Panda Express on Green Street reopens after closing amid pandemic
Kamille Thompson serves a customer at Panda Express on Green Street on Dec. 1, 2017. Panda Express is reopening after closing during the pandemic.
December 3, 2021
The Panda Express located on Green Street reopened Thursday after closing in the spring of 2020.
Ranvic Pasaylo, sophomore in AHS, previously worked at the Panda Express on Prospect Avenue but quit in October.
“(Management has) always been planning on reopening it, it’s just a matter of when,” Pasaylo said.
Pasaylo believes the Panda Express will be packed.
“I know so many of my friends are excited to go back,” Pasaylo said.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
The Panda Express has continued to train other employees at different locations in order to be properly staffed.
“I know that they’re hiring a lot more people in their current locations, so that they can have some people already set and trained,” Pasaylo said. “I feel like most of the workers are going to be from the Prospect Avenue location, the mall and the one (on) Broadway.”
Still, Pasaylo believes it will still be understaffed.
When Pasaylo worked at the Panda Express on Prospect Avenue, his official title was kitchen help. He cooked the chow mein and fried rice as well as doing the dishes.
At the Green Street location, those roles will be separated.
“They’re going to try to separate the kitchen cook and the dishwasher because it was combined once,” Pasaylo said.
Pasaylo believes this is the right decision and will make the job less stressful.
