After nearly two years, lots of public outcry, and a petition that garnered more than 7,000 signatures, Panda Express has heard its vegetarian and vegan customers: It’s bringing back Beyond orange chicken. But it’s still only for a limited time, and only at a handful of the chain’s stores.
Orange chicken is Panda Express’s most iconic dish. First launched in 1987, it now makes up one-third of the chain’s business. In 2021, Panda Express partnered with Beyond Meat to co-develop a non-meat version, called, officially, Beyond the Original Orange Chicken—and it was a quick success.
The success of Panda Express Beyond orange chicken
The very first day it was on the menu in some restaurants in New York City and Southern California, Panda Express sold more than 1,300 pounds of Beyond orange chicken. In its Southern California stores, that first test sold out in less than two weeks.
“It’s one of Panda’s most successful regional launches to date,” Chef Jimmy Wang, executive director of culinary innovation at Panda Express, said in a statement in 2021, “which further reinforces the desire we’re seeing from our guests for more diverse and plant-based options.”
After that small, regional launch, Panda Express brought its Beyond orange chicken to 70 locations in the fall of 2021. In September 2022, it rolled the offering out nationally, to more than 2,300 locations. But the Beyond orange chicken was always meant to be a limited time menu item “while supplies last.” Eventually, it fell off Panda Express menus across the country—and customers noticed.
Customer outcry
The Beyond orange chicken was the only vegetarian entree at some Panda Express locations; its eggplant tofu is only available at some locations, and otherwise, vegetarian or vegan customers have long been relegated to just eating side dishes.
That was the complaint made on a Change.org petition, called “Panda Express Bring Back The Beyond Orange Chicken,” created February 2023. By December, it had more than 5,000 signatures; now that tops 7,000. “Panda Express have discontinued serving the Beyond Meat orange chicken, the only vegan/vegetarian entree option,” the petition reads. “Now, millions of people will not be able to have a full meal other than sides at Panda Express. The people are outraged as seen in the comments on various social media accounts.”
Comments on the platform and across the internet echoed that sentiment: “Haven’t gone to Panda since it was removed,” one fan commented. “Wake me up when they bring back the Beyond orange chicken at Panda Express,” another tweeted. “We’ve never received so many social media comments for guests begging for us to bring a dish back,” a Panda Express spokesperson told Fast Company. “It’s our #1 most requested dish on social media.”
Bringing back Beyond
Now, Panda Express is responding to the demand. Beginning Wednesday, July 3, Panda Express is bringing back the Beyond orange chicken to its menu “across hundreds of participating locations nationwide for a limited time,” the spokesperson said.
“If consumer enthusiasm continues,” they added, “there’s potential for expansion into additional Panda Express restaurants.” As to why the return of Beyond orange chicken was still limited despite the public demand, the food chain says it offers different limited time dishes “a few times a year to introduce new varieties and flavors to our guests,” but neither Panda Express nor Beyond Meat explained further.
The move comes as other fast food companies have dropped their partnerships with Beyond Meat. Del Taco, which first launched Beyond Meat in 2019, stopped selling the plant-based meat option “due to low sales” last spring (though the company added it still has a relationship with Beyond and is exploring other menu options).
Dunkin’, which served a plant-based sausage from Beyond also beginning in 2019, ended its relationship with the brand in 2021. Carl’s Jr., another early adopter that began selling a Beyond burger in 2019, didn’t discontinue the option completely but has since rolled the offering back; it hasn’t clarified how many of its 1,065 locations are still offering the plant-based beef.
Many other brands, from KFC to Pizza Hut, have run trials with Beyond Meat, offering limited-time menu items. The Panda Express Beyond orange chicken, though, seems to be the first time that a brand is bringing back the same plant-based meat option, due to customer demand.
Just recently, McDonald’s said it has no plans to bring back McPlant, a Beyond meat burger, in the U.S. after tests of the plant-based option in San Francisco and Dallas failed. But the McPlant is quite popular abroad, thriving in markets like the U.K. and Austria.
Though demand for plant-based meat may be a bit fickle in the U.S., the Panda Express Beyond orange chicken has clearly struck the right chord with customers. And overall, the meat alternative industry is still set to grow. Valued at $42.6 billion in 2022, one estimate says it is expected to surpass $73.8 billion by 2031.