P.F. Chang’s China Bistro will bring its latest concept in Asian dining to the Washington region this summer. The restaurant chain will open Pei Wei Asian Diner, a “quick casual” restaurant serving a variety of Asian dishes, in Fairfax on Aug. 14. The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based company will also open a third Northern Virginia P.F. Chang’s location on July 31 in Ballston.
The Washington area “is a great market for us,” said Laura Cherry, a P.F. Chang’s spokeswoman. “The restaurant has been well-received.”
Pei Wei Asian Diner will open its first Washington-area location at East Market at Fair Lakes, a 93,000-square-foot retail and residential development from Fairfax-based The Peterson Companies.
Pei Wei serves a mix of Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean dishes in what’s known in the restaurant industry as a “quick casual” setting, said Cherry. Patrons order their food at the counter and a server delivers it to the customer’s table.
Pei Wei Asian is the second restaurant concept from P.F. Chang’s. Its signature concept, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, is a full-service restaurant with an Americanized take on Asian dining. There are 133 bistros in 34 states, including the twoexisting locations in Northern Virginia and one in Bethesda. There are 78 Pei Wei Asian Diners in 13 states — primarily in the Southwest. A third restaurant concept, Taneko Japanese Tavern, will launch this year.
The opening of Pei Wei and the new P.F. Chang’s in the Washington region is part of a larger expansion strategy for the company. P.F. Chang’s has plans to open 19 new bistros and 30 new Pei Wei locations across the country in 2006.
