Panda Express in Cathedral City, California, is hiring a Service Team Associate to create a warm environment for guests and provide great service. The position is based in Cathedral City, CA, and was posted on 03/21/2026 under Panda Restaurant Group job ID P1-1348911-1.
The role is suitable for friendly team players, including candidates without previous experience, because Panda Express provides training. Service Team Associates greet guests, serve food, handle payments, maintain the restaurant, follow food-safety standards, and work across the front counter, drive-through, or kitchen as needed.
Position details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Position | Service Team Associate |
| Location | Cathedral City, CA |
| Posted | 03/21/2026 |
| Job ID | P1-1348911-1 |
| Employer | Panda Restaurant Group |
| Pay range | $21 per hour - $24 per hour |
Within the range, individual pay is determined using various factors, including work location and experience. Panda Express is looking for friendly and helpful team members, while operations experience is a plus.
What the Service Team Associate does
Service Team Associates provide an exceptional dining experience to guests by greeting guests, serving food, and handling payments at the cash register. They also maintain the cleanliness and appearance of the store.
The position requires employees to follow Operations Standards and Safety Procedure to serve fresh and quality food. Team members work efficiently in a fast-paced kitchen environment and may work at different positions, including the front counter, drive-through, or kitchen.
- Greeting guests.
- Serving food.
- Handling payments at the cash register.
- Maintaining the cleanliness and appearance of the store.
- Following Operations Standards and Safety Procedure.
- Serving fresh and quality food.
- Working at the front counter, drive-through, or kitchen.
- Working effectively with team members to meet daily goals.
Service Team Associates work effectively with team members to meet daily goals in a fun, positive environment. The position combines guest service, cash-register responsibilities, food preparation, cleaning, and teamwork.
Training and career development
If you don’t have experience, we’ll train you! Hands-on paid training is provided to prepare employees for success.
Employees get opportunities to gain skills that help them rise in their career, no matter where they go. Panda Express also offers ongoing career and leadership development opportunities, including opportunities for growth into management positions.
There’s always something new to learn, do, and accomplish. Employees can also impact their community through the Panda Cares initiative.
Work environment and physical requirements
Counter areas are often hot with steam from the steam table and food vapors. The workspace is restricted, and employees are generally expected to remain standing for long periods of time.
Employees must prepare hot and cold foods, use a Chinese cook knife and other kitchen equipment, and work quickly without losing accuracy. Employees must be able to lift up to 50 lbs., stand up to four hours, and reach across counter tops measured at 36 inches to serve customers.
Kitchens are hot, and noise levels are usually high. Storage space is limited, and shelving is high. Employees must be able to work in a fast-paced work environment, have effective verbal communication skills, adapt to a dynamic environment with changing priorities, and manage conflicts or difficult situations.
Qualifications
- Friendly and helpful team members.
- Operations experience is a plus.
- Some high school.
- Food Handler certification may be required depending on local requirements, acquired at your expense.
The position requires the ability to communicate effectively with guests and team members while maintaining accuracy in a changing, fast-paced environment. Employees may be expected to move between different restaurant positions according to operational needs.
Pay and benefits
The pay range for the position is $21 per hour - $24 per hour. Within the range, individual pay is determined using various factors, including work location and experience.
Available rewards and benefits include flexible schedules, great pay, and free meals while working at Panda. Benefit eligibility requirements apply to each benefit.
- Flexible schedules.
- Free meals while working at Panda.
- Medical, Vision, Dental, Voluntary Short-Term Disability, and Cancer Income Protection insurance for full-time associates.
- Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending accounts.
- 401K with company match.
- Vacation, sick leave, bereavement/funeral leave, and Leave Share Program for eligible associates.
- Associate discounts for many brands.
- Referral bonus for eligible associates.
- Opportunity to give back to the community.
- Hands-on paid training.
- Ongoing career and leadership development opportunities.
- Opportunities for growth into management positions.
- Pre-Tax Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account.
Candidates must meet, and continue to meet if employed, eligibility requirements for each benefit to qualify.
Company background
Founded in Glendale, California, Panda Restaurant Group is now the largest family-owned American Chinese Restaurant concept in America. With close to 2,800 locations globally, the company continues its mission of delivering exceptional Asian dining experiences by building an organization where people are inspired to better their lives.
Whether it’s impacting the team or the communities where it works, Panda Restaurant Group embraces family values. Community involvement is also reflected in the opportunity for employees to give back through the Panda Cares initiative.
Equal employment opportunity and accommodations
Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to providing equal opportunity. The company does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by law, including but not limited to sex/gender, including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related conditions, gender expression, race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, ancestry, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, and veteran status.
Additionally, Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. complies with all federal, state, and local laws regarding requests for workplace accommodation. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability.
Applicants are entitled to reasonable accommodations, absent undue hardship, to effectively participate in the application and hiring process, for example, sign language interpreters.
If you believe you require an accommodation for the application or interview process or for the position for which you are applying, please reach out to .
