DeKALB – After the unexpected closure of American-Chinese restaurant Panda House earlier this year, DeKalb residents and NIU students did not have to wait long for an alternative.

Zhao’s Express opened where the former Panda House was located on 901 Lucinda Ave. and offers “American-style Chinese fast food, focusing on great taste, affordable pricing and fresh ingredients,” according to owner Shiyou Zhao.

Zhao shared his and his family’s journey to DeKalb and how they were able to open their first restaurant.

“Although we’ve worked in the restaurant industry for years, this is our first time owning and operating a business of our own. It’s been a brand-new experience filled with learning, challenges and growth,” Zhao said.

Originally, Zhao and his family hoped to open their first restaurant in Iowa where most of their relatives reside, but found no suitable spaces for the restaurant.

“We started looking into nearby states such as Wisconsin, Illinois and Missouri. Later, a friend told us that there was a restaurant for sale in DeKalb, Illinois. We reached out to the previous owner, who also owned Panda House,” Zhao said.

After speaking with the owner of Panda House, DeKalb being a college town caught Zhao’s attention.

“We found that the location of this restaurant – right across from Northern Illinois University – was excellent. We believed that with reasonable prices and good flavors, we had a great chance of earning the support of students and the local community,” Zhao said.

Zhao also visited other local Chinese restaurants to help finalize their menu options and pricing.

“We reviewed the menus of nearby restaurants, including Panda House, and developed our own pricing strategy. We also introduced two value meal options that quickly became customer favorites,” Zhao said.

The value meals are as follows:

• Lunch Special – $7.99, served with one dish, fried rice, and an egg roll or a can of soda.
• Combination Plate – $9.95, served with one dish, steamed rice, an egg roll or crab rangoon, and egg drop soup.

Since opening, Zhao mentioned that business has been steady, but their lack of promotion may be an obstacle.

“Because we’re not familiar with marketing or advertising, we haven’t done much promotion, which means many people still don’t know there’s a new restaurant across from NIU,” Zhao said.

Nonetheless, Zhao expressed gratitude towards his new community and now welcomes this new business experience with open arms.

“We’ve received a great deal of support from NIU students and local residents, and we’re truly thankful to everyone who has visited, recommended us or supported us in any way,” Zhao said.

Zhao’s Express is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.