Students and faculty won't need to go much farther than the ASU Foundation Building to dine on orange chicken once a new Panda Express opens Dec. 12.
Opening a restaurant near ASU fits a strategy of targeting college campuses to create a new generation of regulars, said Scott Weingarten, manager of business development for Panda Restaurant Group. Its location is within walking distance of campus and residence halls.
The restaurant already has locations at five other Pac-10 schools, including UA, he added.
Panda Express could also offer a better deal than comparatively more expensive sit-down restaurants for students with limited cash, Weingarten said.
"We want students to come so they can get quality Chinese food at a reasonable price," Weingarten said.
An average bill for a two-item combo meal with a drink would cost around $7, he added.
Some Asian restaurants close to the new Panda Express location aren't too concerned about the new competition.
Ted Lim, owner of Little Szechuan, located at 524 W. University Drive, said his restaurant offers table service and a wider selection of food than Panda Express, and customers can have food cooked to order.
Lim said he can also rely on a regular base of clients, some of whom have been dining there since the original restaurant opened at the corner of Broadway Road and Mill Avenue in 1976.
But Weingarten said Panda Express does offer variety. Customers can easily adjust dishes based on personal preference, he added.
"They want a vegetarian dish, we'll make them a vegetarian dish," Weingarten said. "We're really flexible."
Sarah Ruiz, general manager of the Samurai Sam's at the corner of Rural Road and University Drive, said she doesn't anticipate any decline in business due to Panda Express' presence either. Her customer base desires healthy food her competitor doesn't offer, she said.
"We cater more to people that are health conscious and work out and that are athletes," Ruiz said.
Family studies junior Angela Brasile won't dine at Panda Express when it opens because she feels their food is fattening, she said.
"I try to stay away from that kind of stuff," Brasile added.
Weingarten rejected the claim Panda Express' food isn't healthy, saying his restaurant doesn't cook with MSG, an unhealthy flavor enhancer and uses fresh vegetables delivered daily.
Journalism senior Mike Price said he looks forward to having a Panda Express near campus since the next closest locations are at the Arizona Mills Mall and on Guadalupe Road and McClintock Drive, he said.
"Like everyone else, I love the orange chicken," Price said.
Reach the reporter at grayson.steinberg@asu.edu.
