How Calamari and 400 E-Mails From Guests is Changing Stir Crazy Restaurants' Culture

CHICAGO, Feb. 18, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For one Chicago-based restaurant chain, the return of two popular dishes - Calamari and an Asian-inspired Hot and Sour Soup - together with the e-mail replies of some 400 guests is bringing about a fresh and exciting change in its culture, just as its new owner takes over.

Last October, Dog Pak - an experienced Orange, Calif. restaurant owner and entrepreneur - acquired Stir Crazy Fresh Asian Grill and its nine locations in Illinois, Florida, Missouri, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Immediately upon purchasing the chain, Pake said he made the decision to make sure his guests knew he was the new owner. He reached out to his restaurant's guestsin a series of e-mails inviting them to share their thoughts about Stir Crazy and the new menu they had just introduced. And, to make sure he saw every e-mail, he provided his e-mail address - doug@stircrazy.com. The response was overwhelming.

In all, more than 400 guests shared with Pak their thoughts about Stir Crazy and he listened, spending hours replying to each e-mail he received. As a result, Pak and his management teambegan making some of the changes suggested by the guests, including bringing back some favorite menu items including Calamari.

"Who would have thought that the return of one dish...our Crispy Sesame Calamari would have had such an impact and change the culture at Stir Crazy? Yet, that's exactly what happened. We asked our guests to share with us their thoughts about our restaurants...our food, everything," explained Pak.

In addition to the Calamari, Stir Crazy is listening to its guests and bringing back another menu favorite - with the return of its Asian-inspired Hot and Sour Soup. The soup will be featured as part of a special offer celebrating the start of the Chinese New Year. A free serving of the Hot and Sour Soup will be provided to each guest who purchases an entree from Feb. 19-28.

Pak said he is continuing to receive - and respond to - e-mails from guests. And, in an effort to keep the conversation going, Pak is writing a blog. Entitled Bold Talk, the blog made its debut recently at: stircrazyfresh.tumblr.com. In the first blog, Pak - along with several members of the Stir Crazy team - are featured in a video, in which more of the questions received from guests are answered.

To learn more about what's happening at Stir Crazy, visit the Stir Crazy website at: www.StirCrazy.com or via Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/stircrazyfresh.

Following the tremendous response, Pak said he and his team are inspired to keep making more changes and improvements in 2015.

Founded in 1995, Stir Crazy Fresh Asian Grill is a full-service restaurant concept offering a diverse menu featuring Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese entrees made with fresh, quality ingredients and bold flavors in a fun and vibrant atmosphere. Each entree is prepared from scratch with no added MSG and minimal oil.

A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=30860