P.F. Chang's taps Panera Bread exec as CEO

P.F. Chang's China Bistro has ended its search for a chief executive.

The restaurant company has appointed Eduardo Luz as CEO and president, effective Oct. 23. He replaces Rohit Manocha, who has served in the role in an interim basis since July.  Manocha is co-founder of TriArtisan Capital Advisors, co-owner of P.F. Chang's.

Luz joins P.F. Chang’s from Panera Bread, where he has been chief brand and concept officer since October 2023, leading all disciplines driving profitable sales and brand equity, including strategy, channel P&Ls, digital, loyalty, subscriptions, pricing, culinary, guest experience, advertising, design, media and sustainability.

Before Panera, Luz spent six years in various leadership positions at The Kraft Heinz Company, including global brand officer and chief marketing officer for the U.S., president of the grocery business unit, and zone president North America for H.J. Heinz. Luz also served as CEO for 8Greens, a digital wellness startup.

"Eduardo brings deep industry experience and a unique set of skills to take advantage of P.F. Chang's leadership in high-quality Chinese-inspired Asian food service,” said John Paulson of Paulson & Company, the company's lead investor. “His expertise in marketing, consumer experience, operations and the growing fast casual category provide us market-leading capabilities,"

"As interim chief executive officer, I have had the privilege of leading and enabling a very talented team to rapidly grow the company in a highly profitable manner,” said Manocha. “I am delighted for Eduardo to take over as permanent CEO to grow the Bistros in traffic and in number on a profitable basis, and to continue to roll out a compelling omni-channel offering.

P.F. Chang's has more than 300 restaurants in 22 countries and U.S. airport locations, including a growing number of P.F. Chang's To Go locations offering takeout and delivery.

“I am humbled and honored with the opportunity to lead the phenomenal team at P.F. Chang's and, together, to aggressively grow this iconic, category-leading global brand," said Luz. "I believe that P.F. Chang's has a tremendous omni-channel opportunity, both domestically and abroad. We will broaden our reach as we offer high-quality Asian cuisine and hospitality, proudly serving freshly prepared, chef-created dishes with a differentiated guest experience."