P.F. Chang’s To Go, a new concept by the global restaurant chain, intends to open its first Jacksonville location this summer in River City Marketplace.
“P.F. Chang’s To Go concept gives people one more option to find and enjoy our food,” the company said in a statement.
There are six P.F. Chang’s To Go locations open, three in Chicago and three in New York City.
“This location adds to our existing 200 suburban bistros and rapidly-growing number of To Go concepts across the country.”
The company said the smaller footprint “is a great fit in high-density metro areas, allowing guests to enjoy at home or on the go.”
The city is reviewing a permit application for tenant improvements for P.F. Chang’s To Go at 840 Nautica Drive, No. 121, in River City Marketplace in North Jacksonville.
The company did not provide an opening date other than this summer.
The job cost for the 1,589-square-foot project is shown at an estimated $85,000. The location is a former Subway.
P.F. Chang’s operates a 7,000-square-foot full-service P.F. Chang’s China Bistro at St. Johns Town Center.
“P.F. Chang’s established its 2020 business strategy with a focus on off-premise dining, and then we experienced a year that brought an incredible shift in dining habits and industry practices,” the company said in a news release Oct. 19 when it announced the concept would expand to New York.
The release said the smaller format, at 1,700 square feet of space, would offer a smaller menu featuring the chain’s best-known dishes, made on the premises, like lettuce wraps, Mongolian beef, Dynamite Shrimp and spicy chicken.
The release said P.F. Chang’s planned three more To Go openings in New York and planned for another 12 locations in Long Island, Florida, Colorado and Texas.
In February, Scottsdale, Arizona-based P.F. Chang’s announced the opening of its first P.F. Chang’s To Go location in Chicago.
It was “the first of many openings for the P.F. Chang’s To Go concept in the Chicago market with other openings planned in large cities across America.”
“These new restaurant additions will allow more guests to experience the P.F. Chang’s Asian favorites they know and love in a convenient format that provides a solution for online ordering, takeout, catering and delivery in areas that don’t have a P.F. Chang’s restaurant nearby,” the company said in a news release.
“We’ve seen the evolution of dining and are ready to meet market demand for easily accessible yet elevated Asian cuisine,” said Chris Demery, senior vice president of off-premises dining for P.F. Chang’s, in the release.
The company said 25 percent of U.S. households are conveniently located near a P.F. Chang’s and distance is the No. 1 reason customers said they were not able to visit us as often as they would like.
The St. Johns Town Center restaurant is about 20 miles south of River City Marketplace.
“P.F. Chang’s To Go, along with the continued delivery availability from Bistro locations, will allow us to reach more guests nationwide,” it said.
Takeout, delivery, catering and third-party delivery services are the focus for P.F. Chang’s To Go. DeliverSafe, eco-friendly sealed bags will be offered for third-party delivery orders, ensuring guests receive their meal just as it was prepared in the restaurant, the company said.
The Chicago and New York To Go locations operate 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Restaurantbusinessonline.com reported Nov. 4 that P.F. Chang’s plans more than 15 locations in 2021.
The industry trade site said the To Go’s measure 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, compared with the 7,000 square feet in a typical full-service P.F. Chang’s China Bistro.
The site says the To Go stores feature a bill of fare identical to the Bistros’ takeout menu and a kitchen that duplicates its big sister’s back-of-house capabilities.
All menu options will be scratch-prepared, as they are in a Bistro.
The chain, founded in 1993, operates more than 300 restaurants around the world, including 25 countries and U.S. airports.
