A new Panda Express opened in Great Falls on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. It is at West Bank Landing along Third Street NW, in between Jersey Mike’s sub shop and the Verizon store.
The first 88 guests on Tuesday received a free Panda Express t-shirt.
Fast-food fans, like Kari and her family, were lined up early for the big moment.
“It’s perfect for us because we live on this side of town and there’s not really a lot of options for food over here, I mean it’s getting better now, but it’s perfect now that we have a Panda,” said Kari, a resident of Great Falls.
The grand opening included a performance by the Great Falls High School Bison dance team, grab bags, free t-shirts, and other goodies.
The opening day of the restaurant also served as a fundraiser for the dancers; a portion of the day's sales will go toward helping them compete in Florida
“I love Panda and it's really good, and I really love their orange chicken,” exclaimed one of Kari’s sons, who has held onto a gift card since last Christmas, waiting for this new location to open.
Oleg Kuftyrev, the store manager for the new location, said, “I’m really excited to have a grand opening day today, we've put a lot of effort towards this building; it's always the community too, so we have a lot of people coming."
He noted that the location on the northwest side of town is likely going to be a big draw: “The biggest [thing] is access because we're in a really busy area, so a lot of people from the community actually live close by. Having Panda Express on both sides of the city is really helpful because we have one Panda on that end of town, and now we have a second Panda on this end of town.”
Regular store hours will be Sundays through Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (drive-thru open until 10:30 p.m.); and Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. (drive-thru open until 11 p.m.).
A news release from Panda Express says: "Wages start at $19 per hour for all front of house hires, as well as $21 per hour for all new back of house hires."
The first Panda Express in Great Falls opened several years ago at 1020 57th Street South on the far east side of town, near Walmart.
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Wendy's is building a second Great Falls location, this one at 139 Northwest Bypass, between Domino's Pizza and the Sherwin-Williams Paint Store.
Construction got underway several weeks ago. They are planning to open in late September or early October. Wendy's first Great Falls location is at 806 Tenth Avenue South.
Pizza Ranch is slated to open in Great Falls, featuring a buffet with pizza, chicken and more. It will also have an "arcade zone" of over 5,000 square feet. It will also feature party rooms. Pizza Ranch has stores in Billings and Helena, and the Great Falls location at 2515 10th Avenue South will be the biggest, according to a spokesman who told KRTV: “We'll be taking over Joann Fabric, which is a 15,000 square foot space for us. That will be the largest for us.” The Joann Fabric store closed at the end of June. We have received reports that Joann Fabric plans to re-open in Holiday Village Mall in October or November.
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom has announced plans to open in the former Boston’s Pizza location on Seventh Street South. The new owners plan an extensive remodel, including a casino attached to the restaurant, but with a separate entrance. “Studies show that's a little bit more social than a straight-line bar,” said Mike Malmberg, Vice President of the Johnson Restaurant Group in charge of the Great Falls location. “We’ll have 40 beers on tap along with pizza and taproom fare.” Malmberg says with the craft beers on tap, the restaurant will try to make sure as many of them as possible are local beers. There are currently three Old Chicago locations in Montana - Billings, Bozeman, and Missoula. There is no word yet on when it is scheduled to open.
