Profile: California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. (CPKI.O)

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. is a casual dining restaurant chain with a particular focus on the pizza segment. As of March 12, 2009, the Company owned, licensed or franchised 253 locations in 32 states, the District of Columbia and 10 foreign countries, of which 205 are Company-owned, and 48 operate under franchise or license arrangements. Its menu focuses on imaginative toppings and showcases recipes that capture tastes and flavors that customers readily identify, but do not typically associate with pizza, pasta or salads. The menu showcases such dishes as The Original BBQ Chicken Pizza, Thai Chicken Pizza, Kung Pao Spaghetti, The Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad and the Waldorf Chicken Salad, as well as the items such as the Pesto Chicken Pizza, Buffalo Chicken Pizza, Asparagus, and Spinach Spaghettini, Four Cheese Ravioli, Cabo Crab Cakes and Ginger Salmon. In addition, the Company’s entire menu is trans-fat free.

The Company’s menu also includes Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage Pizza, the Italian Tomato & Basil Pizza, and the Sweet & Spicy Italian Sausages Pizza that combines sweet Italian sausage and grilled spicy Italian sausage, a tomato sauce base, roasted red and yellow peppers and mild onions. The Neapolitan pizzas are prepared on a thin, crisp crust and include the Margherita Pizza with imported Italian tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and parmesan cheese, and Sicilian Pizza made with spicy marinara sauce, spicy Capicola ham, julienne salami and fontina, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

The Company’s Original BBQ Chicken Pizza, utilizes barbecue sauce instead of tomato sauce, and adds toppings of barbeque chicken breast, smoked gouda and mozzarella cheeses, sliced red onion and fresh cilantro. The Thai Chicken Pizza is created with a base of spicy peanut-ginger and sesame sauce, and topped with marinated chicken breast, mozzarella cheese, roasted peanuts, green onions, bean sprouts, julienne carrots and fresh cilantro. The other varieties of pizzas are the California Club, The Works, The Greek, Mango Tandoori Chicken, Carne Asada, Shrimp Scampi and Jamaican Jerk Chicken.

The Company’s menu includes pastas, salads, sandwiches, soups, appetizers and desserts. Among its other principal menu items are Chicken Tequila Fettuccine, which captures Southwestern flavors in a tequila-lime and jalapeno cream sauce, The Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad, which uses both barbecue sauce and garden-herb ranch dressing, the Chinese Chicken Salad with crispy angel hair pasta, and its hearth-baked Tortilla Spring Rolls appetizers, which are sprinkled with herbs and baked in its pizza ovens. California Pizza Kitchen, Inc.’s menu is also designed to satisfy customers, who seek traditional, American-style, tomato sauce-based pizza or authentic, Italian-style Neapolitan pizza. For the traditionalist, its offers a variety of items, such as the Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage Pizza, the Fresh Tomato, Basil & Garlic Pizza, and the Sweet & Spicy Italian Sausages Pizza that combines sweet Italian sausage and grilled spicy Italian sausage, a tomato sauce base, roasted red and yellow peppers and mild onions.