The company currently expects to open four to six new Bistrorestaurants and two to four new Pei Wei restaurants during fiscal2009. Last year, the company opened 17 Bistros and no Pei Weiunits, while closing 10 of the latter. No store closures areplanned for either Bistros or Pei Wei. <p."Because there arelimited opportunities, maybe 10 to 20 units per year, so we can bevery selective about where we choose to go," said Richard Federico,chairman and co-CEO. "There are fewer and fewer developmentsgetting financed, and fewer lifestyle retailers gettingdeveloped."

The result, he said, is that unit growth will be on the low endfor 2009 and into 2010. The company also is working onrenegotiating terms with developers.

[Landlords] are in a bit of a pickle themselves these days,"said Robert Vivian, co-CEO. "We're both trying to work our waythrough this morass. Obviously we would like to pay less; theywould like for us to pay more."