Panda Express SWOT Analysis, USP & Competitors

Panda Express

Parent Company

Panda Restaurant Group Inc.

Category

Restaurants

Sector

Food & Beverages

Tagline/ Slogan

-

USP

Quality meals made with fresh and premium ingredients served fast and hot

Panda Express STP

Segment

Food and beverage restaurant chains

Target Group

Youth and Adults from middle to upper income groups

Positioning

A fine dining Chinese restaurant

Panda Express SWOT Analysis

Strengths

1.  It is the largest American Chinese restaurant chain in the United States
2. It has close to 1,700 plus restaurants located across all different states in the United States
3. Offers a variety of food along with combo meals
4.  Panda Express is among the US's 25 largest quick-service operations and Asian quick-serve category

5. The chain was one of the earliest entrants into the supermarket arena

6. Strategically located in mall food courts and other non-traditional venues including airports, college campuses, and theme parks

7. It has a successful track record of making Asian cuisine accessible to the masses

8. Strong following among Asian, Hispanic, and Caucasian diners

9. Leveraged lovable pandas in their name

Weaknesses

1. Restricted to one cuisine thus restricting its customer base
2. Specialty ingredients used in Chinese food might be difficult to source and store

3. Restricted in a few geographies means lower brand recall

Opportunities

1. There is a large Chinese base in the US leading to huge customer base
2. Venturing into newer markets
3. Introducing more items on its menu

Threats

1. Managing huge employee base can be an issue
2. Stiff competition from multi cuisine restaurants
3. Presence of strong competitors in the Chinese restaurant segment

Panda Express Competition

Competitors

1. Pei Wei Asian Diner
2. Sarku Japan
3. P.F. Chang’s