Driven by its people-first mission, Panda Express’ rollout of GridPoint Intelligence™ will deliver energy savings and operational efficiencies, while centering on the comfort of its associates and guests.
RESTON, Va. – Jan. 23, 2023 – GridPoint, a leading cleantech company that decarbonizes commercial buildings and accelerates the transition to a sustainable energy future, today announced an expanded partnership with Panda Express, the largest Asian dining concept in the United States. With nearly 2,500 locations and 50,000 associates, Panda Express will deploy GridPoint Intelligence™ to all U.S. locations during the next 18 months to optimize energy consumption, reduce energy costs and ensure that all restaurants remain at maximum temperature comfort for its guests and associates throughout varied climate conditions year-round.
“We have sought solutions that can deliver data-driven insights, automated energy efficiency and immediate savings by monitoring and controlling energy consumption within our facilities in real time and are excited to partner with GridPoint to roll out their energy management system across our store portfolio,” said James Ku, chief development officer at Panda Restaurant Group. “Optimizing our buildings in this manner frees up time and resources for our associates to continue prioritizing our core mission, which is to deliver exceptional dining experiences for our guests.”
Panda Express’ deployment of GridPoint’s smart building technology platform to all U.S. locations follows a 200-store pilot, which generated measurable energy cost savings and reduced CO2 emissions. GridPoint Intelligence™ automates critical building functions and actively manages energy operations within each location, and with nearly 2,500 locations across the U.S., this automation positions Panda to optimize energy usages particularly during peak periods that will impact the comfort of its guests and employees.
“GridPoint was founded 20 years ago with a vision and mission to accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable energy future. We have long admired Panda Express’ commitment to continuous innovation and operational excellence. Panda’s selection to implement GridPoint across all its restaurants is even more meaningful because they centered this decision around what is best for their associates and guests,” said Mark Danzenbaker, CEO at GridPoint. “Maximizing energy efficiency and decarbonization in complex commercial buildings requires a technology-driven approach. We are especially proud to partner with Panda in addressing global energy goals one building, guest and associate at a time.”
For Panda Express, GridPoint Intelligence™ will control all in-store HVAC and lighting at all U.S. locations and provide facility managers with insight into real-time operational and environmental performance, resulting in reportable emissions offset.
Offering a full suite of asset monitoring, testing, reporting and control capabilities across a company’s entire energy profile and carbon footprint, GridPoint Intelligence™ leverages data analytics, patented algorithms and intelligent automation to provide visibility into complex building operations, optimize energy consumption and cost, automate decarbonization and improve resiliency. GridPoint Intelligence™ has been deployed in over 20,000 commercial buildings across multiple industries in North America.
About GridPoint
GridPoint is a leading cleantech company that decarbonizes commercial buildings and accelerates the transition to a sustainable energy future. GridPoint’s smart building technology platform connects energy grids with distributed energy resources, providing the ability to synchronize energy demand and supply behind-the-meter to optimize energy consumption and help achieve sustainability goals for businesses and utilities. GridPoint Intelligence ™ is deployed in more than 20,000 commercial buildings across multiple industries in North America. Leveraging data analytics, patented algorithms, and intelligent automation to deliver unprecedented visibility into complex building operations, GridPoint optimizes energy costs, lowers carbon emissions and strengthens resiliency – building by building. Networked together, buildings with GridPoint Intelligence™ can aggregate the reliable and instantaneous capacity that energy grids increasingly require. The GridPoint Intelligent Energy Network™ of buildings is driving grid modernization and accelerating the transition to a sustainable energy future. For more information, visit https://www.gridpoint.com/.
About Panda Express
On a mission to inspire better lives, Panda Express® is the largest Asian dining concept in the US. Family-owned and operated since 1983 by Co-Founders and Co-CEOs Andrew and Peggy Cherng, Panda Express is best known as a trailblazer for creating a wide variety of industry-first recipes, including its best seller The Original Orange Chicken® and award-winning Honey Walnut Shrimp, which have defined the category of authentic American Chinese cuisine. Each dish at Panda Express is thoughtfully crafted with quality ingredients and inspired by bold Chinese flavors and culinary principles. The restaurant brand has nearly 2,500 locations and has introduced American Chinese cuisine to eleven international countries.
Powered by this global family of associates, Panda Cares®, Panda’s philanthropic arm, has raised more than $329 million and dedicated countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education for over 15 million youth, as well as supporting communities in need since 1999. In 2021, Panda Express established the Panda CommUnity Fund™ — a five-year, $10 million community investment and response program that supports immediate and sustainable solutions from national and local organizations to uplift diverse groups, including people of color and other marginalized communities. For more information about Panda, visit pandaexpress.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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