P.F. Chang’s China Bistro is a full service, upscale casual dining restaurant chain that features Southeast Asian inspired cuisine. The bistro provides delicious Chinese food with intense flavors. The food is made from scratch with herbs and spices that are imported from China. The restaurant also offers a full service bar with a selection of beverages including wines, specialty drinks and cocktails, Asian beers, sake, cappuccino, espresso. The restaurant aims to provide high quality and attentive service to its customers in a lively Asian-inspired bistro setting.

The company strives to be the best Asian restaurant operator through its constant growth and development and expansion of its brand. The menu consists of traditional Chinese dishes that demonstrate the influence of modern Asian cuisine. The bistro itself has decor that that includes life-size replicas of the terra cotta Xi’an warriors and narrative murals representing aspects of life in ancient China. The atmosphere of the restaurant, from its food to its decor aims to provide a traditional Southeast Asian cultural experience for its guests.

History

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. owns and operates two restaurants with an Asian niche; P.F. Chang’s China Bistro and Pei Wei Asian Dinner.  P.F. Chang’s China Bistro was created to be the upscale casual dining concept, whereas Pei Wei Asian Diner was created to be the quick casual concept. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro was established on July 20, 1993. The first P.F. Chang China Bistro restaurant was opened in Scottsdale, Arizona in 1993. The company’s headquarters remains in Scottsdale. It is, however, currently owned and operated by Centerbridge Partners, LP.

The name P.F. Chang was derived from a combination of its founders’ names, Paul Fleming and Philip Chiang. The name Chiang was shortened to Chang, for the restaurant’s name. The bistro has its roots in another highly successful Chinese restaurant from the 1960s, The Mandarin. The Mandarin was owned by Philip Chiang’s mother, Cecilia Chiang. In the 1970s, Philip Chiang got involved in the business by helping his mother run her restaurant at the Beverly Hills location. Restaurateur Paul Fleming came into the scene in the 1990s and by 1993, Fleming and Chiang created P.F. Chang’s.

The co-founders decided to open the second location in Newport Beach, California in the year of 1994. Two other locations were opened in California during the following year. P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware corporation in January 1996. Fleming and Chiang formed the company through the acquisition of the first four restaurants. The company launched its initial public offering in December 1998.  By January 2, 2012, the company owned and operated 204 restaurants in 39 states throughout the United States. However, on July 2, 2012, the company was acquired by Centerbridge Partners, LP and was no longer publicly traded.

The chain is still expanding, both nationally and internationally. The restaurant has locations throughout the U.S., including for example: Georgia, Florida, California, New York, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Texas, Washington, and Virginia. There are currently sixteen P.F. Chang locations outside the United States. A few examples of the international locations include: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. As the restaurant chain expands, the company aims to ensure that its customers are provided with proper service. Each location is usually staffed with an operating partner, three or four managers, a culinary partner, at least one sous chef and roughly 125 hourly employees.

Review

P.F. Chang’s provides a wide selection of delicious Southeast Asian cuisine. The restaurant serves both lunch and dinner, as well as small plates, sushi, and dim sum. Main entrees include the Sichuan chili garlic chicken, Chang’s spicy chicken, crispy honey chicken, Cantonese-style lemon chicken, Mongolian beef, sweet & sour pork, and pepper steak. Pricing for the chicken, pork and beef main entrees range from $13 to $20. There are also selections for seafood lovers such as the Asian grilled salmon, Kung Pao shrimp or scallops, Chang’s lobster rice, Hunan-style hot fish, and Hong Kong style sea bass. Pricing for the seafood selections range from $16 to $27.

The lunch menu is served Mondays through Fridays until 4:00 p.m.  The restaurant offers an option called “lighter lunch pairings”, which are priced between $9 and $12. The lunch pairings consist of small plates and sushi paired with a choice of a side item. Examples of such pairings are the Chang’s lettuce wrap pairing, the chicken satay pairing, and the California roll pairing. Another lunch menu option is the “lunch wok classics”. These classics are lunch portioned wok favorites served with steamed or fried rice, or quinoa. The lunch wok pairings are priced between $9 and $12.

The bistro also offers a selection of noodles and rice, such as the Singapore street noodles, garlic noodles, lo mein and pad thai. Healthier selections include the gluten free lunch option. There are also choices for vegetarians. The vegetarian entrees include Ma Po tofu, stir-fried eggplant, Buddha’s feast, and coconut curry vegetables. The restaurant also offers specials for its customers. “Mongo Mondays” provides a Mongolian beef entrée and two craft beers for $22 all day. There is also “Tacos on Tuesday”, which provides jicama street tacos and the choice of a margarita or sangria.

The hours of operation vary according to the location, but are generally from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Happy hour runs from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays. The restaurant also provides catering services. The bistro takes reservations and there is usually little or no wait time.  The service is quite good and generally quick. The hygiene could use some improvement. The lettuce wraps are definite favorites. The Korean barbecue ribs, kung pao chicken, beef and broccoli, and Chang’s spicy chicken are all highly recommended. Overall the tasty food and Asian-influenced ambiance provide the perfect combination for guests to get a little taste of Southeast Asian culture.