Peggy Cherng

Peggy Cherng

Peggy Cherng (#625)

Global Rank #625
Country Rank #237
Country United States

A lot of people in the restaurant business aren't educated as engineers. I have an advantage.

  • $ 7 B
  • Fast food
  • United States
  • F
  • 78 Years

Snapshot

Quick Facts

Global Rank #625
Country Rank #237
Net Worth $6.5B
Previous Worth $6.5B
Worth Change +$0.0B
Country United States
Industry Fast food
Age 78 Years
Gender F
Worth As Of May 4, 2026
Residence Las Vegas, Nevada
Citizenship United States
World Billionaires List United States Billionaires Fast food

Profile Data

Personal Stats

Age 78
Source Of Wealth Fast food, Self Made
Self Made Score 9
Philanthropy Score 1
Residence Las Vegas, Nevada
Citizenship United States
Marital Status Married
Children 3
Education Master of Science, University of Missouri; Bachelor of Arts/Science, Oregon State University; Ph.D, University of Missouri
Net Worth Change +$0.0B +0.0% from previous worth
Previous Net Worth $6.5B
Current Net Worth $6.5B

Worth as of May 4, 2026

About Me

Peggy Cherng is cofounder and co-CEO of Panda Express, the $6.2 billion (est. sales) Chinese fast-food chain with some 2,500 locations. Born in Myanmar, Cherng got a Ph.D. in electrical engineering in the U.S., then went to work for 3M and McDonnell Douglas, where she helped design battlefield simulators for the U.S. Navy. She left her engineering career to help her husband, Andrew Cherng, open Panda Express' first location in a Glendale, California, shopping mall in 1983. She implemented the company's sales and analytics software, earlier than many other restaurants, helping make Panda Express the dominant player among Asian limited-service chains in America. In 2018, the Cherngs invested in a group that bought the Mandarin Oriental hotel, now the Waldorf Astoria, in Las Vegas for $214 million.

Achievements

Forbes List Highlights

A snapshot of the list placements and rankings connected to Peggy Cherng.

#487
Billionaires (2026)
#187
Forbes 400 (2025)
#29
World's Richest Self-Made Women (2025)
#11
America's Richest Self-Made Women (2025)

Insights

Did You Know?

The Cherngs' Panda Restaurant Group is also the sole U.S. franchisee of Japanese cheesecake chain Uncle Tetsu and runs all the Raising Cane's in Hawaii and Alaska.

For her 1974 doctoral thesis, Cherng developed a computer program that used an algorithm to scan digitized chest X-rays for signs of congenital heart disease.

Wealth Growth

Net Worth Growth Over Time

Tracking Peggy Cherng's net worth journey over the years, highlighting key growth phases and financial milestones.

Worth Trend Net Worth Growth
Period Change Worth Movement
Current Net Worth: $6.5B (May 4, 2026)

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