Economic Research: Pei Wei Menu

Thursday 20 December 2012

Pei Wei Menu

There’s nothing unusual about a quick-serve concept doing a little bit of R&D homework in the culinary environment that inspired its menu. So when Chef Eric Justice, executive chef of Asian concept Pei Wei, visits Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan, and Korea next year to do some menu brainstorming, it won’t be out of the ordinary. What will be out of the ordinary is the blogger who will tag along with the chef to communicate every last detail of his travels to Pei Wei fans around the world. “We don't want the information to seem contrived, too marketed, or too Pei Wei–centric,” Justice said in an e-mail to QSR while traveling home from London, where he was doing additional R&D. “It is important it is an outside voice recording things as they are and not as we might tell the story. I am too close to the food, so my experience may not be as new or fresh as someone who has not been there before.” The company is calling for applications from wannabe food and travel bloggers for its Blog Asia opportunity. Pei Wei will contract the winner to travel with Justice for 15 days from late February to early March, eating everything he eats and documenting through stories, pictures, and video.