The History of P.F. Chang’s

Cecilia Chiang opened the Mandarin Restaurant in San Francisco in the early 1960s. (She was later honored with a James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award). Her son, Philip Chiang, ran her business for a while before opening his own restaurant, the Mandarette. There, he met Paul Fleming. The two men formed a partnership and co-founded P.F. Chang’s. (The P.F. in the name refers to Paul Fleming while Chang’s is a reference to Chiang’s surname.) The iconic horse statues seen at the entrance of each P.F. Chang’s location weren't present at the original location, but rather, they were introduced alongside the chain’s third location in La Jolla, California and intended to symbolize strength. Chiang’s Mandarette was known for serving simple Chinese dishes, so the two men carried over the same food philosophy to P.F. Chang’s; they even used some of Chiang’s mother’s original recipes for some of the dishes, including the famous Chang's Spicy Chicken. Notably, all the food at P.F. Chang's is prepared fresh and to order; the chain is also known for using a wok cooking method. These practices allowed the chain to become an early accommodator of special dietary needs; P.F. Chang's has long offered options to accommodate both vegan and vegetarian diets as well as a variety of options for those who need to eat gluten-free (the chain’s gluten-free menu debuted all the way back in 2003) or have other food allergies. (P.F. Chang's juices and cocktail mixers — including the iconic ginger beer — are also made fresh in-house each day.) P.F. Chang’s is often credited with popularizing the use of sriracha at restaurants in the U.S. — in fact, the establishment was the first national chain to begin using it in 2000 and others soon followed suit. P.F. Chang’s also helped popularize lettuce wraps in the U.S. and is thought to be one of the first chain restaurants to serve them; P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps are now considered to be one of the chain's most iconic and beloved dishes. Today, P.F. Chang’s is a popular Chinese and pan-Asian restaurant with locations in 40 states and over 20 countries around the world.