After recently closing its last full-service restaurant in Chicago, P.F. Chang’s has opened a new, smaller concept that’s exclusively focused on carryout, delivery and catering in the city’s River North neighborhood on the edge of the central business district. To juice consumer interest, the first 100 guests got free lettuce wraps for a year.
At just more than 2,000 square feet, the River North location has a smaller footprint than the brand’s full-scale restaurants. The company said the to-go concepts will create access to the brand “in areas such as high-density metropolitan communities, that don’t always offer space conducive to a full-scale restaurant.”
The “curated” menu is scaled down from the brand’s full-service locations, but includes dishes like Mongolian Beef, The Original Dynamite Shrimp and Chang’s Spicy Chicken, beyond those uber-popular lettuce wraps. A grab-and-go fridge also offers fresh sushi, salads and beverages.
“We’ve seen the evolution of dining and are ready to meet market demand for easily accessible yet elevated Asian cuisine,” said Chris Demery, senior vice president of off-premises dining for the company. “Only 25 percent of U.S. households are conveniently located to a P.F. Chang’s and distance is the No. 1 reason our guests say they are not able to visit us as often as they would like.”
Delivery items will leave the store in DeliverSafe, eco-friendly sealed bags. For Chicagoans looking to dive right in, the P.F. Chang’s To Go, the River North location will operate Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Two more P.F. Chang’s To Go openings are planned for the Chicago area later in 2020. The concept is also heading to Manhattan and Long Island, New York, as well as Houston and Washington, D.C.
