Irving-based restaurant chain Pei Wei Asian Kitchen has kicked into growth mode after a successful 2022. It now plans to bring its “wok’d-to-order” dishes to more locations this year, including at nine universities across the U.S.
Pei Wei said that it saw growth in a variety of areas last year and increased its focus on Dallas-Fort Worth, where the company introduced a “light and bright design” in several new traditional locations, as well as at its first digital location on Greenville Avenue in Dallas.
“We wanted a business that focused heavily on takeout and delivery and spoke to our delivery service providers to better understand where demand was coming from in the area,” Pei Wei’s Director of Real Estate Adam Griffiths said in a statement.
Dishing things up in unexpected places
On the nontraditional front, Pei Wei said it expanded its footprint by partnering with groups to put the Pei Wei brand in food trucks, airports, and even inside Kroger Grocery stores.
So far in 2023, Pei Wei has already opened multiple locations.
“We plan to open 10-15 more locations this year throughout our Texas, Arizona, and Florida markets” Director of Business Development William Rodriguez said in a statement. These new stores will include more takeout and delivery locations similar to the one on Greenville Avenue, where Pei Wei said it has found early success.
Pei Wei also said it has agreed to partner with a leading college campus operator to open in nine university locations across the nation over the next year.
Moved its HQ to Irving in 2022
Pei Wei Asian Kitchen is the second largest Chinese fast-casual restaurant chain in the U.S., with nearly 200 units. It was launched in 2000 by P.F. Chang’s China Bistro to bring wok-fired pan-Asian cuisine to the fast casual space.
The company announced its move from Arizona to Texas in 2017, and most recently relocated its headquarters to Irving’s Las Colinas development in 2022. Its Irving HQ features both restaurant support and a state-of-the-art research test kitchen.
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