Panda Express SWOT Analysis, Competitors & USP

SWOT analysis of Panda Express analyses the brand by its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities & threats. In Panda Express SWOT Analysis, the strengths and weaknesses are the internal factors whereas opportunities and threats are the external factors.

SWOT Analysis is a proven management framework which enables a brand like Panda Express to benchmark its business & performance as compared to the competitors. Panda Express is one of the leading brands in the food & beverages sector.

The article below lists the Panda Express SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), top Panda Express competitors and includes its target market, segmentation, positioning & Unique Selling Proposition (USP).

About Panda Express

Panda Express Overview
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
Segmentation	Food and beverage restaurant chains
Target Market	Youth and Adults from middle to upper income groups
Positioning	A fine dining Chinese restaurant

SWOT Analysis of Panda Express

For Panda Express, SWOT analysis can help the brand focus on building upon its strengths and opportunities while addressing its weaknesses as well as threats to improve its market position. Let us start the Panda Express SWOT Analysis:

Panda Express Strengths

The strengths of Panda Express looks at the key aspects of its business which gives it competitive advantage in the market. Some important factors in a brand's strengths include its financial position, experienced workforce, product uniqueness & intangible assets like brand value. Below are the Strengths in the SWOT Analysis of Panda Express :

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

Panda Express Weaknesses

The weaknesses of a brand are certain aspects of its business which are it can improve to increase its position further. Certain weaknesses can be defined as attributes which the company is lacking or in which the competitors are better. Here are the weaknesses in the Panda Express SWOT Analysis:

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

Panda Express Opportunities

The opportunities for any brand can include areas of improvement to increase its business. A brand's opportunities can lie in geographic expansion, product improvements, better communication etc. Following are the opportunities in Panda Express SWOT Analysis:

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

Panda Express Threats

The threats for any business can be factors which can negatively impact its business. Some factors like increased competitor activity, changing government policies, alternate products or services etc. can be threats. The threats in the SWOT Analysis of Panda Express are as mentioned:

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 Competitors

There are several brands in the market which are competing for the same set of customers. Below are the top 3 competitors of Panda Express:

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

This article has been researched & authored by the Content & Research Team. It has been reviewed & published by the MBA Skool Team. The content on MBA Skool has been created for educational & academic purpose only.

Similar analysis has also been done for the competitors of the company belonging to the same category, sector or industry. Browse marketing analysis of more brands and companies similar to Panda Express. This section covers SWOT Analysis, Competitors, Segmentation, Target Market, Positioning & USP of more than 2500 brands from over 20 industry sectors.

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