Pick Up Stix facts for kids
 |
|
| Industry | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1989 in Rancho Santa Margarita |
| Founder | Charlie Zhang |
| Headquarters | Laguna Hills, California, United States |
|
Number of locations
|
More than 70 |
|
Key people
|
Linda Nelson, COO and Lorne Goldberg, owner |
|
Number of employees
|
1,000 |
| Parent | Mandarin Holdings |
Pick Up Stix is a popular American restaurant chain that serves delicious Asian cuisine. It's known for its fresh, made-to-order meals. You can find these restaurants mainly in Southern California.
Pick Up Stix offers food for eating there (dine-in) or taking home (take-out). They also provide food for special events (catering) and sometimes deliver meals. Plus, they even supply lunches to some private schools! The company is owned by Mandarin Holdings.
One cool thing about Pick Up Stix is how they cook their food. Everything is cooked fresh using traditional woks over very hot burners. In 2008, San Diego Magazine readers voted Pick Up Stix as one of the best places for "Takeout" food in San Diego.
Contents
The Story of Pick Up Stix
Pick Up Stix was started by a man named Charlie Zhang. He came to the United States in 1982 with very little money. Charlie had a great idea: he wanted to share traditional Asian food but make it a bit different for American tastes. He used less oil and added things like wine, vinegar, and soy sauce.
Opening the First Restaurant
Charlie opened his very first Pick Up Stix restaurant in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, in 1989. It was a big success!
Just a few years later, by 1992, there were two more locations in Orange County. These new restaurants were in Irvine and Laguna Niguel.
Growing Across California
The chain continued to grow quickly. By 1994, Pick Up Stix had expanded into San Diego County. You could find their restaurants in places like Del Mar, Carlsbad, and San Diego.
In 2001, a company called Carlson Restaurants Worldwide bought Pick Up Stix. Charlie Zhang stayed on as the leader until he retired in 2003. Today, Pick Up Stix is based in Laguna Hills, California. They even have their own special facility where they prepare their food.
In 2010, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide sold Pick Up Stix to Mandarin Holdings. Now, there are over 70 Pick Up Stix locations across the United States, mostly in California.
Restaurant Changes Over Time
Like many businesses, Pick Up Stix has seen some changes over the years.
In early 2008, about 26 locations in California, Nevada, and Arizona closed. The company wanted to focus on its busiest and most popular restaurants. By 2010, all Pick Up Stix restaurants in Nevada and Arizona had closed.
However, Pick Up Stix made a return to Las Vegas! In late 2012, a new Pick Up Stix opened in the Food Court at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino. This happened after the food court got a big makeover. Sadly, the very first Pick Up Stix location in Rancho Santa Margarita closed its doors in 2022.
