Panda Express Build Your Own Panda Cub Meal

The Build Your Own Panda Cub Meal is the flexible kids option at Panda Express: one junior side and one junior entree of your child's choosing, plus a fruit side and a drink, $6.80 complete. It exists for the children who will not eat what the three preset builds offer, which is most children on any given day.

The format is identical to the named Cub Meals; only the choosing changes. Any entree on the line can go in the junior slot, and any side can sit under it, so a child who only eats white rice and grilled chicken gets exactly that at the same price as a child who wants Orange Chicken and chow mein. Premium entrees may carry the same upcharge they do in adult formats, which the counter tells you before you pay.

Because the contents are chosen at the counter, no single calorie figure applies to this build, and the site does not publish an average that would be wrong for nearly everyone. The three preset Cub Meals bracket the realistic range: 300 calories for the Broccoli Beef build at the low end, 580 for the Orange Chicken build at the top. To price and count a specific combination, the nutrition calculator totals any set of items you pick.

How much is the Build Your Own Cub Meal? $6.80, the same as every other Cub Meal, drink and fruit included.

It suits picky eaters, allergy management and any child who has strong opinions. Allergen flags depend entirely on what goes in, so check the entree and side pages for the exact combination. For an adult sized version of the same idea, Build Your Own Plate at $10.50 carries the same logic in a larger format.