Is Panda Express Open On Thanksgiving 2024?

Now that the holiday season is here, Thanksgiving is going to be around here soon. Thanksgiving is a time when you celebrate with family and friends with a delicious feast. However, the feast does not necessarily have to be a turkey! The feast can also be some delicious Chinese fast food from Panda Express! But, as Thanksgiving is such a major holiday, will Panda Express even be open?

On Thanksgiving day this year, Panda Express will not be open. Usually, the chain of restaurants is open on most national holidays during the year. However, on certain holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, Panda Express remains closed. But, they have also mentioned that the majority of their locations will be closed and not all, so you can once check with the outlet closest to you to know their status for Thanksgiving. 

Panda Express is a chain of restaurants where most of its locations are still family-owned. However, there are some outlets that are franchise owned. So, although the family-owned outlets will remain shut on Thanksgiving day, however, there are chances of the franchise-owned outlets being open.

So, it would be wise to check with the outlet closest to you, to know whether they will be open or not. Moreover, other than Panda Express, various other major restaurant chains will be open and operating as per usual on Thanksgiving. 

Why Is Panda Express Closed On Thanksgiving? 

We all know what an important holiday Thanksgiving is in the United States and even Canada, for that matter. It is indeed a ritual for everyone to get together with their families or friends, be thankful for all blessings, and yes, also enjoy a delicious meal.

For quite a lot of people, the norm might be to have turkey on Thanksgiving, but that truly does not mean that some people might just crave some Chinese food on this holiday! Sadly, if you are one of those people who is actually craving Chinese food on Thanksgiving, you won’t be able to get some from Panda Express. 

Panda Express is a place that you can visit for some delicious American Chinese food on most holidays throughout the year. However, the family-owned business does stay shut on some holidays like Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving too. The reason this huge chain of restaurants stays closed on this holiday is so that the employees too can get a day off and enjoy themselves with their families. 

Most of these restaurant chain employees work all year round, regardless of whether it is a weekend or any sort of holiday. So, as the company is mostly family-owned, it is indeed quite considerate of them to let their employees take a day off too, for some celebration.

However, as I mentioned, some of the outlets are franchise owned, so with these ones, the decision of operation on Thanksgiving eventually comes down to what the owner decides. It does sound confusing, I know! But, the best way to clear this confusion would be to call the location closest to you a day prior to Thanksgiving and ask them what their status will be on holiday.

This will indeed save you some hassle on an actual day. Moreover, you can also visit Panda Express a day before, and after Thanksgiving, as on both these days, their restaurants will be functioning as per usual. In case the cravings kick in badly on Thanksgiving, there are various other restaurant chain options that will be open.

So, even if they don’t serve food that is similar to the food served at Panda Express, you will still have plenty of options to choose from! However, even with these outlets, the opening and closing times may vary as compared to their usual hours on Thanksgiving. So, it would be better if you checked their operational hours before your visit! 

Similar Restaurant Chains That Are Closed On Thanksgiving

1. Subway – A light sandwich is sometimes all we need to satiate lunchtime hunger pangs. Subway serves some of the best sandwiches ever, however, unfortunately not on Thanksgiving this year. 
2. Taco Bell – Taco Bell is an internationally recognized chain, known for, yes, their tacos! On Thanksgiving, however, Taco Bell will not be serving customers this year. 
3. Chick-fil-A – Not just known for their OG chicken sandwiches, Chick-fil-A is also one of those restaurants that is known for being closed on Sundays and certain holidays. So, as per those strong norms that the chain follows, they will not be open on Thanksgiving. 
4. Panera Bread – The one perfect stop to satisfy cravings, but in a healthy way is Panera Bread. However, this chain serving some of the healthiest, yet heartiest food in America will not be open on Thanksgiving. 
5. Sonic Drive-In – Sonic Drive-In is famous not just for serving great burgers and shakes, but also for their unique style of service. But, on Thanksgiving, you will have to consider other places to enjoy the burgers and milkshakes, but maybe not the service! 
6. Arby’s – Known for ‘Market Fresh Sandwiches’ and a lot more, Arby’s is one restaurant chain where you can enjoy a variety of fast food. This chain will however, not be operational on Thanksgiving this year. 
7. Dairy Queen – Although the name of this chain is ‘Dairy Queen’, I must say that their burgers are pretty phenomenal too! On Thanksgiving this year, Dairy Queen will however, not be open. 
8. Chipotle – Chipotle is well known for serving some of the best burritos you may ever have in your life. Unfortunately, they will not be open on Thanksgiving this year, so you may have to consider other options for burrito cravings. 
9. Whataburger – Burgers so good, they actually make you say, “What-a-burger!” . However, you won’t be able to enjoy saying that on Thanksgiving as Whataburger will be closed. 
10. Jimmy John’s – Even though America has a lot of sandwich places, there’s none of them quite like Jimmy John’s! But, you will have to settle for a different option as Jimmy John’s will not be open on Thanksgiving this year. 

Conclusion

Panda Express will be closed on Thanksgiving this year. The mostly family-owned chain of restaurants usually stays closed on some holidays throughout the year; Thanksgiving is one of them. However, there are chances that some of the outlets might be open. In either case, most outlets will be shut down so that the employees can take a day off and enjoy the holiday with their families. 

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