P.F. Chang’s: A Case Study in Restaurant Renovation

Step behind the scenes of a global leader’s reinvention and discover how they re-energized their dining experience.

Key Takeaways:

• Strategic design choices can significantly impact a restaurant’s atmosphere and appeal.
• Staying up to date with the latest trends in restaurant design can help businesses remain competitive.
• Striking the right balance between classic elements and contemporary design can create a timeless and memorable dining experience.

It takes more than a popular fusion menu to keep a restaurant business on the public’s radar. How that restaurant looks plays a huge role in generating interest and drawing people in.

P.F. Chang’s is America’s premier Asian bistro. Founded in 1993 by Paul Fleming and Philip Chiang, the chain has over 300 locations around the world. It’s also a perfect example of that old truth: the first bite is with the eye!

P.F. Chang’s most recent restaurant upgrades are a testament to the power of design and restaurant renovation, and the ability of both to revitalize dining experiences while retaining traditional character. 

Let’s explore how their current incarnations are blending old and new to great success.

The Power of Restaurant Design

Our comprehensive guide to restaurant construction details the integral role design plays in making a memorable restaurant, covering key concepts such as:

• Creating a space to match the feel and style of the cuisine and ambience you want to create.
• How furniture and appliances can complement the atmosphere.
• Why ceilings, flooring, and lighting are vital elements in crafting identity and impact.
• Why attractive design must never impede customer comfort or the site’s functionality.

Our restaurant gallery shows how we’ve helped some of our clients design and build their perfect restaurants in a way that allows good looks to combine with a safe, comfortable, and productive space.

Each has its own identity, with the images also being a neat snapshot of some of the trends prevalent in modern design. You’ll see many of these new norms reflected in the textural fabrics and neutral tones (like silvery grays, wood, and brass) that now define P.F. Chang’s interior.

These are a strong and complementary contrast to the chain’s signature red and gold, which is still woven to varying degrees throughout their restaurants. The brand also now makes use of gentle and subdued lighting across their sites from ceiling to table and reception; a touch that encourages a darker atmosphere without seeming dim. 

P.F. Chang’s choice of dark and light woods for the walls, ceiling, furniture, and floors is also in step with the more organic design tastes of today’s customer and one that’s effortlessly elegant.

The result is an interior ambience masterclass that stamps a bold mark of identity and modernity. This restaurant renovation was also more than a design whim: The chain was wise enough to also align with changing consumer tastes and the wider cultural aesthetics of a global clientele.

Adapting to Evolving Restaurant Renovation Trends

Liz Rinaldi is an award-winning strategic designer whose creative credits include P.F. Chang’s, Cooper’s Hawk Winery, and McDonald’s. Her wonderful work and inside knowledge illuminates how well P.F. Chang’s has adapted to evolving trends, and why that evolution was necessary to survive and thrive.

She highlights how American design tastes had begun to shift away from the dark metal accents and intense, colorful graphics that had once defined P.F. Chang’s interiors. The chain’s international expansion had also necessitated a shift toward incorporating the tastes of diverse cultures into how each location looked.

It all led to a broader brand refresh around 2019 that saw shifting consumer tastes become a bellwether for the future.

In 2022, Jereme Clymer, VP of Creative and Design for P.F. Chang’s, stated that his desire over the previous two-or-so years was to recreate the brand as something offering approachable food, but in a high-end atmosphere with a touch of darkness, mood, and elegance.

It was a bold move to provide an experience that could compete with the rapid rise in favor for takeout and home delivery. The restaurant renovation of 2022 continued across all the chain’s locations, ushering in:

• Fresh décor
• New lighting
• New music
• New uniforms and menu presentation
• The integration of contactless technology

Grand graphical elements such as dragons and samurai motifs are still present in some flagship locations. In most cases, the understated tones and design of the architecture, lighting, and furniture are now the brand’s main aesthetic focus.

Throw in newly added commercial kitchens and mocktail bars, and there’s no denying that a P.F. Chang’s interior is a sight to remember. However, it’s important to remember that this understated elegance is only half the battle in securing new customers.

Balancing Tradition and Modernity on the Modern Street

What’s outside is arguably more important in attracting the kind of attention that can turn into custom, and it’s here that the brand’s mastery of old and new is on full display.

Consider the P.F. Chang’s exterior at The Mall at Millenia here in Florida. Notice the stone and wood elements of the walls and furniture, traditional to many cultures around the world.

It’s also impossible to miss the huge horse by the restaurant’s side; a replica of a steed from the Han Dynasty and an echo of China’s ancient Forbidden City. And yet, this exterior space looks as sleek and modern as any of its contemporaries.

The vibrant illuminated typeface, the slim steel framing surrounding the outdoor dining space, the strategic lighting, and the flawless mix of communal seating with cozy booths; they’re all hallmarks of contemporary design that help P.F. Chang’s bring an eye-catching blend of modernity and tradition to any site they occupy.

Furthermore, no two locations are quite the same. Why? P.F. Chang’s incorporates one of the most robust restaurant designs: a strong core model that can be fine-tuned to adapt and reflect the expectations of the people it serves without losing its central aesthetic.

It’s a case study to keep in mind, and RPC has lots more to share if you’re looking to construct a guest-centric restaurant that ticks all the right boxes.

Make Your Restaurant Remarkable with RPC

RPC General Contractors Inc. will share your vision and passion for your project. As a full-service construction company, we can help design your restaurant as professionally as we can deliver on every other aspect of its construction. 

Let us work beside you to build from the ground up or realize your restaurant renovation. 

Just send us a message, call at (904) 241-4416, or stop by our Atlantic Beach office. We’d love to hear from you!