Panda Express is the “safest restaurant” to eat in during the Coronavirus pandemic in America.
With Covid-19 restrictions being lifted, more people are venturing out of their homes to dine out. However, as a vaccine is still yet to be rolled out, the threat of contracting the virus has not diminished.
Restaurants have taken drastic measures to ensure the safety of their diners and according to global research firm Ipsos, Panda Express has been the most successful at it.
In September, Ipsos released its results of a health and safety study of retailers amid the pandemic. The report praised Panda Express for exceptional performance, stating that the restaurant showed“near-perfect compliance of employees wearing PPE properly.”
At 96% of the Panda Expresses that Ipsos inspected, employees were wearing face coverings properly. The industry average is 89%. Employees who were wearing gloves were seen at 82% of Panda Express locations visited, compared to the industry average of 72%.
58% of Panda Express franchises enforced a one-way entrance and exit system, compared to the 27% industry average. 74% of the locations also had plastic barriers at service counters, compared to a 56% industry average.
67% of the Chinese American restaurants also had signs reminding customers to social distance. 63% had signs outside stating occupancy limits compared to just 17% in the industry average.
At the start of the pandemic, Panda Express founders Andrew and Peggy Cherng donated $2 million to combat the Coronavirus.
Most recently, Panda Express fired an employee from one of its branches for making racist gestures.
