California wouldnt be the right place to launch California Pizza Kitchen today, co-founder says
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Set us as preferred One of the founders of California Pizza Kitchen says that if he were to open the once-hot gourmet chain today, he would choose Florida over California.While it is uncertain whether Florida Pizza Kitchen would have had the same global appeal, CPK co-founder Rick Rosenfield said in an interview this week that it has become too difficult to set up shop in the Golden State.“If it were me today, I would open in Florida before I would open it in California,” Rosenfield told Fox News Sunday.
“California is less business-friendly today, and they make it apparent.”For over 40 years, the pizza chain has operated out of California, where it became best known for its barbecue chicken pizza.Today, there are roughly 185 California Pizza Kitchen locations in the United States, and roughly 40% of them are in California.
Business Tennessee is hoping to persuade Paramount to exit California and join the growing number of businesses choosing the Volunteer State over CaliforniaA decade ago, California was “the greatest place to do business,” Rosenfield said.That changed after the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, as the state became more expensive and rising taxes for businesses forced them to increase prices.During the pandemic, California Pizza Kitchen, like many restaurants, struggled while people stayed home during the lockdown.With mounting debt, the company filed for bankruptcy protections in 2020, closed 46 locations and received $30 million in emergency financing.
In 2024, Rosenfield made his own move to Florida.“Florida is quite friendly,” he told Fox News.
“There’s less bureaucracy in Florida and there’s more bureaucracy [in] California.” Business The group plans to expand the franchise, create new products and enhance the brand’s presence across restaurants and retail, according to a news re...