P.F. Chang's Bets on Celebrity Wine and a $15 Sushi Happy Hour

P.F. Chang's has rolled out a redesigned wine list fronted by Seven Daughters Moscato, the brand where Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson serves as Strategic Advisor and Creative Collaborator — part of a broader beverage-and-menu push that also adds a weekday happy hour anchored by a $15 Sushi & Sip pairing.

The Moscato is available by the glass and by the bottle, and it carries a specific menu-engineering job: it's the suggested pairing for P.F. Chang's Dynamite Shrimp, the tempura-battered starter tossed in sriracha aioli. Pairing suggestions now appear beside select dishes across the menu.

The list itself is a structural rethink. Wines are organized by flavor profile rather than varietal, running from Sparkling & Refreshing to Full & Bold — a format designed to move less wine-savvy guests toward a purchase decision faster. New additions alongside Seven Daughters include:

• Gratien Meyer Crémant de Loire Brut Rosé
• Belle Glos "Las Alturas" Pinot Noir
• Stags' Leap "Aveta" Sauvignon Blanc
• Penfolds Max's Shiraz
• DAOU Cabernet Sauvignon

What does the happy hour do for weekday traffic?

The new Happy Hour runs Monday through Friday, 3 to 6 p.m., in the bar and on the patio at participating locations where permitted by law. The pricing ladder is straightforward: $6 select beer and wine, $9 cocktails, $12 full-size appetizers, and the $15 Sushi & Sip pairing that matches a Spicy Tuna or California Roll with either a Sapporo or Joto One "Graffiti Cup" sake — a single-serve sake whose cup was designed by Japanese graffiti artist Shiro.

The bar menu also adds a sake category for the first time and a $12 Japanese whisky selection featuring Toki, Mars Iwai 45 and Nikka Coffey Grain, served on the rocks, neat or as a highball.

"Happy Hour should be an opportunity to experience what our kitchen does best," said Steve Solis, VP of Culinary at P.F. Chang's. "With full-size appetizers and the new Sushi & Sip pairing, we're putting the food front and center and giving guests a reason to make us part of their weekday plans."

Note the operational logic: full-size appetizers rather than discounted bar bites protect food cost percentage while still hitting a sub-$15 ticket. And the 3-to-6 window targets the dead hours between lunch and dinner, when dining rooms sit empty.

Wine Wednesday extends the off-peak play, offering half-price bottles of wine, Champagne and sake all day at participating locations where permitted, for dine-in guests 21 and older.

Which limited-time dishes earned a permanent slot?

The main menu is absorbing several limited-time offerings that built a following, including three premium entrées in a newly expanded Chef's Favorites section:

• NY Prime Strip Steak Tataki — lightly seared steak with yuzu ponzu, butter, togarashi aioli and microgreens
• Lobster & Prawn Fried Rice — lobster and prawns with signature fried rice, cremini mushrooms and lobster sauce
• Oolong Chilean Sea Bass — wild-caught, tea-marinated fillet skewered with blistered grape tomatoes and shishito peppers, served with spinach and ginger-soy sauce

The sushi platform grows too, with Spicy Tuna Crispy Rice, Tiger Roll, Philly Roll and the shareable Sushi Boat — chilled edamame, a California Roll, a Shrimp Tempura Roll and a choice of two additional rolls. Japanese Wok-Fired Calamari, with scallions, Fresno peppers and wasabi aioli, returns to the year-round lineup as well.

For the off-premise channel, Lobster & Prawn Fried Rice and Oolong Chilean Sea Bass are now available for takeout and delivery — meaning the premium entrées work double duty across dine-in and digital orders.

With celebrity-backed wine, tiered happy hour pricing and a premiumized core menu landing at once, P.F. Chang's is betting that beverage attach and weekday frequency can carry the next phase of its traffic recovery.