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Sajid Maqsood, area manager for Panda Express, said the company plans to open its Wilmington location by the end of the week.The restaurant is located at the corner of Market Street and Van Campen Boulevard.Founded in 1983, Panda Express is one of the largest fast-casual Asian dining concepts in the U.S. with over 2,200 locations nationwide. Panda Express’s bestselling dishes include its originial orange chicken and award-winning honey walnut shrimp.According to Maqsood, 98% of Panda Express stores are company owned, including the Wilmington location.“We see that the Wilmington market is growing in terms of residents and tourists,” Maqsood said. “This will be a sister store to our current eastern North Carolina locations in Greenville, Jacksonville and Raleigh and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.”The 2,600-square-foot Panda Express features both indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a drive-thru.The company’s philanthropic sector, Panda Cares, has contributed more than 140 million dollars and countless volunteer hours in bettering the health and education of over 12 million youths as well as supporting communities in need since 1999.