P.F. Chang’s announces former Panera exec Eduardo Luz as CEO and presidentP.F. Chang’s announces former Panera exec Eduardo Luz as CEO and president

Joanna Fantozzi

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. announced Monday the appointment of former Panera Bread chief brand and concept officer Eduardo Luz as the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Asian-influenced casual-dining restaurant brand’s newest president and CEO, effective immediately.

P.F. Chang’s appointment of Eduardo Luz as CEO comes nearly three months after the company initially announced that former CEO Damola Adamolekun would be stepping down, effective Aug. 1. In the interim, Rohit Manocha, co-founder and managing director of TriArtisan Capital Advisors, an owner of P.F. Chang’s, helmed the company until the search for a chief executive was completed.

"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," Luz said in a statement. "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."

As chief brand and concept officer of Panera for three years, Luz led all profitability and brand equity-driving initiatives, including strategy, channel P&Ls, digital, loyalty, subscriptions, pricing, culinary, guest experience, advertising, design, media, and sustainability. Before joining Panera, Luz served as CEO of 8Greens and also has held executive leadership positions with The Kraft-Heinz Company, Unilever, Anheuser-Busch, and more.

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“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," Rohit Manocha said in a statement.

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