Panda Express High-Protein Meal Order Guide

At Panda Express even entrees should be an entrée

When it comes to takeout food that meets dietary needs, the onus typically falls on the customer. Not so at Panda Express. Their "how-to order" guide places the nutritional needs front and center, offering protein-rich meals without skirting the calories. Step-by-step, the ordering guide urges the customer to pick two entrées. "Choose" this menu item, "add" that one. This is no pile on what you like invitation. Panda Express makes it a balanced affair. They suggest Super Greens for the base, and Cantonese Brisket for the entrée. With 44 grams of protein, the brisket alone offers nearly half the recommended daily intake of this nutrient. This is a nutritional strategy that requires no "buttery flavors.” Or "lighter touch." Panda Express is not apologizing for what they are offering. Instead, they are guiding the ordering process where the total calories and protein count for the meal is nearly 100g. Dietary restrictions are not a huge request. But balanced nutrition requirements are sometimes a hard request to fulfill in a restaurant setting. Panda Express is doing the ordering for you.

The art of the entrée

The nutritional strategy is clear. High-protein entrées get the customer closer to their daily goal. The visual menu guide is explicit with this. "Order" and "Pick" are the exact words. How many calories and protein? "130" and 9g for Starters. For the entrée? 410 calories and 44g. Here is the good news: If you order the entrée twice. This is a good news because 44g of protein twice a day is nearly 100g of protein for the day. The reason for this dietary breakdown is clear. Along with the calorie and protein breakdown, Panda Express makes the reason clear. If the customer wants to order often, it is important for them to know the dietary count. They need to know that the entrée has nearly 100 grams of protein.

How-to tests the ordering against actual choices

Panda Express' visual guide offers more than just nutrition. The customer is guided through each step of the ordering process. But what the customer sees has the dietary need baked into it. The user is encouraged to select the dishes in a way that maximizes nutritional value. They are not offered four plates, four entrées in a combo. Instead, the customer is asked to order a plate and add an entrée. Here the choices are limited. "Order" and "Pick." Nutrition becomes the guide. And along with this, the user is encouraged to double up on the entrée. So they can get almost 100 grams of protein. One way to think about this is that the ordering process is guided by a diet-first strategy. Almost like a nutritional guardrail. Instead of a la carte ordering, the food is ordered in a balanced strategy.

The end result

Panda Express’ strategy is simple: provide a balanced, high-protein meal without guilt or extra calories. Real food enthusiasts would find it interesting that the creator of this ordering process is somewhere with the name @Tastebud. No recipe or sauce was mentioned. No seasoning tip was given either. The strategy is simple. Order a plate, pick the Super Greens, choose the Cantonese Brisket for entrée 1, add it again as entrée 2, and voilà—you have a 97g protein meal.