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California Pizza Kitchen

Leadership

California Pizza Kitchen names new CEO amid C-suite shakeup

CEO Jim Hyatt is out, along with longtime culinary chief Brian Sullivan and two others. Board member Jeff Warne was named CEO and president.

Food

CPK breaks into new menu territory with its California-style burger

It took an internal mind shift, plus the addition of griddles and a couple of SKUs, for Chef Brian Sullivan to perfectly execute the new West Coast Burger.

Throughout October, there’s free stuff for CPK customers who opt for the new West Coast Burger instead of pizza.

Heart-shaped pizzas, doughnuts and trays; Hard Rock's Super Bowl and Valentine’s specials; football themes at BWW, Subway and Moe’s.

The strategy represents a new era for the chain as it emerges from bankruptcy and a decade of shrinking sales and unit counts.

The 200-unit chain plans to get back to growth with the new strategy.

With consumers continuing to cook at home, CPK is not abandoning the meal kit idea. The chain is providing families with a quick, cost-effective dinner solution.

The Asian chain is reportedly considering an initial public offering, while the pizza concept is exploring the idea months after emerging from bankruptcy.

Chickpeas move in to dethrone cauliflower as the next low-carb, gluten-free, veggie-based pizza crust option.

The casual chain says its debt load is $220 million lighter, with no repayments due near-term.

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