Doing Good is Good Business: How Panda Express is Redefining Brand Value through Purpose-Driven Marketing

 

Steven Johnson the Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes that in today’s highly competitive food marketing landscape, consumer loyalty is no longer won by taste alone. Authenticity, social responsibility, and emotional connection are driving forces behind brand preference and purchasing behavior. One shining example of this trend is Panda Express, which has not only embraced these values but has also raised over $200 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) — a feat that underscores the powerful intersection of doing good and building lasting goodwill.

The Economics of Empathy in Food Marketing

According to a recent NielsenIQ study, 73% of global consumers say they would definitely or probably change their consumption habits to reduce their environmental impact. Similarly, Edelman’s Trust Barometer consistently shows that brands perceived as purpose-driven grow faster and retain customers longer. Foodservice, particularly in the QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) segment, is experiencing a transformation where values are no longer an optional side dish — they are the main course.

Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru® and a long-time advocate for emotional relevance in food retail, observes:

“We are seeing the rise of the empathetic brand. The modern consumer wants to align with companies that care — not just say they care. This goes beyond cause-marketing. It’s about embedded values and long-term commitments.”

Panda Express exemplifies this principle with their enduring partnership with CMN Hospitals.

Panda Express and the Power of Purpose

Panda Express is not only the largest family-owned Asian dining concept in America — it is also one of the most impactful philanthropic leaders in the industry. Their $200 million fundraising milestone for CMN Hospitals wasn’t the result of a flashy campaign; it was the accumulation of everyday customer interactions and company-wide commitment.

Central to their philanthropic initiative is the Panda Cares Centers of Hope, which exist in 72 hospitals across the U.S. These centers are designed to enhance the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of hospitalized children. From music and pet therapy rooms to outdoor gardens and chapels, these spaces offer children and families a sanctuary of healing.

As Panda Express Co-Founder Peggy Cherng explains:

“Every donation, large or small, has directly contributed to creating spaces of hope and healing, allowing children to focus on being kids.”

Emotional Connection as a Brand Differentiator

What sets Panda Express apart is its seamless integration of giving into the brand DNA. Customers aren’t just buying orange chicken; they’re participating in a mission. This kind of emotional resonance translates into tangible business results:

·       Increased customer loyalty: Shoppers are 4 to 6 times more likely to trust and buy from purpose-driven brands (Zeno Group, 2021).

·       Employee engagement: Brands with strong social impact programs see up to 50% reduction in turnover, especially among younger employees (Cone Communications).

·       Stronger brand equity: When brands create emotional value, it builds resilience, enabling them to weather economic or reputational storms more effectively.

Local Impact, National Reach

Panda Express’ impact is both scalable and personal. Centers of Hope are rooted in local communities, from Duke Children’s in Durham, NC to St. Luke’s Children’s in Boise, ID — making the benefits visible and meaningful across America. This “glocal” approach — global vision with local execution — has become a cornerstone of effective cause marketing in food retail.

Steven Johnson adds:

“When consumers see that their purchase can uplift their own community, it flips the script. Fast food becomes fast healing. That’s an emotional value proposition no coupon can beat.”

A Blueprint for the Future

Panda Express has provided a clear model for how food brands can thrive by serving not only meals, but missions. Their long-term, high-impact commitment to children’s health exemplifies the modern marketing trifecta: transparency, community focus, and emotional resonance.

As the food industry looks ahead, brands that weave goodness into their core identity — not as a campaign, but as a culture — will be the ones that win hearts, minds, and market share.

 

Think About This:
Doing good is no longer a peripheral strategy — it’s central to sustainable brand growth. Panda Express proves that when compassion and commerce align, the result is not just good will, but good business.

 

Success Leaves Clues—Are You Ready to Find Yours?

One key insight that continues to drive success is this: "The consumer is dynamic, not static." This principle is the foundation of our work at Foodservice Solutions®, where Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru®, has been helping brands stay relevant in an ever-evolving market.

Want to strengthen your brand’s connection with today’s consumers? Let’s talk. Call 253-759-7869 for more information.

Stay Ahead of the Competition with Fresh Ideas

Is your food marketing keeping up with tomorrow’s trends—or stuck in yesterday’s playbook? If you're ready for fresh ideations that set your brand apart, we’re here to help.

At Foodservice Solutions®, we specialize in consumer-driven retail food strategies that enhance convenience, differentiation, and individualization—key factors in driving growth.

👉 Email us at Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us
👉 Connect with us on social media: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

 

Where’s My Dinner?

The at the intersection of the Couch Potato and Technology consumers are now finding just what and when they can eat dinner. According to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® industry insiders say that ‘high level data’ now ranks ‘When will Dinner Arrive’ as asked more often that ‘What’s for Dinner’.  To that end Amazon Echo has teamed up with Uber Eats to create a simple and seamless answer to the question, ‘When will dinner arrive’.

It’s at that intersection that a solution has been found. Recently, Uber Technologies, announced that consumers can now use their Amazon Echo devices to track the status of Uber Eats orders in the United States. This new integration unlocks real-time, hands-free order tracking for Echo users across the country.

The Uber Eats integration with Alexa gives consumers timely updates on critical points in the delivery process—starting when an order is being prepared through to when the driver is arriving, and when the order is delivered. Consumers can set how to receive updates. Alexa can announce when there's a status change to their order from one or all of their household devices or they can choose to receive an Alexa notification instead—the light on their Echo device will change to yellow, and consumers can ask, "Alexa, what's my notification?"

Ethan Hollinshead, Lead Product Manager at Uber, stated, "With order tracking on Alexa, managing orders from Uber Eats has never been easier—whether a favorite dessert or Friday night pizza heading to consumers' doorsteps," ... "We know that consumers are busier than ever before and we are excited to launch our integration with Alexa that unlocks new ways to simplify the experience to help consumers to get anything, from anywhere—which is always our priority."

Mark Yoshitake, GM and Director of Alexa Skills, stated, "Simple ambient experiences let customers be more present with family and friends—they don't need to be distracted by checking for delivery updates on their mobile apps," ... "Now, customers can settle in for their favorite movie and trust Alexa to let them know when their driver is approaching with their order, or update them if there is a material change to the estimated delivery time. It's yet another example of how Alexa is helping make customers' lives easier."

Yes, Uber Eats order tracking on Alexa is available on Echo devices in the United States now. Amazon is Uber's third partner in the voice-activated space, after announcing partnerships with Google Assistant and Apple's Siri for voice ordering integrations within the last year.

In case you did not know, to get started, go to the Voice Assistant settings in the Uber Eats app and turn on the "Track with Alexa" button. Then, after checkout, tap the Alexa.

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter 

Foodservice Solutions® Price, Value, Service Equilibrium Edified Once Again

 

Success does leave clues. Getting things right takes hard work and continue refinement and retooling according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. Johnson first identified quantified and qualified restaurant, convenience store, and service deli opportunity within the retail foodservice space.

That first formula for the price, value, service success was: Price + Quality + Service + Portability = Value.  That formula has evolved with Gen Z and Millennials today.  Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru® then retooled, reevaluated, calculated then evolved the formula and here is the new formula:  Price + Quality + Social + Portability = Value. 

With portability comes an increased focus on packaging according to Johnson.  Increasingly foodservice is a key category for the convenience channel as consumers increasingly view c-stores as a destination for food and beverage items. Price/value, food quality, taste and freshness are the most important factors shoppers consider when purchasing prepared food at a c-store, according to the 2023 Convenience Store News Realities of the Aisle Study, which surveyed 1,500 consumers who shop a c-store at least once a month. The study also found:

Get this, NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF SHOPPERS (64%) Nearly two-thirds of shoppers (64 percent) say the reasons why consumers do not purchase prepared food at convenience stores include:

1.       40% Price at c-stores is too high

2.       35% Don't trust the quality sold at c-stores

3.       29% C-stores don't offer good selection/ variety

4.       21% I've just never thought of looking for these products at c-stores

5.       18% C-stores don't offer sales/promotions say they were extremely or very satisfied with their most recent prepared food purchase at a c-store

6.        while just 6% say they were not satisfied.

In case you did not know. The top five prepared foods consumers say they regularly purchase at c-stores are: Millennials favor breakfast sandwiches and fresh fruit or vegetable smoothies at higher rates than other generations, while Generation Z is more likely to buy French fries and Mexican food. 1. Breakfast sandwich 2. Pizza 3. Hot dog 4. Deli/ sandwich 5. Hamburger

The report continued, in a sign of the post-pandemic return to in-person or hybrid work, breakfast sandwiches jumped to 40% incidence among c-store prepared food shoppers, up 17 points from a year ago.

With the increase in demand for grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-Eat-Fresh prepared food up in all sectors of retail foodservice including restaurants, grocery service deli, and convenience stores the need for sustainability packaging is beginning to take center stage according to Johnson.

In case you did not know, Novolex, is a leader in packaging choice, innovation and sustainability, is introducing Power Prep wrap for grab-and-go hot sandwiches and other freshly made foods. 

Manufactured by Novolex brand Bagcraft, the new wrap is laminated and insulated to keep food tasting fresh as it moves from the freezer to thawing and re-heating, and while it’s held under heat at the point of sale. This allows customers to enjoy a delicious hot sandwich that was made and wrapped off site. 

Power Prep wrap is ideal for convenience stores, supermarkets and other foodservice operators, catering to the growing demand for high-quality, freshly made offerings. 

Tim Coulson, Director of Technology, Paper at Novolex, stated, “When a national convenience store needed a new flexible packaging option for grab-and-go hot sandwiches, our innovation team developed a unique four-layer structure specifically designed to control moisture and heat,” .... “Our new Power Prep wrap is a true gamechanger, a unique solution that revolutionizes the way hot foods can be made, sold and enjoyed.” 

Service Deli’s, restaurants and convenience stores operators invest in central kitchens to provide more prepared grab-and-go food options, maintaining consistent quality and food integrity is critical. The Power Prep wrap protects food and performs across multiple temperature requirements. 

So, Power Prep wrap uses non-fluorinated oil-and-grease-resistant paper that is laminated to a liner using a honeycomb pattern that creates an insulated layer. Among the many features of the multilayered wrap: 

The lamination is designed with unique anti-curling capabilities to allow flat sheeting, saving time and increasing efficiency because foods can be quickly wrapped and frozen at scale.

It is more puncture-resistant than foil or foil/paper structure, providing an alternative to other packaging options. 

The wrap can be custom printed to include branding and promotional messages. 

Power Prep wrap is available as cut sheets in different sizes and can also be purchased as a roll.

Bagcraft food packaging products serve a wide range of foodservice, restaurant, supermarket, convenience store and bakery applications. Power Prep wrap is just the latest addition to the range of innovative packaging solutions from Novolex. 

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Takeout Alcohol is Becoming a Big Thing

 

If you were wondering what the next big thing in the retail space was, we have a clue, it is not just beer or wine delivery it is adding any or all alcohol to you take out order that appears to be driving larger ticket orders while creating new electricity if linked for C-stores, Grocery Stores, and Restaurants according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

Incase you had not heard, online commerce platform Drizly partnered with Gopuff to provide immediate, on-demand delivery of alcoholic beverages to adults of legal drinking age, in the Arizona, Kentucky and Washington marketplaces driving new branded electricity for food retailers.

According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.” 

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, developing brands, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different. 

So, this partnership / collaboration will bring the full Gopuff Liquor & More assortment of beer, wine and spirits to Drizly's beverage shop, while also expanding the number of BevMo! and Liquor Barn stores on the platform. The agreement will increase Drizly's network of partners to offer delivery options for drinks, while also expanding Gopuff's reach by tapping into Drizly's customer base of alcohol shoppers. 

Blaine Grinna, Drizly's senior director of retail operations, stated, "As we continue to build the best shopping experience for beverage alcohol, teaming up with Gopuff is our next step in offering consumers convenient delivery options for drinks,"... "Drizly's infrastructure for alcohol e-commerce coupled with Gopuff's network of commerce locations will extend the ease of on-demand delivery of beer, wine and spirits nationwide and help even more customers of legal drinking age shop the best drinks for the moment."

Yes, there is more, in addition to bringing new Gopuff locations to the Drizly marketplace, Drizly will also add nearly 20 new BevMo! stores to its network — making notable expansions into Arizona and Washington — and increase the number of Liquor Barn stores available for rapid delivery across Kentucky.

Now this partnership intends to build upon Gopuff's addition to the Uber Eats app in 2021. The addition coincided with Uber's acquisition of Drizly in an approximately $1.1 billion deal. 

Gopuff Liquor & More, BevMo! and Liquor Barn stores are now available on Drizly's marketplace in 26 states, including Florida, Texas, New York, Indiana, Ohio and North Carolina. Consumers of legal drinking age can visit drizly.com or download the Drizly app to make purchases. 

In case you did not know, funded in 2012, Drizly is currently the largest online marketplace for alcohol in North America. It partners with thousands of retailers — including liquor stores, bodegas, specialty shops and convenience stores — to provide delivery in more than 1,400 cities across the United States and Canada. 

Are you looking for a new partnership to drive sales? Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing tactics look more like yesterday that tomorrow?  Visit GrocerantGuru.com for more information or contact: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us Remember success does leave clues and we just may have the clue you need to propel your continued success.