Panda Express Catering Guide: Party Trays, Bundles & How to Order

Panda Express is the only nationally-scaled American Chinese restaurant brand that runs a real, structured catering program rather than treating large orders as an afterthought. The familiar wok-tossed favorites that built the chain, the Orange Chicken above all, scale into a catering format designed around feeding a room. Panda Express catering is built on two formats: a la carte Party Size trays (entree trays of roughly 100 ounces of wok-tossed protein and vegetables that serve 12 to 14 people, side trays that serve 10 to 12, and appetizer and dessert trays that serve up to about 14) and pre-built Party Bundles sized by headcount (a 12-to-16 person bundle of two entrees plus two sides, an 18-to-22 person bundle of three entrees plus three sides, and a 26-to-30 person bundle of four entrees plus four sides), with plates, serving utensils, napkins and the signature fortune cookies included in every order. This guide walks both catering formats, the full wok-tossed entree lineup anchored by the signature Orange Chicken, the Chow Mein and Fried Rice sides, the egg roll and cream cheese rangoon appetizers, what to order for offices of ten to a hundred, how the order-online and pick-up-in-store model works, and how Panda Express stacks up against the broader corporate-catering bench when a team wants American Chinese favorites at the office.

Founded in 1983 in the Glendale Galleria in California by Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express grew into the largest American Chinese restaurant chain in the United States, with more than two thousand locations. The menu is fast-casual American Chinese: wok-tossed entrees cooked in small batches throughout the day, served over steamed rice, fried rice, chow mein or the vegetable-forward Super Greens. The brand’s catering pitch is simple, “let Panda do all the wok for you,” and the program leans into that, sharable party trays you order online and pick up in store, packed with the plates, utensils, napkins and fortune cookies a group needs. Catering is not a white-glove, staffed service at Panda Express. It is a value-tier, grab-and-go format built for casual team lunches, all-hands gatherings and celebrations where a crowd-pleasing comfort favorite matters more than tablecloths.

Panda Express menu items, catering formats, serving sizes, lead times and location availability vary by store and change over time. Confirm current catering offerings, delivery availability and live quotes directly through the catering portal at pandaexpress.com/catering or with the participating Panda Express nearest your office before ordering.

The Two Catering Formats: Party Trays and Party Bundles

Panda Express catering comes in two shapes, and the right one depends on how much you want to think about the order. The a la carte Party Size trays let you build the spread tray by tray: pick exactly which entrees, sides, appetizers and desserts you want and how many of each. The Party Bundles do the math for you, pairing a fixed number of entree and side trays to a headcount range so you can order for a group in a single click. Both run on the same order-online, pick-up-in-store model, and both arrive with the disposable plates, serving utensils, napkins and fortune cookies a group needs.

For groups larger than thirty, the standard play is to stack bundles or add individual party-size trays on top of a bundle. A practical rule: figure one party-size entree tray and one party-size side tray for every twelve to fourteen people, then add an appetizer tray for every fifteen or so guests if you want starters on the table.

Party Size Entrees: Orange Chicken and the Full Lineup

The entree is the heart of any Panda Express catering order. Each party-size entree tray holds roughly 100 ounces of one wok-tossed dish and serves twelve to fourteen people as part of a buffet. The signature Orange Chicken, crispy chicken tossed in a sweet and spicy orange sauce, is the most-ordered item on the regular menu and the default first entree for almost every catering spread. Most groups build a tray lineup that pairs the Orange Chicken with one or two contrasting proteins and flavors.

A few entrees rotate seasonally or vary by location, so the exact lineup on the catering portal changes through the year. For a balanced spread, the simplest formula is one tray of Orange Chicken, one tray of a beef dish (Beijing Beef or Broccoli Beef), and a lighter chicken option (Mushroom Chicken or String Bean Chicken Breast) so every eater finds something. If American Chinese is on the table because the team wants variety, it is worth comparing the chain spread against local Chinese caterers in the Zerocater Chinese catering directory before you settle on a single brand.

Party Size Sides: Chow Mein, Fried Rice and Super Greens

Every Panda Express buffet needs a base, and the side trays are where you set it. A party-size side tray serves ten to twelve people. Most groups order one base per entree tray and split it between a rice and a noodle so eaters can choose.

For a mixed crowd, a tray of Chow Mein and a tray of Fried Rice covers most preferences, and adding a Super Greens tray gives lighter eaters and the vegetable-conscious something to fill a plate with that is not fried. The Super Greens plus white or brown steamed rice combination is also the closest Panda Express comes to a clean vegan base, which matters when you are feeding a team with a range of mixed dietary needs.

Appetizers and Desserts: Egg Rolls, Rangoon and Apple Pie Rolls

Appetizer and dessert trays are the easiest way to make a Panda Express spread feel like a real catered event rather than a pile of entree trays. Each tray serves up to about fourteen people.

One practical note for catering specifically: fried items like egg rolls, spring rolls, rangoon and the Orange Chicken itself are at their best fresh out of the wok and soften over a long hold. If you are picking up and the food will sit for an hour before lunch, lean a little harder on the saucier entrees and the rice and noodle bases, which hold their texture better, and time the pickup as close to serving as the store will allow.

Party Bundles: Ordering by Headcount

If you would rather not assemble a spread tray by tray, the Party Bundles do it for you. Each bundle pairs a set number of party-size entrees and sides to a headcount range and throws in fortune cookies. The bundles are the fastest way to order, and they are sized so that an average eater gets a full plate.

Because the model is pickup-first, the constraint at large headcounts is logistics, not menu. A hundred-person Panda Express order is real food on real trays that someone has to collect from the store and carry into the office, so for company-scale events it is worth a phone call to the store to confirm they can prep the volume on your timeline. For comparison on how other formats handle the same headcounts, see our corporate event catering checklist and the format-by-format pricing in our office catering cost guides.

How to Order Panda Express Catering

Ordering runs entirely online through the catering portal, and the flow is short:

1. Open the catering site at pandaexpress.com/catering and choose “Start Your Catering Order.”
2. Enter your location and fulfillment method, pickup or delivery (where available), plus the date and time you need the food.
3. Pick a format: choose a Party Bundle sized to your headcount, or build your own order from individual party-size entree, side, appetizer and dessert trays.
4. Choose your entrees, starting with Orange Chicken and adding contrasting proteins (a beef dish, a lighter chicken option, a premium upgrade if the budget allows).
5. Choose your sides, typically a split of Chow Mein and Fried Rice plus Super Greens or steamed rice for lighter and vegan eaters.
6. Add appetizers and dessert, egg rolls or cream cheese rangoon to start, apple pie rolls to finish, and any drinks the store offers.
7. Check out. Plates, serving utensils, napkins and fortune cookies come with the order. Pick up in store at your scheduled time, or take delivery where the location supports it.

For recurring office meal programs rather than one-off events, building everything by hand each week through a single chain’s portal gets tedious fast. That is exactly the gap a managed platform like CaterAi closes, and we cover the tradeoff in the comparison below.

Delivery, Pickup and Lead Times

The defining trait of Panda Express catering is that it is built around pickup. You order online and collect the trays in store. Delivery is available in many markets through the catering portal, but it is not universal, and it does not come with on-site setup or staffing the way full-service catering does. Plan the order around that reality.

Pros and Cons of Panda Express Catering

Panda Express catering is excellent at exactly one thing, putting a recognizable, well-liked comfort meal in front of a casual group cheaply and quickly, and it makes no pretense of being anything more. Judge it on that basis.

What Customers Say

Who Is Panda Express Catering Best For?

Panda Express vs. Other Catering Options

Panda Express sits in the same value-tier, build-your-own-spread neighborhood as the other fast-casual chains offices reach for. Here is how it compares on the dimensions that actually decide an office order.

A Better Option for Office Catering

Panda Express is a great occasional treat for a casual team lunch. But the things that make it cheap and simple, pickup-first fulfillment, one cuisine, family-style trays and limited dietary labeling, are exactly the things that make it a poor fit for a real office meal program. When you are feeding the same team week after week, you need variety so people do not burn out, delivery and setup so nobody on staff becomes the runner, dietary labeling so everyone can eat safely, and a single point of coordination instead of a different portal for every cuisine.

That is what Zerocater is built for. Instead of one chain’s menu, CaterAi builds a rotating menu from more than a thousand local restaurants, including the American Chinese, Sichuan and dumpling spots your team would actually choose, then handles delivery, setup, dietary labeling and the recurring schedule for you. You chat to plan an event or program, CaterAi assembles the menu, and you edit it until it is right. For one-off events, start with corporate event catering; to see how it all works, read how it works.

Plan Your Office Catering with CaterAi

Frequently Asked Questions

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• Holiday Party Catering Planning and Company Picnic & Outdoor Office Catering
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• Best Corporate Event Catering in Los Angeles and in New York City
• Office Catering Cost in San Francisco and in Chicago

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