Dallas' Jack Baum has plenty of eateries under his Food Friends and Company banner, among them Wapango and Cozymel’s Mexican Grill. And he's had his hands in plenty of other plates: He turned Sam's Cafe into the Canyon Cafe chain and founded Hampton’s and Newport’s. Today, Baum -- a partner in the Dallas private equity firm 2M Companies with the two-M'er hisself, Morton Meyerson -- hop into the sack with P.F. Chang's China Bistro.
Food Friends is getting a piece of P.F. Chang's lone Taneko Japanese Tavern outpost in Scottsdale, Arizona, no doubt with the intention of turning the single spot into a chain -- hence, the "development and growth" part of the media release this a.m. P.F. Chang will maintain a minority interest in the eatery. Suddenly, I'm wondering if anyone's interested in going to Oiishi for lunch. Takers? --Robert Wilonsky