Panda Express Is Turning Up the Heat With Its New Firecracker Steak & Shrimp

Panda Express is now offering its own version of surf and turf, turning up the heat with its new Firecracker Steak and Shrimp.

According to a press release, this spicy new dish will be available until May 27, 2025, while supplies last. It will include delicious sirloin steak bites and juicy shrimp wok-tossed with brilliant red and yellow bell peppers, onions, string beans, and whole dried chili peppers.

Panda’s distinctive Firecracker sauce brings it all together. Now infused with even more heat, it combines aromatic fermented black beans and whole dry chili peppers for an extra spicy punch. Firecracker Steak and Shrimp has 18 grams of protein and an appealing, robust flavor, giving you a tantalizing kick with each bite.

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You Can Order the New Dish on the Award-Winning Panda Express App

Panda Express is one of the most popular casual dining chains in the country, and its food is well-regarded by customers. Recently, the company’s app has also been recognized as one of the best ordering apps available.

IPSOS just published its 2024 QSR/Fast Casual Digital Ordering Performance Study. The study looks at the quick-service restaurant (QSR) mobile app order-ahead environment, including the brands that dominate the market and the factors that keep customers coming back.

Panda Express had the highest overall score of the 26 QSR brands evaluated in this year’s evaluation (80 out of 100). However, no single brand garnered top marks across the board. While customers praised Panda Express’ app features, Chick-fil-A had the highest-scoring app capabilities, while Whataburger beat the competition regarding ordering experience.

“We are delighted to publish this study, given the increasing importance of mobile app experiences for limited-service restaurants. These results reflect the intensity of the competition and users’ heightened expectations — making it all the more important for brands to differentiate themselves through exceptional digital experiences,” noted Brad Christian, SVP of strategic growth, Ipsos Channel Performance, in a statement accompanying the announcement.

“We think about the Panda Express mobile app not just as a simple utility for our guests to transact, but an opportunity to engage with them and bring our brand essence to life in an authentic and differentiated manner,” said Nidhin Mattappally, executive director of digital and restaurant experience at Panda Express, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. “We’ve mirrored the app ordering experience to what’s in-store so that it’s really familiar to guests and made it streamlined so it’s easy to complete.”