Duck, Wagyu beef, and ceremonial-grade matcha headline P.F. Chang's fall limited-time offering, "Autumn in Kyoto," which launched September 16 and runs through November 3, 2026, at participating locations nationwide. The promotion marks one of the chain's more ingredient-forward seasonal pushes, layering premium proteins and Asian pantry staples across both the food and bar menus.
The New Dishes
Two duck items anchor the food side of the LTO. Duck Wings arrive tossed in teriyaki sauce and topped with toasted sesame seeds, Fresno peppers, and scallions — a format that plays directly into the bone-in shareables trend driving casual dining menu development. Duck Fried Rice takes a familiar platform upmarket with shredded duck, julienned vegetables, edamame, fried shallots, kimchi, chili jam, chili-spiced butter, and a fried egg. Wagyu Egg Rolls round out the new entrées, filled with Wagyu beef, black pepper, garlic, ginger, and julienned vegetables, finished with black garlic aioli. The returning Sushi Boat also rejoins the menu as a shareable centerpiece.
"Autumn gives us the opportunity to work with deeper, richer flavors and ingredients that feel especially craveable this time of year," said Steve Solis, VP of Culinary at P.F. Chang's. "We challenged ourselves to reimagine familiar P.F. Chang's favorites through unexpected seasonal pairings."
The Bar Program
The beverage play may be the most strategically notable element of the launch. P.F. Chang's has partnered with YOSHI Matcha Liqueur, positioning itself as one of the first national restaurant brands to feature the spirit — billed as the first matcha liqueur to reach market, crafted with ceremonial-grade matcha. The collaboration produces the Matcha Martini, which blends RumChata, YOSHI Matcha Liqueur, cream of coconut, and a hint of cinnamon. A second new cocktail, the Kyoto Cabin, combines Woodford Reserve Bourbon with black tea, maple, and lemon, finished with a nutmeg aroma. For operators tracking beverage innovation in full-service dining, the YOSHI partnership illustrates how emerging spirits brands are using restaurant chains as a primary launch vehicle for on-premise trial.
Community and Campaign
P.F. Chang's is pairing the seasonal menu with its Spirit of the Zodiac: Spirit of Strength campaign supporting Starlight Children's Foundation. Guests can contribute by rounding up their check through Round It Up America® or by purchasing Bao, a limited-edition Spirit of Strength horse plush priced at $10. Through a Buy One, Give One structure, each Bao purchased triggers a donation of another plush to a child through Starlight.
CEO Jim Mazany framed the overall effort around the chain's gathering-occasion positioning. "With Autumn in Kyoto, we've designed a warm, rich, and highly unique, limited-time menu to give guests something new to discover and enjoy together," he said. With more than 300 locations across 23 countries, the chain has the scale to make a seasonal LTO resonate broadly — and the duck-and-Wagyu combination signals a continued appetite among casual-dining operators to trade ingredient quality upward even within the LTO format.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
