It’s the year of the fire horse, and Holly Smith has arrived at P.F. Chang’s with unmistakable momentum—tasked with helping write the next chapter for one of the restaurant industry’s most recognizable brands.
Smith joined the Pan-Asian restaurant chain in January as its newest chief marketing officer, following the appointment of chief executive officer Jim Mazany last November. The pair has worked together for the past 15 years across multiple brands, and Smith was one of Mazany’s first hires.
In this new role, Smith is tasked with evolving the P.F. Chang’s brand, deepening guest connections, infusing creativity across campaigns, and strengthening the company’s position in a competitive restaurant landscape.
“We are so uniquely positioned as the only national Pan-Asian brand and have a unique market share that we can capture,” Smith says. “P.F. Chang’s is iconic … everyone has memories with this brand, and the mission moving forward is pulling people back in and encouraging them to remember those moments. Whether it’s a special dinner, your everyday lunch spot, or off-premises, we have a tremendous ability to serve many different occasions.”
This isn’t Smith’s first time leading a brand revitalization. Known as a commercial brand architect, she has led brand transformations for multiple concepts, including Rosa Mexicano, Yardbird, Macaroni Grill, and Joe’s Crab Shack.
As a leader, she describes herself as the team’s compass—and in her first 90 days at P.F. Chang’s, that process begins with deeply immersing herself in the existing team.
“Everything starts with clearly setting the direction and aligning the team around strategic priorities with measurable goals we can work toward,” Smith says. “[At P.F. Chang’s] we have an incredibly talented team who are experts in their lanes. Now we have to figure out how to combine those talents, create synergy, and bring initiatives to life.”
Whether it’s unifying creative and marketing platforms, evolving menu and pricing strategy, or integrating omnichannel campaigns that scale legacy brands while keeping them culturally relevant, Smith says her favorite part of the restaurant industry is shepherding ideas through their full life cycle, eventually seeing them come to life at a restaurant table. It’s a playbook Smith has refined across several restaurant brands—enter, listen carefully, and then align strategy around a clear, measurable vision.
For Smith, data sits at the center of brand transformation. Decision-making within organizations can sometimes become paralyzing—especially when every choice feels critical to the brand’s future—but she believes strong data alignment is key to building high-performing teams and delivering on strategy.
“It is so important to analyze data alongside your cross-functional teams, whether it’s finance or operations,” Smith says. “That healthy and communicative relationship needs to be there. I’ve learned to sit down and level-set on what the data is telling us and how it can help us make better decisions for our guests. At this point in the business, there’s no lack of data, so we need to make sure we’re using those insights to our advantage.”
Storytelling, however, remains at the heart of Smith’s philosophy as a marketer. As P.F. Chang’s evolves to attract younger guests while maintaining loyalty among its legacy customers, she says the brand must remain authentic to its heritage as the first internationally recognized multi-unit concept centered around the centuries-old tradition of wok cooking.
“Every brand has its individual voice and story. Whether it’s four restaurants or 400, we have to stick to telling that story in a meaningful way while protecting the distinctiveness of the brand,” Smith says. “We’ve been talking a lot recently about taking the story of P.F. Chang’s and figuring out how to amplify it across our channels and make it relevant for all generations.”
That philosophy is already influencing how the brand approaches innovation and guest engagement. Smith says the company is experimenting with themed nights, special events, and menu innovation designed to translate well both in-person and on social platforms.
Earlier this year, the brand paid homage to Japan’s cherry blossom season with its Flavor in Bloom campaign, featuring bright colors and spring-forward flavors designed to be just as experiential as they are visually appealing.
Smith says P.F. Chang’s global footprint also creates opportunities to discover new culinary inspiration. The next innovation test includes sushi boats served with dry ice—an experiential presentation designed to emphasize the theatrical nature of in-person dining and celebration.
“Being able to have conversations with global leaders is so compelling to me because we can use influences from around the world to be relevant domestically,” Smith says. “We’ve done a lot of work around innovation, but the broader vision for the brand is to remind people why they love P.F. Chang’s and amplify our market position as the premier Pan-Asian brand both domestically and internationally.”
As the brand evolves externally, internal marketing strategies are also shifting. With a growing focus on strengthening brand relevance and elevating the guest experience, the company is investing more heavily in behavioral guest data to better guide customers through the marketing funnel.
For example, media strategies are increasingly designed to speak to guests individually—using behavioral insights to understand online habits and deliver content that feels personally relevant.
“It’s a big task to conquer data in this way—to segment and truly understand our guests—but when we fully figure that piece out, we’ll begin to see meaningful success metrics,” Smith says, pointing to the company’s Valentine’s Day campaign as an early test of the approach.
“We’re onboarding many of these new strategies, and they’re already proving helpful for us. I’m excited to see what the future holds with this information at our fingertips,” she adds.
As a woman in restaurant leadership, mentorship and personal affirmation play an important role in Smith’s leadership approach. “It is a point of pride for me to have made it to this position, and it’s extremely important to see others succeed as well,” Smith says.
“Being a mentor means taking the time to have the ‘conversation after the conversation’ with people. I wake up every morning, look in the mirror, and say positive affirmations. Stay true to your authentic self, trust your gut, and help others believe in themselves and use their voice,” she says, principles she hopes will guide not only her team but the next era of the P.F. Chang’s brand.
