Panda Inn

BEFORE

Project Scope: To celebrate 50 years of the Panda brand, the first Panda Inn located in Pasadena, Calif., was renovated into a sleek and contemporary dining experience. (Panda Express and Panda Inn are owned and operated by Rosemead, Calif.-based Panda Restaurant Group). To reflect this significant company milestone, the renovation was intended to “respect the brand’s roots while crafting a modern space that speaks to its future and invites a new generation of guests to feel right at home,” says Kevin Horn, Principal, and Yuwen Peng, Associate Principal, Arcadis (Amsterdam).

Unique Features: “We wanted to express a sense of East meets West design and culture with our own twist,” says Horn and Peng. The twists come through in the details: a stained-glass wall to honor Pasadena’s historic Arts and Crafts movement, a sawtooth ceiling with a golden chandelier meant to resemble the aesthetic of a traditional Chinese courtyard, alongside a stone bar top for a nod to Chinese calligraphy. A black-and-white veined stone spinning wheel incorporated into the walnut dining table is a modern interpretation of the traditional Chinese shared dining experience. A series of illustrative graphic medallions on the divider wall between the reception and bar area “tells the story of Panda’s founder, Andrew Cherng, from his early life in China, Taiwan and Japan and his move to the U.S. and the creation of the Panda brand,” says Horn and Peng.

AFTER

Unique Layout: The main interior gives the appearance of one large, open dining room, however it is subtly divided into zones with semi-private rooms, lounge bar and sushi bar seating, as well as partitioned booths and outdoor dining on the terrace, providing “something for everyone from formal to casual, large parties to small, private to communal,” says Horn and Peng. A hidden speakeasy is accessed through the kitchen’s back freezer for another level of mystery and excitement. These zones also improved the acoustics of the space, providing more balanced noise reverberation even with 300 dining guests.

PHOTO GALLERY (19 IMAGES)