Panda Express Grand Opening Draws a Crowd at Osan AB Exchange
Nearly 150 Osan Air Base Exchange customers lined up the morning of Aug. 20 ahead of the grand opening of the second Panda Express in South Korea.
“Last November, South Korea’s first Panda Express opened at USAG Humphreys, and it has been warmly welcomed by many customers,” Osan General Manager George McNamara said. “We are confident that Osan’s Panda Express will enjoy the same success and support.”
Osan AB 51st Fighter Wing Deputy Commander Col. Kevin Walsh and 51st Fighter Wing Command Chief Command Sgt. Major Carl Vogel were unable to attend the grand-opening ceremony because they were participating in the U.S. Force Korea-wide Freedom Shield exercise. Walsh and Vogel were represented by their spouses, Jenny Walsh and Beth Vogel, at the ribbon-cutting.
Members of the Osan AB community line up in anticipation of the grand opening of Panda Express at the Osan Exchange.
The restaurant was designed in May 2024, and construction began in February 2025. First-day sales were $20,888 with 1,040 transactions, slightly more than the USAG Humphreys restaurant’s first day.
The first customer, Senior Airman Daniel Madden of the 51st Communications Squadron at Osan AB, began patiently waiting in line at 6 a.m. for the 9 a.m. grand-opening ceremony. Madden had worked for a Panda Express in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, before enlisting in the Air Force. “I really love the orange chicken,” Madden said.
For being the first customer, Madden received a special edition Panda Express plush bear, and a Panda bear keychain, T-shirt and tote bag.
The Panda Express team presented the first 88 guests with Panda T-Shirts, red tote bags, Panda bear headbands, balloons and small Panda bear keychains.
To view more photos from the grand opening, click here.
Senior Airman Daniel Madden of the 51st Communications Squadron at Osan Air Base arrived at 6 a.m. to be first in line for the grand opening of Panda Express at the Osan Exchange. Madden, shown with Osan Panda Express Store Manager Sabrina Seol, worked at a Panda Express in Murfreesboro, Kentucky, before enlisting in the Air Force.
