab a tray, point at the orange chicken, and the server heaps a mountain of it onto your chow mein. The first bite is a sweet, tangy, crispy revelation. Who do you have to thank for this glorious, slightly sticky miracle? The answer isn't a single guy in a chef's hat. It's actually a family affair—a family of immigrants who turned a side hustle into a global empire.
The Man Behind the Panda Eyes (Sort Of)
Officially, the founder of Panda Express is Andrew Cherng. He’s the CEO, the visionary, the guy who signed the lease on that first location in the Glendale Galleria back in 1983. (Side note: can you imagine a mall food court without orange chicken? Neither can I. It’s like imagining a mall without a Hot Topic.) But here’s the kicker: Andrew didn’t invent the recipe. He didn’t even really cook. So, if you’re looking for the soul of the dish, you have to dig a little deeper.
Andrew’s father, Master Chef Ming-Tsai Cherng, is the real culinary wizard. He was a renowned chef in Taiwan, a master of Hunan and Sichuan cuisine. He’s the one who created the original recipes—including the iconic orange chicken—that would later be adapted for the American palate. Think of Andrew as the CEO and his dad as the R&D department. That’s the dynamic that changed the fast-food game.
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Peggy, The Opera & The Fork
You can’t talk about Panda Express without talking about Peggy Cherng, Andrew’s wife. This is where it gets good. Peggy wasn’t a chef or a restaurant manager. She was a mathematics and computer science grad. Seriously. She met Andrew while they were both studying at Baker University in Kansas. (Culture shock, much? Taiwan to Kansas cornfields.) She later worked as a software engineer for McDonnell Douglas. But when Andrew’s father opened their first family restaurant in Pasadena, Peggy jumped in.
Her role? Systems. Operations. Turning the chaos of a family kitchen into a replicable business model. She’s the one who figured out how to cook the dishes in woks that would fit a fast-food line. She’s the one who standardized the recipes. Without Peggy’s math brain, you’d still be waiting 20 minutes for your plate of orange chicken. (And you’d probably be paying double.) Peggy and Andrew are co-founders, co-CEOs, and the reason you get your food in under three minutes. Talk about a power couple.
How Panda Express Founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng do Philanthropy
From Two Guys to 2,200 Locations
The story starts in 1973, before Panda Express existed. Andrew’s father opened a traditional Chinese restaurant in Pasadena called Panda Inn. It was sit-down, white tablecloths, and expensive. Andrew and Peggy helped run it, but they noticed something: customers loved the takeout. They loved the quick, flavorful food. So, in 1983, they gambled on a tiny, 400-square-foot kiosk in a mall. The bet paid off so hard that now they have more locations than some countries have post offices.
The first item on the menu? A dish called “Eggplant with Garlic Sauce.” (Seriously. No orange chicken. Imagine the horror.) It wasn’t until they added the sweet-and-savory fried chicken dish that the place exploded. That dish was a deliberate adaptation by Andrew and his team to appeal to Americans. They took his father’s classic recipe and dialed up the sugar, dialed down the heat. It was a genius commercial move, even if a Shanghai master chef might scoff at it.
Panda Restaurant Group Logo
The Secret Sauce (It’s Not 11 Herbs & Spices)
So who is the founder? Is it Andrew, the businessman with the golden gut for location? Is it his dad, the master chef with the golden palate? Or is it Peggy, the engineer who built the machine? Honestly, it’s all three. It’s a family story about blending high-end culinary tradition with Midwestern practicality and tech-driven efficiency. But if you twist my arm and say “name one person,” I’d say Andrew Cherng. Why? Because in 1983, at age 35, he was the one who signed his name on the lease. He was the one who convinced his father to let him dumb down the menu. He was the one who said, “Let’s sell this in a mall.”
But here’s the ironic twist: Andrew Cherng is famously private. He doesn’t do a lot of interviews. He doesn’t have a flashy Instagram. He’s a Buddhist who donates millions to education and charity. The dude literally built a global brand without putting his face on a cup. Meanwhile, you and I have seen his panda mascot more times than we’ve seen our own family. That panda—that’s his face now. And the orange chicken? That’s his legacy.
So, next time you’re tearing open a packet of chili sauce and wondering why your life feels so complete, just whisper a quick “thanks” to Andrew, Peggy, and Master Chef Cherng. They took a small, family-operated idea and turned it into the most comforting, accessible, and slightly addictive dining experience America has ever seen. That’s who founded Panda Express. A mathematician, a chef, and a visionary. And a panda. Obviously.
