Panda Express has been one of the most trusted fast food lines in the United States of America ever since its emancipation due to its good quality Chinese food and the amount of food per plate they serve. The orange chicken, steamed vegetables, beef starters, and chow mein noodles are the most sold for the company. Most people order Panda Express due to these dishes, which please the palate and make people want more. In this article, let’s see the Panda Express Job Opportunities, salary, and application process.
Panda Express has had a rich history considering its origin goes back nearly 30 years. It was founded in Glendale, California, the USA, by Masterchef Ming Tsai Cherng, Andrew Cherng, and Peggy Cherng. During the beginning of the restaurant’s tenure, Panda Express was only erected in food courts and malls due to many people roaming the malls during weekends and holidays.
After the venture got stable, the owners started erecting restaurants on their own. In 1997, the first Panda Express drive-through was opened in Hesperia, California. In 1997, the computer age began rolling around, so Peggy Cherng, the wife of Andrew Cherng, decided to computerize its business. Since Peggy was a software engineer and designer for companies like McDonnel Douglas, it was easy for her to computerize the data.
She also decided to bring an analysis perspective system to the restaurant and worked through the different scales to settle the business’s software. When 2005 came around, Panda Express opened its doors to college campuses and started taking part in planning student meals as well.
Panda Express continued to expand its business to the whole of the United States. They also opened a store in Alaska in 2015. By 2017, Panda Express had generated over 3 Billion dollars worth of sales and had hired more than 39,000 employees. They also opened a new concept restaurant called Panda Innovation Kitchen, where they experiment with different food flavors to see if they would fit or not, to find new menu items that would fit the image of Panda.
As a result, they produced new items such as the boba milk tea, which is Taiwanese, and also a new creation called the fortune cookie shake was developed.
Keep reading to find out how you can work at this company, which has a rich history. We will be looking at job opportunities, salary, age limit, the application process, and benefits for the jobs.
Panda Express Job Opportunities
There are a lot of working opportunities in Panda Express if you know which category to look at. It’s a restaurant, so the maintenance and running will allow you to get a job as a dishwasher, a waiter, a cashier, and many other jobs. Considering food, you can either become a cook or a chef. However, the position of the chef will only be offered if you finish a certain time as the cook and have considerable experience in culinary arts.
You can also try your hand in the administration and management of the restaurant since they are also viable job options for anyone to have. A basic thing for you to remember before getting a job in this company is that it is compulsory to possess a high school diploma. Having that is the most basic thing in getting a job anywhere.
More than five or six jobs are guaranteed to give you a good start to your working career if you are a high school student or a college student looking to make extra money. We will be looking at 4 positions that any restaurant has and analyze their duties, responsibilities, and salaries.
The four positions are:
- Team Member
- Cashier
- Cook
- Manager
Team Member
The team members are one of the most important parts of the whole restaurant since they are the ones to manage the customers and look after what they want. Often they are charged with having to assemble the takeout order for the customers and making sure the orders are proper. In addition, they must inform the kitchen about the changes in the food, and they must accurately mention those changes.
The people working in this position must have good communication skills and must work well in teams. They should know how to carry a conversation with the customer and make sure they possess some soft skills to enhance their skill set. Typically they have to work hourly, and they get paid according to that requirement. They are in charge of greeting customers and making sure they enjoy their time at the restaurant.
Salary for Team Members
The people working in this position may vary due to the tips, but they make hourly in most states. The salary is from 8 to 10 dollars in most cases.
Cashier
Cashiers are important for handling transactions and making sure the order price and the correct dishes are aligned with the price. They must not falter when it comes to numbers, considering most of the transactions they handle in day-to-day business at the restaurant are basic additions. They are responsible for taking orders for takeaways and drive-throughs but also the food courts. They must have good knowledge of numbers and possess communication skills as well.
The people working in this position must know how to do well in a team and be flexible in working in tight and pressured environments. They must not crumble under pressure and properly handle customers. They must check with the kitchen staff about the people’s orders and inform them about the changes made to the menu. They must also have decent knowledge about the menu and other things related to the food to make changes to the orders on the spot.
Salary for Cashier
The salary for the cashier varies on the tips, and they make hourly just like the team members. The salary is 10 to 12 dollars an hour on average.
Cook
The cook’s job is one of the busiest positions in any restaurant since they have to keep track of every menu item and prepare it in the right way with the correct ingredients so that the stability, taste, and the combination of flavor do not go haywire. In addition, they must know how to prepare recipes and dishes in the minimum amount of time and keep the kitchen table clean.
Their workspace must be clean, so it is easier to find utensils and ingredients. It saves time. They must remember cooking fish, chicken, and other meats along with boiling vegetables and other things to make the other cook’s job easier. You must have a high school degree and know the basics of the kitchen.
They must know the different popular dishes, know how to work quickly and in pressured environments, know how to maintain hygiene, have innate knowledge about cooking and the kitchen basics. They must also know how to make proper adjustments to dishes as the customer request them.
Salary for Cook
The cooks get paid depending on the time they work but also depending on the experience they have. The average salary varies from 10 to 14 dollars per hour.
Manager
The manager is one of the most knowledgeable out of all of the staff because they have considerably higher experience handling the people and the restaurant’s administration. Therefore, it is most important for the people working in this position to have a bachelor’s degree in business or management. The Manager must design schedules for all the employees, hire new people, take interviews for them, oversee their training, and come up with new strategies to improve the sales and management of the company.
There are many other duties involving making sure the restaurant is functioning the right way and talking with customers in rare instances to take feedback and other information. Thus, the experience matters to the person highly. You have to know the ins and outs of the business, especially the ways to operate a restaurant. The manager has to stay ready, efficient, and know how to work in pressured situations. They must also work overtime in most cases to check on various issues around the restaurant.
Salary for Managers
The salary for managers varies from the experience rate and also the time they spend in the company. For example, if you are a person who has worked for more than a year in the restaurant, then your salary will be around 70 to 80 k. On the other hand, your salary will be around to 50 to 60 k range if you are relatively new.
Age Limit– Panda Express Job
The minimum age for people who want to work in Panda Express is 16 years. Panda Express is known for its friendly staff and the different approaches of the people. They guide the new people and ensure that they know about the business and its objectives. Therefore, college students and high school pass outs try to work in restaurants and fast food joints to make a little money to afford their expenses.
Application Process– Panda Express Job
The application process is like any other restaurant or fast food joint. But there are a couple of things you need to keep in mind. We are going to be discussing them. First, the application forms can be filled online or can be filled out on the official website. Go to the website, and make a new account. After that, you are going to find the job you want to apply for and apply.
Before that, you will have to fill out all of the information regarding your personal details, work experience, and education. Ensure to fill out everything in the correct order and fill the whole form with relevant information about yourself. A complete form is essential to get called. You can go on-site and get an application form from the restaurant as well. Ensure to dress well and carry your resume since the application and resume might get you a chance for an impromptu interview.
Generally, you have to wait one or two weeks for the follow-up regarding the interview, but a well-placed and well-mannered call after a week can also get you called for an interview. It depends on the company work schedule and how long the manager or the HR committee can see the email or the application process.
Interview Process– Panda Express Job
The interview process is the most important since it is the last step towards finding a job. All you need to remember is to be confident and make sure that you know a lot about the different questions they might ask relating to your past jobs and your ambitions. It is important to study about the company to make sure you know about its policies and many other things that might be useful in the interview. Make sure to dress well and be professional, it may seem trivial, but it matters.
Benefits
The hourly jobs like the cooks, team members, cashiers, dishwashers, and many more incur benefits such as free meals in most cases. There are also things like 401k plans, but those are only for the people who are on monthly and yearly salaried people. The hourly employees also get paid time off and meal discounts. The salaries employees get are more important benefits like insurance plans, paid vacations, and health coverages.
The Verdict
These are all the relevant details you will need to know about working in the Panda Express restaurants. The restaurants are very staff friendly and help people to start their careers. You need to study a little about the company policies, so it is easier to go through the interview. Be sure to be confident and proper. Be sure to keep the different things about the company’s history in mind and talk properly about them. Respect your interviewer so that you will get extra points for your interview. Good luck!
