Pei Wei Asian Kitchen, the second-largest Chinese fast-casual chain in the United States, is adding a limited-time Chili Crisp Steak & Shrimp Noodles entrée priced at $14.99 to its menu, targeting the holiday-season traffic window across nearly 200 domestic locations.
The dish pairs wok-seared steak and shrimp with rice noodles, onions, and red bell peppers, tossed in a Korean chili sauce and finished with chili crisp oil, fresh cilantro, and a lime wedge. It is available for dine-in, takeout, and orders placed through the Pei Wei mobile app.
Menu & Competitive Context
The launch slots into an intensifying limited-time-offer cycle across fast-casual Asian concepts, where operators are increasingly leaning on global chili condiments — gochujang, chili crisp, and sambal — to differentiate against both national chains and emerging regional competitors. Chili crisp, once a niche import product, has become a mainstream flavor driver, appearing across quick-service, fast-casual, and retail channels. For Pei Wei, the LTO extends a noodle platform that already includes permanent items such as Pad Thai and Spicy Drunken Noodles, adding a surf-and-turf positioning at a $14.99 price point that sits above its standard noodle tier. The brand's wok-fired, made-to-order model is a consistent differentiator in the fast-casual segment, where assembly-line service remains the norm.
"The combination of tender steak and shrimp, savory Korean chili sauce and the added crunch and heat of chili crisp creates an incredibly crave-worthy dish," said Brian Dreeland, vice president of marketing at Pei Wei.
Operator Implications
For franchisees and restaurant operators tracking menu innovation trends, the dual-protein surf-and-turf format is a notable pricing lever. Combining shrimp and steak in a single SKU allows operators to anchor a higher average check without introducing a full premium entrée tier, a strategy that has gained traction across fast-casual concepts navigating cost-sensitive consumers while maintaining ticket growth. With nearly 200 locations, Pei Wei has sufficient scale for a limited-time offer to generate measurable traffic data before any potential permanent addition is considered. The brand has not indicated whether the dish will join the permanent lineup after the promotional window closes.
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.
