Peggy Cherng

Panda Express isn’t just orange chicken. It’s a tech empire in disguise.

And behind it? Not a chef. Not a franchise mogul. But a Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

In the ‘70s, Peggy Cherng was writing code for AI-driven imaging systems at 3M and developing war simulators for the U.S. Air Force at McDonnell Douglas.

Then, in 1982, she made a choice that shocked everyone: she left high-tech defense engineering to help her husband open a single restaurant in a California mall.

But Peggy wasn’t there to take orders.

She was there to rewire the entire fast-food industry.

Most restaurant chains in the ‘80s were built on manual operations and guesswork.

Not Panda Express.

Peggy built a data-driven, AI-powered operation decades before the industry caught on:
- Custom-built software to track inventory and automate reordering
- Customer analytics systems to refine menus based on demand
- AI-driven scheduling models to optimize labor costs
- Operational algorithms to cut waste and maximize efficiency

Her precision-first approach turned Panda Express into the largest Asian restaurant chain in the U.S.

Without franchising, without outside investors.

Even McDonald’s and KFC gave up control of their stores.

The Cherngs? They kept every single Panda Express in-house.

Today, the company operates more than 2,400 locations worldwide.

It generates $5.9 billion in annual revenue, surpassing Shake Shack, Wingstop, and Jack in the Box combined.

Peggy and her husband also donated $100M to City of Hope to fund cancer research that integrates Eastern and Western medicine.

They gave $30M to Caltech to support medical engineering research.

They have contributed millions to the University of Missouri and Cal Poly Pomona to expand opportunities for STEM students.