P.F. Chang's launched a new brand marketing campaign on October 29, 2026, built on the phrase its guests repeat most often: "I loved P.F. Chang's growing up." The film is set to Lukas Graham's "7 Years" and follows guests from birthdays to family reunions, then invites them back with their own children. According to the company, the campaign runs on connected TV, streaming and social, and follows a climb from 22nd to 3rd in casual dining same-store sales growth.
The campaign is a useful model for restaurant PR and marketing teams because it starts with something guests already say, then turns it into a story the brand can tell on its own channels. Skalawag Productions, led by Mark Skala, produced and edited the film with P.F. Chang's brand marketing team.
Last updated: October 30, 2026
What are the key takeaways?
The P.F. Chang's campaign shows that a real guest phrase can carry a national brand film. These are the points worth knowing before the details.
- The creative idea comes from guest language, "I loved P.F. Chang's growing up," not from a menu promotion.
- The film uses three brand signatures: Chang's Lettuce Wraps, the theatrical dining experience and the sparkler candle on the Great Wall of Chocolate.
- The audience is two groups at once: longtime fans who remember the brand and a new generation of families.
- Chief Marketing Officer Holly Smith has moved the brand away from promotion-led messaging since her appointment in January.
- The release ties the broader approach to a rise from 22nd to 3rd in same-store sales growth within its casual dining set.
Table of contents
- What did P.F. Chang's launch?
- Why does the guest insight work?
- How does it fit the marketing shift?
- How does story-led marketing compare?
- What can other restaurant marketers copy?
- Frequently asked questions
What did P.F. Chang's launch?
P.F. Chang's launched a brand film on October 29, 2026 that looks back at the milestones guests have celebrated around its table. The company, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, says the spot was inspired by guests who describe growing up with the brand.
The story moves through different stages of a guest's life, from birthday celebrations to family reunions. Along the way it shows the chain's best-known signatures: Chang's Lettuce Wraps, the theatrical dining experience and the sparkler candle placed on the Great Wall of Chocolate.
Lukas Graham's "7 Years" supplies the emotional frame. Its reflective lyrics pair with images of growing up, and the film closes with an invitation for guests to return and start new traditions with the people who matter most.
The creative will run across connected TV, digital streaming and social media, with additional versions and cutdowns built for each platform. The company describes the launch as the start of a season of gathering ahead of the holidays, with more content planned in the coming weeks. The full film is available on the P.F. Chang's YouTube channel.
Campaign facts at a glance
- Brand: P.F. Chang's, founded in 1993 by Philip Chiang and Paul Fleming
- Launch date: October 29, 2026
- Music: "7 Years" by Lukas Graham
- Production: Mark Skala of Skalawag Productions, with the P.F. Chang's brand marketing team
- Channels: connected TV, digital streaming and social media
- Footprint: more than 300 restaurants in 23 countries and U.S. airport locations, per the company
Why does the guest insight work?
The phrase "I loved P.F. Chang's growing up" works as a campaign insight because it is true, specific and already spoken by guests. The brand did not invent a feeling. It noticed one and gave it a film.
The insight also fits the way casual dining is used. P.F. Chang's has long been a place for prom nights, graduations, birthdays and other milestones, and the company says guests who grew up there now bring their own children. A story about memory lands with parents who lived it and gives younger families a reason to start their own.
The signatures in the film do real work. The sparkler on the Great Wall of Chocolate and the shared lettuce wraps are moments a guest can picture in one second, which makes the film easy to recognize in a short social cutdown.
Alexa Bunting, Director of Brand Marketing at P.F. Chang's, described the goal in the company's release as helping guests see themselves in the film and reflect on their own memories. That guest-first framing is what separates this spot from a standard product ad.
How does it fit the marketing shift?
The film is the latest step in a change in P.F. Chang's marketing that began when Holly Smith was appointed Chief Marketing Officer in January 2026. The company says the brand has shifted from promotion-led messaging toward storytelling rooted in its experience, its innovation and the stories behind its signature dishes.
The release connects that approach to a broader business turnaround. P.F. Chang's reports it climbed from 22nd to 3rd in same-store sales growth within its casual dining competitive set in less than one year. The release does not claim the new film caused that rise, which is worth noting because the spot only launched this week.
A second data point comes from a product launch. According to the company, the summer launch of the theatrical Sushi Boat lifted dine-in same-restaurant traffic from +1% before launch to +9.2% after. The brand reads that result as proof that guests want memorable moments at the table, which is the same idea the new film dramatizes.
Taken together, the pieces form one story. Product theater brings guests in, and brand storytelling explains why the experience matters.
How does story-led marketing compare with promotion-led marketing?
Story-led restaurant marketing builds preference through shared memory, while promotion-led marketing drives a single visit through an offer. The table below compares the two approaches using the P.F. Chang's shift as the example.
| Element | Promotion-led approach | Story-led approach (P.F. Chang's 2026) |
|---|
| Core message | A deal or limited-time item | Milestones made around the table |
| Source of the idea | Menu or pricing calendar | A phrase guests already say |
| Audience | Anyone price-sensitive | Lapsed fans and new families |
| Creative assets | Product shots and offer cards | Brand film, signatures, music |
| Channels | Email, paid social, in-store | Connected TV, streaming, social |
| Proof point cited | Redemptions | Same-store sales rank and dine-in traffic |
Restaurant marketers can find more examples of the story-led approach in the best restaurant marketing campaigns roundup and in notable restaurant PR campaigns.
What can other restaurant marketers copy?
Restaurant marketers can copy the method, not the song: listen for the phrase guests repeat, then build the film around it. The steps below follow how the P.F. Chang's campaign was assembled.
- Collect the phrases guests say in reviews, comments and at the host stand, and pick the one that appears most often.
- Choose two or three physical moments, such as a sparkler or a shared starter, that a viewer can recognize without a caption.
- Speak to returning guests and new families in the same film, so one asset serves both audiences.
- Pick music that carries the feeling of the idea, and cut versions for each platform from the start.
- Pair the film with a visible product moment, as P.F. Chang's did with the Sushi Boat, so the story has something to point to in the dining room.
- Report the business metrics you can support, and avoid crediting a single spot for results it has not had time to produce.
Teams planning the earned side of a launch like this can start with the restaurant PR guide, and can review the original studies in the EPR research hub.
