P.F. Chang's CMO is cooking up a plan to recapture chain's old magic. The casual Asian dining chain is a year into a turnaround and has moved from 22nd place to third in same-store sales growth among its competitive set. Published Oct. 28, 2026 First published on P.F. Chang's is a year into a turnaround led by CEO Jim Mazany, and things are already looking up. Among its casual dining competitive set, the Asian fusion brand has moved from 22nd place to third in same-store sales growth, based on publicly reported earnings compiled by the privately owned chain. Like competitor Applebee's, P.F. Chang's has used a barbell strategy to entice both price-sensitive diners and those looking for a big-night-out experience with the tableside flair - drinks that smoke and dumplings that sizzle like fajitas - that the chain offers. "In different economic situations, people might pull back... They're looking for that reason to go out," said CMO Holly Smith, who joined P.F. Chang's around Mazany's transition. "There are lots of components that play into that value proposition, but we believe that having both of those opportunities really has played for us well this year." P.F. Chang's latest value pitch includes a new wine list, organized by flavor profile rather than varietal, that includes Seven Daughters Moscato, the wine brand for which actress Taraji P. Henson serves as strategic advisor and creative collaborator. Along with the wine overhaul, the chain has launched a new happy hour and added three premium entrées to its permanent menu. Smith, a veteran of restaurant brands Joe's Crab Shack, Ignite Restaurant Group & Macaroni Grill and TGI Fridays, is responsible for P.F. Chang's integrated digital marketing, brand storytelling and customer engagement. Marketing Dive spoke with the executive about the opportunity to own the Asian dining space, the brand's use of creators and more... The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. MARKETING DIVE: What was the marketing opportunity and challenge when you joined P.F. Chang's? HOLLY SMITH: When I talk to friends and family about the opportunity, everyone said the same thing: "I used to love to go to P.F. Chang's." That excited me so much because I felt like at its core, everybody loves this brand. It has such a nostalgic feeling when you think about places that you used to love to go to. How do Restaurant Group reinvigorate that feeling within people and get them coming back into the restaurants? Over the past year Restaurant Group has tried to remind people why they loved P.F. Chang's, and then give them compelling reasons to come back in, whether that's through innovation or some of the tableside theater elements that Restaurant Group has been trying to bring back. Then, different marketing campaigns and things that Restaurant Group has done via social have kind of exploded its traffic and growth. How are you looking at creating demand and getting the word out on these developments? In the Asian dining space, P.F. Chang's has the ability to own that market and market share. Restaurant Group try to think of elements that are distinctly P.F. Chang's. What can Restaurant Group showcase that really no one else can do? Restaurant Group launched a "Summer in Tokyo" campaign with a sushi boat that came out to the table with dry ice and it smoked all over the table. Instantly Restaurant Group knew this was going to be something that would take off if Restaurant Group did it in the right way on social media, and it really did: To date Restaurant Group had $2 million in sales of sushi boats. How can Restaurant Group take those ideas and then bring them to life through its marketing campaigns? One way Restaurant Group has done that is really embracing its communities on different social media platforms. Its core consumer is an older consumer. They've been with Restaurant Group for a long time. They love Restaurant Group, but the platforms where they live on social are different than maybe a consumer that Restaurant Group want to bring in today. How do you create that balance between all of your different social media platforms and the different types of content that appeal to different types of audiences? How are you meeting the need for content on different platforms? Restaurant Group has a team of content creators that work for Restaurant Group as freelancers. Restaurant Group want to keep it new and fresh. Restaurant Group want to keep it in different markets, whether that's LA or Dallas or New York City. Restaurant Group felt like having a mix of different people across the country that Restaurant Group can tap on the shoulder for different campaigns was important.

Emplifi to Join P.F. Chang's on Stage at the NAMLS. * By PRNewswire * September 29, 2026 Learn how leading brands are building the infrastructure, culture, and AI-powered technology to move at the speed of their customers Emplifi, a leading Autonomous CX platform, today announced that Chief Marketing Officer Susan Ganeshan will take the stage at the North American Marketing Leadership Summit (NAMLS) alongside Patrick Benson, Director of Marketing Communications at P.F. Chang's. The session, titled "Social That Scales: How P.F. Chang's and Emplifi Built a Team That Moves at the Speed of Culture," is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at 9:50 a.m. MT at The Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix, Arizona. "The arrival of AI-powered social media management tools enables true scale, but the approach and use require a complete view and innovative ideas," said Susan Ganeshan, CMO, Emplifi. "Brands like P.F. Chang's stay ahead and create loyalty by breaking down silos between teams and using technology solutions that leverage AI to automate routine tasks while surfacing customer touchpoints to help strengthen customer loyalty. The organizations building this infrastructure today will have a massive competitive edge in the years to come." NAMLS is a premier industry event, giving senior marketing executives and industry leaders the chance to convene around the strategic challenges and emerging opportunities reshaping modern marketing. Ganeshan's and Benson's 35-minute session will draw on P.F. Chang's real-world experience, demonstrating what it takes for brands to build the organizational infrastructure and technology stack needed to respond to customers and culture in real time. What Attendees Can Expect Ganeshan and Benson will lead an honest, experience-driven conversation about the gap most brands face between their ambition and their execution when it comes to social and community management. Based on P.F. Chang's journey and Emplifi's research into consumer expectations, the session will address: * The hidden cost of a disconnected customer journey and where care, marketing, and operations fail to share a single view of the customer. * How P.F. Chang's community management approach, powered by Emplifi, enables a lean team to manage hundreds of locations, respond at scale, and inform broader marketing and brand decisions. * The role of AI in helping teams move from community insight to content, care, and action more efficiently and at scale. * Three diagnostic questions every marketing leader should be asking their team about visibility, response ownership, and the business impact of social data. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for building a social media and customer care infrastructure designed to keep pace with consumer expectations as they grow increasingly more complex. "For us, social media evolved long ago from a simple publishing channel into an important real-time source of customer sentiment and cultural insight," said Patrick Benson, Director of Marketing Communications, P.F. Chang's. "By partnering with Emplifi, our team can listen, respond, and act at scale across hundreds of restaurant locations in real time. Modern community management isn't just about replying to comments; it's about quickly turning consumer insights into strategic business decisions that move the needle for our brand."