Dive Brief:
- P.F. Chang’s appointed Eduardo Luz as CEO and president, effective Monday, the company said in a press release.
- Luz most recently served as chief brand and concept officer at Panera Bread, where he led all disciplines to drive profitability and brand equity, for over three years.
- Previous CEO Damola Adamolekun resigned from his position on Aug. 1 after joining the chain in 2019. He returned to Paulson & Co, one of P.F. Chang’s owners, as a partner.
Dive Insight:
While at Panera, Luz worked across multiple disciplines, including strategy, channel P&Ls, digital, loyalty, subscriptions, pricing, culinary, guest experience and advertising, among others. This cross-discipline experience should serve him well at P.F. Chang’s, especially now that the restaurant has a tiered subscription for its loyalty program.
Luz brings over 30 years of experience across restaurant and consumer packaged goods brands to his role. He has held various leadership positions at Kraft Heinz, Unilever, Anheuser-Busch InBev and 8Greens, which is a digital wellness startup, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“I believe that P.F. Chang’s has a tremendous omni-channel opportunity, both domestically and abroad,” Luz said in a statement. “We will broaden our reach as we offer high-quality Asian cuisine and hospitality, proudly serving freshly prepared, chef-created dishes with a differentiated guest experience.”
P.F. Chang’s has been exploring new models for its stores, expanding via To Go model locations since 2020. As of the end of last year, the company had nearly 20 of these fast casual units open across the U.S. P.F. Chang’s omnichannel push also includes a partnership with Cartwheel to integrate with ezCater to create a more unified platform for catering management and delivery.
The restaurant is building larger locations, as well, opening its fourth flagship store in New York City’s Union Square late last year. This 7,319-square-foot restaurant occupies three stories and has a downstairs bar and mezzanine seating era. This restaurant is part of the company’s overall brand refresh, which includes new music, lighting, decor, uniforms and menu presentation, according to a press release. The chain currently has over 300 units open across 22 countries and U.S. airport locations.
