"Every long-lived restaurant chain had its ups and downs, but it has been a particularly wild ride for the creative pizza chain California Pizza Kitchen. Founded in 1985 in Beverly Hills, California, the restaurant started as a pioneer in the casual dining space, operating sit-down restaurants that brought the upscale "California-style" pizzas of Wolfgang Puck's Spago to the masses. The success of California Pizza Kitchen's then-unique barbecue chicken pizza led"
"to a quick expansion and then a sale to PepsiCo in the mid-'90s. Since then, the pizza chain has been repeatedly sold and seen its fortunes wax and wane as it expanded into frozen meals and food courts. When 2020 hit, the already struggling brand was pushed into bankruptcy by the COVID-19 pandemic. But now, five full years later, it looks like another new chapter may be starting for CPK."
California Pizza Kitchen launched in 1985 in Beverly Hills, popularizing upscale California-style sit-down pizzas like the barbecue chicken pie. Rapid early success led to expansion and a mid-1990s sale to PepsiCo, followed by multiple ownership changes and moves into frozen meals and food courts. The brand struggled and entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic. Creditors controlled the company until an investment group led by Consortium Brand Partners, with financing partners, purchased the chain after sales growth in 2025 outpaced competitors. The company now operates about 120 U.S. stores and has pursued international growth, loyalty programs, and improved off-site sales through better online channels.
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