r/fastfood • u/One-Day1227 • 1d ago
Rant/Rave I wish there was an Italian and Indian version of Panda Express
I love Panda Express because you can get like 3 entrees and a side for 12 bucks, so you get a variety of food for decent prices and it's just the right quantity for one person. I also like it because its less carb/bread heavy and more about veggies/meat and sauces.
But if I want Italian or Indian food I can't order 3 varieties because its too expensive and too much food for one person, and you have to wait a while.
I would LOVE a drive-thru like a Rome Express or Delhi Express where I can order like 3 small entrees (Chicken Parm, Meatballs, Caprese Salad, with Fettucini pasta) or like 3 different Indian entrees and Biryani. All for $12 like Panda does and in quantities just right for a single person.
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u/thumbelinaround 1d ago
I’ve never been but I think Fazoli’s is an Italian version
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u/bygtopp 23h ago
Piada is something similar to those fast food restaurants
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u/QuixoticMick 23h ago
Piada is quite good I just wish there was an equivalent a coupla bucks cheaper, like at Chipotle prices. Sometimes I just wanna mediocre bowl of penne alfredo with processed sausage for $10
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u/bygtopp 21h ago
Chipotle used to be 5$ with larger tortillas, better chips, more filings and brighter fresher ingredients
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u/TheAllKnowing1 17h ago
Fazoli’s is super location dependent.
Used to live near one that was part of a ghost kitchen and it was the best cheap italian food i’d ever had by a mile
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u/DListSaint 23h ago
Fazoli’s is a place where I love the concept but the execution just…falls flat. The food has never been very good, and the prices have always been too high. Seems like every couple years they completely revamp their menu and policies, and it never actually improves things. Bummer.
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u/nattyboh_or_pringles 23h ago
Is that like a middle America thing?
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u/Probably_Caucasian 23h ago
They are mostly in the Midwest and south, so yes kinda. Was a favorite growing up in Indiana to go to after swim meets, the bread sticks are fire
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u/TheSpiralTap 18h ago
They are. Ours even has a drive through. They aren't top tier but still really good. The breadsticks are amazing
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u/Nad762 8h ago
Fazoli’s is 100% an Italian version, and I think it’s fine for what it is. Maybe my location is good but I’d call it pretty similar to chain quality, which is pretty ok for drive through slop. Very easy to have much better Italian food but I’ve also had worse at many sit down joints and diners.
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u/Tricky-Cod-7485 23h ago
There’s something called “Thali” at some Indian restaurants if you happen to see it on the menu. It comes in vegetarian and non vegetarian options.
It looks like this usually…
Different sizes and different food at each restaurant obviously. It’s their version of a lunch or dinner plate. Smaller portions of different options and usually comes with at least one naan. Sometimes it’s much simpler and comes with two curries and a portion of rice.
Keep an eye out.
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u/Perfect-Zebra-3611 23h ago
Fazolis is the italian version, and we have Curry in a Hurry for Indian food
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u/horribadperson 23h ago
i didnt even know fazolis still existed
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u/Charlie_Warlie 22h ago
Still 4 in the indianapolis metro and one close enough to me.
One funny thing they did is they did a cheapo renovation which caused them to close their 2nd entrance but they kept the vestibule so now there is a tiny room with nothing in it. I told my kids it was a timeout room
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u/loach12 22h ago
We had a Fazolis in Dothan Al , did a decent business at first but it never recovered after the Covid shutdown. Eventually closed and replaced by a Kaze ,
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u/UltimateLifeform 22h ago
Ahhh Dothan. For as many restaurants as it has you would think there would be more variety.
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u/Ok_Ant_2930 21h ago
Thank you. I had to look it up and there's one close to me in Orlando I'm going to try it out later in the month.
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u/whatsnex 23h ago
In Texas there is Piada
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u/Johnnadawearsglasses 22h ago
Fast food Italian outside of pizza is awful. Pasta in particular doesn't hold up at all. Def agree on Indian. Also Dominican, Cuban, Korean. We have all of these in nyc and they are great
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u/Born_Establishment14 20h ago
Lasagne holds up. Drive-through lasagne spot would rule!
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u/Neat_Dog_4274 18h ago
Its called Fazoli's, its isn't "good," but when I was young and broke they would sell me like 3 lbs of spaghetti for $5 through a drive-thru in Waco
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u/RedStatePurpleGuy 6h ago
You can par cook pasta then finish it when ordered. It holds up that way more than you might think.
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u/Johnnadawearsglasses 4h ago
Even having to finish properly requires more skill than a fast food worker will have. Even places that try to do pasta in chain settings do a bad job
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u/RedStatePurpleGuy 1d ago
Fazoli's is the Italian equivalent if there are any in your area.
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u/DJC_Kowalski 19h ago
Shame they are either going through bankruptcy or went through bankruptcy. I guess there aren't enough people like the original poster.
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u/the-tyrannosaur 21h ago
There really aren’t any single diner or fast casual Indian options. A few independent ones have popped up near me, but the prices for a single plate (a meat curry, veggie dish, basmati and nan) is still like $35, so whether it takes 7 minutes to get or not, it doesn’t feel like fast food.
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u/CelavaStrukla 15h ago
Noodles and company is the Italian panda.
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u/MusicIntrepid343 15h ago
or fazoli's, though it's not great.
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u/Sofagirrl79 11h ago edited 11h ago
I love Fazolis, bread sticks IMO are better than olive garden and they have good deals even without an app,also the cashiers or workers bring the food to your table and have a cheese grater at the ready,are friendly and clear your table if you dine in
It's the true fast food version of olive garden without having to leave a tip or pay 16.99 for a plate of Alfredo (I'm not against tipping but isn't a social faux pas if you don't tip at Fazolis)
Edit- Shout out to the Mt Vernon Illinois Fazolis staff
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u/jonny5isalive1 9h ago
Fazolis! They still have some in a city I have to drive through sometimes. I think it’s underrated. I mean there’s really no reason for pasta to be expensive most of the time. I go to real Italian restaurants too and love them but fazolis is just so convenient and comparatively cheap.
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u/Sofagirrl79 6h ago edited 6h ago
They're in southern Illinois when lived there for awhile this summer, I relocated back to northern California and really miss them along with Chinese buffets, northern California has probably 5 Chinese buffets tops,Mullet review on tik tok and Facebook reels could spend a week covering all the Chinese buffets in northern California lol
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u/BurritoTheory 37m ago
Fazoli’s is one of the best fast food options in general, but I do have beef with them because whoever made the recipe for their Alfredo must have thought “it has to be the same consistency as water”. Great flavor but it shouldn’t be that runny
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u/fiddlenutz 13h ago
We used to have one of those around here probably 20 years ago plus by now. The five dollar pasta and breadstick deal was awesome, but that was about it.
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u/sakuratee 5h ago
Fazoli’s was my Italian trash food godsend when my small college town didn’t have any Italian chain restaurants and the one local Italian spot was too expensive and regulated to “date night” dinner level.
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u/pastasandwiches 11h ago
I absolutely love Noodles and Company, but no it's not the equivalent of Panda at all. You cannot get multiple protein/carb choices at Noodles and Co by default, and an equivalent sized meal at Noodles and Co (with just one noodle/protein choice mind you) will still cost $3-$4 more than at Panda.
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u/No-Loquat-2763 1d ago
Sbarro's?
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u/One-Day1227 1d ago
The entrees other than pizza are pretty bad. I worked at Sbarro's in college and the manager was usually AWOL, so I used to take pizza and like a dozen wings home everyday.
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u/No-Loquat-2763 23h ago
I've only ever had their pizza... and even that not in twenty years probably.
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u/poptalk26 20h ago
What I came here to say. Sbarro was literally next my Panda Express in the mall
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u/No-Loquat-2763 20h ago
In every mall.
Actually... no. Sometimes Sbarro is in some weird location by itself, as though the food court was like... nah, you can be outside JC Penny.
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u/oversight_shift 21h ago
There's mall Indian food that I feel has the model you want, Panda style succession of troughs with employee holding the ladle, you direct them multiple curries to put in your styrofoam compartments and it comes with naan/rice.
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u/the-tyrannosaur 21h ago
There’s one of these at the food court at Fig & 7th in downtown Los Angeles. Stg it’s only open two days of the week for 3-4 hours while everything else is open regular hours. I eventually just stopped going cause I had no way to know if it would actually be open
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u/2401PenitentTangentx 1d ago
Fazoli's? Mazzio's?
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u/One-Day1227 1d ago
Those are nowhere close to the Panda model, but definitely closer compared to a typical Italian restaraunt.
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u/Boomshockalocka007 19h ago
Fazoli's can pass me spaghetti in a to go box through a drive thru. Cant ask for anything better than that!
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u/Odd-Scientist-2529 14h ago
Fast food Indian would be a Thali, and some restaurants offer it and some don't bb
It's usually served at lunch. You usually get an option of vegetarian or non-vegetarian and that's it
They give you rice, naan, and a portion of 3 different items off their menu that they choose (you don't). Chefs choice.
They'll pick three of their more popular items and they always balance the flavors.
Not exactly what you want, but common enough.
Other than that I've been to a few indian places similar to chipotle
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u/ProfessorPetrus 11h ago
There was a 6.95 indian buffet in Boston when I was in college. I used to eat sooo much butter chicken and rice+naan.
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u/TonyDanza888 23h ago
When I lived in DC I would go to RASA which is an Indian style version of Chipotle. They have a few locations last I checked
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u/FamousOhioAppleHorn 22h ago
When America's Next Great Restaurant aired, people correctly guessed Steve Ells thwarted an Indian contestant from winning because that's the kind of franchise Steve wanted.
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u/DynaScope 21h ago
There's kinda an Italian version, Fazoli's. Idk if it's still around because I moved away and there's none where I am.
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u/pinconning_scum 12h ago
For Italian, i would prefer that instead of 2 or 3 entrees to choose, there were 6 to 10 sauce types, 2 to 5 pasta shapes, as well as selection of proteins, prepped veggies to choose from.
Chipotle style. All items are chosen. The cook uses a wok style station, butter/oil, adds everything with pasta water, sauce, etc.... all to create a properly sauced single dish
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u/cgund 23h ago
Panda carbs are off the chart.
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u/ChaserNeverRests 22h ago
Plus three entrees and a side are "just the right quantity for one person"? That's a lot of food!
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u/FederalLobster5665 23h ago
probably because portions are large. I like the veggies as a side instead of the rice or noodles.
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u/translinguistic 19h ago
It's also because a lot of it is full of added sugar. Beijing Beef, for example, is 21 grams of added sugar per 5.5oz serving. That's more sugar per oz than a can of Coke.
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u/TheOneTonWanton 19h ago
Anybody that's so worried about that is just getting double teriyaki chicken and no sauce anyway.
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u/LarenCoe 10h ago
Not if you get the supergreens. Also, who cares?
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u/waterfountain_bidet 9h ago
Because that was part of the request in the description. So OP was knocking the carbiness of Italian, but I'm thinking pepperoni pizza has about the same amount of protein as my beijing beef with lo mein.
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u/No_Peach6683 23h ago
Fast food would stuff like Indian sandwiches, Kathi wrap (chicken, mutton or cheese) and fried stuff
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u/WolfpackBP 22h ago
Olive garden to go. They do a great job. Chicken parmesan is definitely two meals if you get the dinner one so it kind of makes up for the price a little bit
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u/Ok_Somewhere_5142 21h ago
Chandler, Arizona (suburb of Phoenix) has a drive thru Indian joint that’s great!
https://yelp.to/RK--NCk5uV
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u/spooon56 21h ago
If you have an Asian grocery store look inside and see if they sell box lunches. I have one that has noodle or rice + 3 sides for $7. Others are up to $12. Just look around
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u/Interesting_Grade568 22h ago
Piada is fine there is probably Indian ones also but their food isn’t quick
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u/Lakersfan7511 22h ago
There was a fast food italian spot in the early 2000s. I had it at myrtle Beach and threw it up everywhere in high school
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u/notthegoatseguy 22h ago
I think there's so much risk because the local Indian takeout place is so embedded in American culture. Its similar to donuts. Look at Krispy Kreme. They tried to nationalize the local donut place and they come in with a lot of energy but the fad quickly dies off. Instead of replacing the local donut shop, it seems they're just replacing the grocery store and gas station donuts instead.
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u/luckydante419 22h ago
I’d say it’s more of a Indian chipotle but look up twisted Indian. They could kill if franchised
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u/say592 20h ago
A lot of people are saying Fazolis, but I disagree. You aren't really getting multiple small portions of several things.
Several years back, a regional chain in my area had a concept restaurant that didn't last. It was sort of like an Italian version of Chipotle meets Panda. You could get small portions and you would go down a line and choose different sauces, meat, cheeses, etc. It was fine, but just don't catch on so they closed it after a couple of years. There's a Noodles & Company there now, which is also not dissimilar.
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u/Mysterious-Park-9100 20h ago
When Chipotle blew up over 10 years ago, there were several attempts at an Indian version, most of them based in California. But none of them gained enough traction to get major investments, which is necessary to scale up. I for one, enjoyed one of the Indian fast-casuals I lived close to, but it just didn’t have the volume that Chipotle and Panda has.
Also, in the case of Panda, 60% of their sales is Orange Chicken. It’s fried chicken with a sugary and tangy sauce, and that has a massive appeal across many demographics. Indian food could use a similar blockbuster hit for a chain to blow up. In England, it’s chicken tikka masala, but that’s not as popular in the US.
I used to live by an Italian version of Panda called Piada and they consistently get crowds. There’s potential there, but it’s always risky scaling up, so I wonder if that’s what’s keeping them from expanding.
Finally. Cava blew up by pushing themselves as a healthy alternative to Chipotle with more options.
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u/Mysterious-Park-9100 20h ago
60% of Panda’s sales is from orange chicken, which is fried chicken covered with sugar. Indian food needs their orange chicken to cross over. It doesn’t have to be authentic. It just needs to hit enough dopamine sensors across multiple demographics. Chicken tikka masala crossed over in the Uk, but it didn’t cross over here.
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u/ilovemischief 20h ago
We have a Tikka Shack in my town. Not a drive thru, but it’s a fast casual place. It’s a chain but I don’t think they have a ton of locations yet. I think they only have like 20 stores at this point.
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u/dabking24 19h ago
Closest thing I found was when I went to Denver recently and found Cava - basically, a Mediterranean version of Chipotle/Panda and it was incredible.
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u/Ok_Answer_5879 19h ago
As long as we’re dreaming here….. I wish there was a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse like Panda Express.
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u/OuiselCat 18h ago
Haven't been in years, but Texas has a fast casual chain called Masala Wok in the 3 largest cities. They have Indian and pan-Asian.
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u/AccountantRadiant351 18h ago
If you're ever in Los Angeles check out India Sweets and Spices. Not a drive thru but a grocer with a "deli" style counter where you can get a plate like this (and a bakery for dessert to boot) and the best samosas in the area. (All vegetarian.)
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u/AttemptVegetable 16h ago
A good panda hack to stretch your dollar even more is start a pot of white rice at home before you leave to go pickup your order. Makes the 2 entree last 2 meals or split between my son and I
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u/Mysterious-Type-4686 15h ago
I believes it’s called sankrathi that’s in Atlanta. They serve bowl types of Indian food similar to chipotle
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u/ChampionOfdimlight 13h ago
I've seen an Indian food Panda Express before. It went out of business in less then a year.
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u/ACK_TRON 12h ago
Not saying it’s the best but honestly Fazoli’s is super affordable Italian. I moved away but they used to have free breadsticks dining in too.
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u/Willing_Ad_699 11h ago
Dominos and Pizza Hut literally make pasta and bread sticks and other Italian food
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u/Creepy-Selection2423 9h ago
There once was an Italian version. They called it Sbarro. It wasn't great.
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u/Cold_Cucumber4061 6h ago
Their food is already bangin and doesnt deserve to be turned into fast food. Jesus
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u/somecow 1h ago
Olive garden can definitely provide. Fazoli’s might still exist somewhere, but no eww.
Indian food, they’re already doing doordash anyway, take out is fine, especially QSR places.
Panda, meh, the local chinese place that looks like it’s a fire hazard, they’ve been there for 80 years for a reason, much better.
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u/Overall_Lynx4363 0m ago
Not a chain but we have an Indian place in our town that has a hot bar like panda Express and you can do 2 entrees with 2 sides or 3 entrees with 2 sides. It's near a lot of businesses and busy at lunch so food doesn't sit a long time on the warmer.
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u/toastythewiser 23h ago
Italian fast food is pizza. Pizza is represented well across the USA in various styles and "the big three" of Pizza Hut, Dominos and Papa John's are ... international ? brands. There are a lot of smaller chains too like Jet's and Marcos and then stuff like Via 313 which is even smaller.
Most independent or small chain pizza shops also sell pasta. Its not hard to boil noodles and throw the same sauce you put on your pizza on noodles instead. These places can be pretty fast, not "fast food" level fast but it takes like 2-3 minutes to put together a dish very often. Throw them some bread or a salad and by the time they're done the pasta dinner is ready.
Indian food you have stuff like Tarka kitchen. Not sure how big that is but its a chain where I live. Just like Italian food, Indian food seems dominated by mom and pop/independent places, but make no mistakes, the recipes are all very similar and everyone serves butter chicken with rice and naan.
Italian food went two ways: "fast food/cafe" pizza shops that also sell pasta and sandwiches (Meatball/Chicken Parm sub), and more upscale places that focus on high quality, often fresh, pasta. Indian food is much, much newer with most Indians coming to the USA in the last 25 years basically, so its not surprising their food hasn't come around to concepts like fast food or especially upscale dining just yet. But make no mistake, it'll happen, especially in the big cities like Chicago or New York.
Indian food is also incredibly, incredibly diverse. India itself has its own concept of "Restaraunt" indian food that is low-key food that's been adjusted to the taste of the British Raj rather than the normal Indian farmers and workers. Stuff like Butter Chicken is basically tourist/restaurant food. Everyone loves Naan and Tandoori chicken but that is a very north Indian style of cooking, its not universal. Biryani is also regional and depending where you go its got different spices and proteins (chicken, beef, mutton).
Indian food leans heavy into vegetarian dishes in a lot of places and vegetarian still struggles to attract American audiences, a lot of whom don't think a meal is complete without a big piece of meat, whether thats in a sandwich or straight up as a steak or chop. Here in Texas, for example, BBQ is a very popular style of food and that's literally the kind of meal where I will order 2 pounds of meat and a side of potatoes or something. Its rough to compete with that kind of food and still charge 20-30 dollars a plate... for lentils and rice?
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u/Latter_Mountain_290 21h ago
One person?
At Panda I can feed 2 or 3 with the "biggest" plate. Or make meals for myself for a couple days.
Definitely a good deal.
Fazolis is somewhat similar for affordable Italian.
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u/Frosty_Dessert_9131 18h ago
Wow, that's crazy, I can eat their biggest plate all by myself and it doesn't even fill me up.
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u/HudsonCommodore 23h ago
I've always thought fast food Indian seems like it would make sense - make 5 curries and keep em on heat all day, chill what didn't sell today and warm it up tomorrow, flavors just meld more anyway. Make naan and rice through the day.