Pink cherry blossoms, check. Massive horse at entrance, check. Katana grill and dragon murals, check. Golden arches, abundant. Red, black and gold all over with dim lighting, absolutely. Yes, US headquartered PF Chang’s, with its signature ‘American Asian’ offerings, is firmly on its way to expansion in India, opening a second outlet in NCR’s Gurgaon recently. The first PF Chang’s opened in Mumbai, and now the roll-out plan for India has gathered steam. Two more outlets are under fit-outs in Delhi – South Delhi and Noida Mall of India. Next on the schedule is Bandra, again in Mumbai. By September, the brand is looking at five operational PF Chang’s in the country, and by close of this financial year i.e. March 2025, at six or seven outlets across the country. Not just are all the hallmarks in place, the menu at this outlet is an expanded one with more than 100 items on the menu, including some exclusives. “We did research, tried to understand the Indian customer, we realised that in India, we needed to be closer to the people, their tastes, their preferences, flavour palate, give a little bit of familiarity so that there is ease,” says Ramit Bharti Mittal, executive chairman & director, Gourmet Investments Pvt Ltd (GIPL), the master franchise in India for the brand. “So, instead of the 75 items that the brand has on the menu internationally, we had 105 items when we launched in India,” points out Mittal. “Coming to Delhi, we have the ability to launch 12 exclusives for Cyberhub, which then percolate as we grow. When we travel to Bangalore, some of those exclusives will travel. A lot of depth, love and a vigilant eye has been put on this menu. We increased our vegetarian selection a lot for India in general, the US does not have many vegetarian items on the menu.” Interestingly, the group makes it a point to stress that its food is MSG-free. Diversions from the international menu include multiple India only options, especially in the vegetarian options, including dumplings, entrees and sushi delicacies. Yes, there is even a Jain menu! American Asian in India The brand’s presence in India has been a decade in the making. “Coming into India was a long 10-year slam,” points out Taylor Viersen, director, operations, PF Chang’s. “We met many different groups to find the right partner till GIPL. There was a lot of due diligence, and the process with GIPL took about 18 months.” Mittal is confident that Indians will quickly take to the brand. “PF Chang’s demands a little bit of social currency with India. If you look at Dubai, about 35 per cent of their population is Indian, and there is a close relationship between Dubai and especially north India, we have seen that the crossover actually allows the brand to give India a bit of social currency from its international goodwill. What it does for PF Chang’s is that introduces the American Asian in India.”