by Eva McEnrue
Panda Express, UK’s newest eatery, will open its doors on April 20 to serve customers flavorful, authentic Chinese food and sushi made from scratch.
The university had been discussing the addition of a new eatery as part of its five-year-plan when Panda Express approached UK about opening the franchise on campus.
“UK put a lot of research looking into this market,” Associate Director of UK Dining Services Ray Schmidt said. “While we were looking to do something different, we also wanted to remain relevant with the students.”
UK consulted the Dining Services Student Advisory Board and student surveys, and observed the company’s growth and response before approving the franchise.
The California-based chain expanded to several college campuses as a new marketing outlet and has been received positively. The Panda Express at Penn State University serves an estimated 5,000 pieces of sushi daily, Schmidt said.
This is the company’s first Kentucky location, and UK is only its 10th franchise partner.
“This location is as important to us as it is to them,” Schmidt said. “They have provided lots of support for construction and promotion.”
This is also the chain’s first location with an attached dining room and an attached sushi bar called, “Sushi Bar by Panda.” The sushi bar will feature a chef preparing a range of fresh sushi favorites for customers to choose from.
Panda Express offers a variety of Chinese dishes prepared in batches in front of the customer to assure the line moves quickly.
“As far as presentation and flavor are concerned, Panda Express got it right,” Schmidt said.
UK also considered affordability and value when selecting the franchise. Students can fill up on the $4.99 Panda Bowl, a choice of one entry with a side of steamed rice, fried rice, chow mein or mixed vegetables, or the best-seller, the Orange chicken, a lightly sweetened fried chicken dish.
UK also selected the franchise to better satisfy the needs of the dinner crowd.
“Adding more food options is always for the better,”communications junior Jon West said. “Eating the same types of food on campus day after day get old.”
UK intends to create a ‘restaurant row’ with the addition of Panda Express. “We want the Student Center to become a place where four friends with different tastes can come, order whatever food they want and eat together,” said Schmidt.
Panda Express will be located in the basement of the Student Center where Café du Chat was located.
“Students enjoyed Café du Chat,” Schmidt said, “but UK did not need another café with Subway and Intermezzo so close.”
The location was an ideal choice for Panda Express because of an old elevator shaft connecting the kitchen to the building’s roof.
“Construction caught a huge break,” Schmidt said. “We were able to build a hood system in the unutilized shaft for kitchen ventilation.”
The location also works well in conjunction to the upstairs food court because it will minimize student traffic. The eatery will employ a combination of full-time staff and students.
Panda Express opens April 20 and will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. weekdays. The first 100 paying customers will receive a Panda Express tote bag and a gift certificate for their next lunch free.
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