California Pizza Kitchen has opened a new prototype that features such upscale touches as a display kitchen, an herb garden and a menu abounding in locally sourced fresh ingredients.
The new format also puts a stronger spotlight on the bar, with a menu of handcrafted cocktails.
Twelve CPKs are getting the new look, including the just-opened store in Wellington, Fla.
The chain has tried a variety of designs and formats in recent years. All but a fast-casual riff have nudged the concept up-market.
Nods in that direction abound in the new Wellington store. The menu, a new one for the chain, features such polished-casual-like dishes as Fire Grilled Ribeye and Hearth Roasted Halibut.
The décor includes an oak-wrapped bar, stone counter tops and tables made with wood recycled from other structures.
The centerpiece, according to CPK, is the open kitchen, where customers can watch fresh vegetables being prepped and pizza dough being proofed.
The cost of the new format was not disclosed.
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