P.F. Chang’s International Bistro, always a favorite stop for me
when travelling to the United States, is finally coming to Canada. Montrealer Michael Aronovici, the president and owner of
Interaction Restaurants Group Inc, a restaurant management and holding company
that has been operating in the Canadian restaurant industry for over 20 years, has
announced that the first Canadian P.F. Chang’s’ will open in Toronto at Cadillac Fairview's
newly redeveloped Shops at Don Mills in late July. This will
be followed shortly after by a new restaurant in Montreal at the Smartcentre Shopping Centre located
adjacent to the former Hippodrome – presently the home of Walmart, Baton Rouge.
Restaurant Orotoro just closed there after just more than a year in operation.
I caught up with Aronovici, a native of Côte Saint-Luc and a present-day resident of Hampstead, He told me that work will begin very shortly on the old Dumoulin
Électronique building. "It is a very big construction job which we hope to complete before Christmas," he said.
P.F. Chang’s intends to expand throughout Canada, with plans to open
restaurants in additional Canadian cities in 2013 and beyond. “It is with great
partners like Interaction that we at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro are taking our
brand further out into the world,” said Mike Welborn, president of Global Brand
Development at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. “We are excited and confident
that Canadians will drop in to our newest restaurants to experience our unique
twist on Chinese cuisine.”
It is likely that after the Decarie location opens, others will follow on the West Island, in Laval, on the South Shore and downtown. I can already envision the lineups out the door.
"We have had to create an entirely new team," Aronovici said. "The training is intense and we send them to California for several months. We are also getting a lot of inquiries from people who want to join us."
P.F. Chang’s has more
than 200 restaurants in the United States and over 18 internationally,
delivering an outstanding casual dining experience in a stylish, high energy
bistro and wine bar. The menu offers cuisine inspired from five regions of
China (Mongolian, Sichuan, Beijing, Shanghai and Hunan) along with unique
desserts and signature drinks while also delivering impeccable service. The
restaurant caters to different dietary and cultural needs, offering also a vast
selection of gluten free and vegetarian dishes.
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| Fans of P.F. Chang's love the lettuce wraps. |
“Many Canadians have expressed to us, both in person and over social
media, how much they love P.F. Chang’s, and wished it was closer to home.”
explains Aronovici, “Given this existing
fan base, a commitment to fresh, Chinese-fusion flavour combinations in a
distinctive dining setting, we have no doubt that this bistro experience will
resonate with Canada’s sophisticated dining population.”
Aronovici, 50, a highly experienced restaurant brand investor and
operator, controls and operates Interaction Asian Restaurants L.P. and is based
here in Montreal. Interaction works in partnership with Claridge Inc., a
privately-owned investment firm also headquartered in Montreal and actively involved in the management of a broad range
of investments alongside high quality operators.
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| Michael Aronovici |
“P.F Chang’s is a unique and successful casual dining concept that is
going to delight Canadians everywhere.” declared Pierre Boivin, president and
CEO of Claridge and former boss of the Montreal Canadiens. “We are proud to
partner with Interaction and be associated with this much-loved brand.”
The Canadian market will continue to offer a great growth opportunity
for P.F. Chang’s to expand its brand in the international market. P.F. Chang’s
is already in talks to open additional restaurants in central and eastern
Canadian provinces in the coming years, among them Nova Scotia, Prince Edward
Island, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland following
the Montreal opening in late 2012.
Interaction Asian Restaurants, L.P. was created and is controlled by Aronovici.
Under his leadership, Interaction has been successfully involved with four
different restaurant and food service concepts, including Starbucks Coffee and
Pizza Hut. Aronovici has served on the
board of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association since 1997 and
was chairman of the board in 2009.
Aronovici developed an
affinity for the foodservice business when Interaction acquired the development
rights for Pizza Hut on Montreal’s North Shore in 1990 and grew the business to
45 restaurants in the Greater Montreal Area. In 2001, Interaction sold its
Pizza Hut interests to a company controlled by John Bitove.
From 1990 to 2001, Interaction
also operated the Salisbury House restaurant chain, a Winnipeg institution for
more than 70 years. The company ultimately sold the 25-unit chain to a Winnipeg
consortium that included musician Burton Cummings.
In 1992, Interaction acquired
the Cultures chain of 45 franchised restaurants in Ontario and Quebec, which it
successfully operated until 1999 when it sold the chain to a company controlled
by the Serruya family, the creators of the Yogen Früz concept.
In 2000, Interaction was
awarded the exclusive license to develop and operate Starbucks coffee shops in
Quebec and Atlantic Canada. While retail Starbucks coffee shops in North
America were usually corporately owned and operated, Interaction was selected
to introduce the brand to the distinctive Quebec market. Interaction developed
and operated the Starbucks business until August 2008 when it sold its
Starbucks interests to Starbucks Coffee Canada
In 2010, Interaction was
awarded the exclusive license to develop and operate PF Chang’s China Bistro
restaurants in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.
Aronovici earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree
(Great Distinction) from McGill University, followed by his chartered
accountant designation, but chose to specialize in mergers and acquisitions. It
was through this work that he joined Interaction in 1990 as Vice President,
Investment and Development. He was named president of the company in 1997 and
acquired 100% ownership of the company in 2009.
Aronovici joined the board of directors of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association in 1997 and has served as its vice-chairman and as chairman of the board .In addition, he served as chairman of several committees including Government Affairs, Succession, Nominating, Finance, and as Treasurer. He also sat on the board of directors of the American National Restaurant Association in 2009 and 2010.
Aronovici was also an independent member of the board of directors of Meditrust Pharmacies from 1994 to 1999. He was nominated in order to represent the interests of a group of blue chip Canadian institutional investors that had participated in an $18 million private placement. Moreover, Aronovici is active on the board of a social services agency in Quebec.
