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The Shops at River Walk brings Bakersfield to forefront
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Anonymous user Mon Mar 13, 2006 16:16:02 PST
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0 responses 0 comments Local residents will no longer have to drive hours to enjoy the unique flavors of their delicious Oriental cuisine –– P.F. Chang's is coming to Bakersfield!

The restaurant is scheduled to open in October in Castle & Cooke’s Shops at River Walk, located on the corner of Stockdale Highway and Calloway Drive.

“The Shops at River Walk is going to be one of the nicest shopping centers in the Southern Valley,” said Mike Ansolabehere, director of commercial properties for Castle & Cooke. “It is going to be great to have P.F. Chang’s there. First, we are getting a great restaurant that is very upscale and new to Bakersfield. Second, we are bringing Bakersfield to the forefront for other restaurants and retailers of this level.”

The P.F. Chang’s dining experience is a unique combination of traditional and innovative Chinese cuisine. The stylish, high-energy bistro will join California Pizza Kitchen and the Elephant Bar, both of which had been dining hot sports since they opened. Once completed, the Shops at River Walk will be an inviting and comfortable destination with beautiful architecture, shady trees, gorgeous landscaping, and a stunning water foundation feature, as well as being home to a variety of popular restaurants and retailers.

“If you would have told me two of three years ago that P.F. Chang’s would come here, I would have thought you were nuts. They are an incredible restaurant operation, “ said Bill Sampson, Vice President of Commercial Properties for Castle & Cooke.

P.F. Chang’s menu consists of mostly traditional Chinese cuisines with some newer cuisines as well. This bistro-like setting will see an average cost of $18.50 a meal, and will seat up to 154 guests in the dinning room, 27 in the bar, and 63 on the patio. P.F. Chang’s will also bring jobs to our local community as it plans to hire 120 to 130 employees to staff the restaurant, both local and transfers from other area P.F. Chang’s.

The Shops at River Walk project, once completed, will be a 48-acre development, with P.F. Chang’s located at the main entrance to the shopping center.

Editor's note: The Shops at River Walk development is expected to be completed by early 2008. The mixed-use center will blend retail, restaurants and office space with 500,000 square feet of buildings and nearly 3,000 parking spots. Castle & Cooke's latest design plans call for a high-end "lifestyle center" featuring tree-lined walkways, fountains and bike racks. The center is bordered by the Kern River Bike Path to the north and The Park at River Walk, slated to open in late April, to the west. The shopping complex will be open to the park and bike paths. Castle & Cooke is negotiating with another high-end restaurant to go next door to P.F. Chang's. That restaurant could open by early 2007.

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