Prominent Sarasota developer in talks with P.F. Chang's

Sarasota real estate entrepreneur Dr. Mark Kauffman is in negotiations with P.F. Chang's China Bistro Inc. over a possible Sarasota location.

Kauffman's land-use consultant, Joel Freedman, submitted a proposal with Sarasota city officials to develop the Chinese restaurant in place of an office building at the northwest corner of Osprey Avenue and U.S. 41. The 4,164-square-foot building, at 766 S. Osprey Ave., is currently being used for executive suites.

“There's not much to say right now other than they are very interested in the site,” Kauffman says. “We are still trying to work out the details.”

The proposal calls for a restaurant that ranges in size from 7,000 to 8,000 square feet. City officials must approve the site plan and a rezone of the property, a process that's expected to take six months.

P.F. Chang's China Bistro Inc. operates two restaurant chains: the full-service P.F. Chang's China Bistro and the quick-casual Pei Wei Asian Diner. The company operates a Pei Wei on University Parkway, just west of Interstate 75. It also runs five P.F. Chang's in Florida, including ones in Fort Myers, Naples and Tampa.