Leader in fresh Pan-Asian fast-casual dining to relocate corporate operations to Las Colinas by year’s end
Pei Wei Asian Diner confirmed today that it is moving its corporate headquarters to Las Colinas, Texas. CEO John “J.” Hedrick announced the decision to headquarters employees in Scottsdale, Ariz., this afternoon.
The leader in fresh Pan-Asian fast-casual dining, with more than 200 restaurants in 21 states, has 28 locations in the North Texas area, its most-concentrated market.
“We are very excited to relocate to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which is home to some of our most loyal guests and highest-performing restaurants,” said Hedrick. “We didn’t make this decision lightly. Scottsdale is an extraordinary city that has been our hometown since the brand’s inception in 2000. But our new leadership team felt that the timing was right to make this move, as we chart a new direction for the brand, its operations and our corporate culture.”
Hedrick explained that Pei Wei is in the process of separating both geographically and operationally from parent company P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. In addition, economic incentives from the State of Texas and the City of Irving were instrumental in the decision to choose Las Colinas.
“We are very grateful to officials at the state and local level for their support, and in particular Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer and Beth Bowman, president/CEO of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, for their leadership throughout this process,” said Hedrick. “We chose North Texas for many reasons, including its business-friendly climate, strong transportation infrastructure and deep talent pool. We look forward to bringing many well-paying new jobs to the area in the months and years ahead.”
Unlike many fast-casual brands, Pei Wei prepares each dish to order, rather than making items in bulk and placing them under a warmer. Each restaurant uses fresh, whole vegetables that are chopped in-house daily, house-cut flank steaks and other high-quality ingredients purposely chosen for nutrition as well as flavor. Menu offerings include lettuce wraps, Wok Classics such as Mongolian Beef and Kung Pao Chicken, salads, sushi and quinoa bowls that can be easily customized for any palate or diet – including gluten-free and vegetarian – all prepared in the tradition of ancient Asian cooking methods.
Hedrick said it was too soon to say precisely how many current employees would be moving from Scottsdale to North Texas. He and his executive team plan to relocate to temporary office space in the area by early September, with the entire headquarters move to the Las Colinas Highlands office tower completed by year’s end.
Hiring for positions at the company’s new home office will begin shortly, with plans to employ at least 30 team members at headquarters by the end of 2017. Given expectations for the brand’s continued growth across the country, that total is anticipated to reach 100 within five years. Hedrick also noted that a state-of-the-art test kitchen will be built at the new headquarters where innovative recipes will be crafted and evaluated for on-going menu refinements.
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