P.F. Chang's China Bistro customers' credit and debit card information were reportedly stolen from some of the food chain's restaurants, the company confirmed Friday.
According to a press release statement from CEO Rick Federico, the company has therefore "moved to a manual credit card imprinting system for all P.F. Chang's China Bistro branded restaurants located in the continental United States."
The top official said the modified measure allows customers to keep using cards to pay for their meals.
"This ensures our guests can still use their credit and debit cards safely in our restaurants as our investigation continues," Federico said. "At P.F. Chang's, the safety and security of our guests' payment information is a top priority."
Federico said officials hope the investigation will help determine how the breach occurred.
"...We initiated an investigation with the United States Secret Service and a team of third-party forensics experts to understand the nature and scope of the incident, and while the investigation is still ongoing, we have concluded that data has been compromised," the executive said.
Federico therefore wants customers to proceed on the side of caution. "Because we are in the preliminary states of our investigation, we encourage our guests to be vigilant about checking their credit card and bank statements," he said. "Any suspected fraudulent activity should be immediately reported to their card company. We sincerely regret the inconvenience and concern this may cause for our guests."
P.F.Chang's security website allows affected customers to stay informed new developments. Click here to access the site.
Other companies have experienced data breaches of their own. Target is on the rebound, after hackers reportedly stole 40 million credit and debit account numbers from customers between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013, Krebs on Security reported. The company's corporate lineup has since changed.
