California Pizza Kitchen Announces Five New Executive Appointments.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 2003

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. (Nasdaq:CPKI) today announced the appointment of five new executives. These new appointments are part of the senior management team responsible for strengthening and advancing California Pizza Kitchen as a leading casual dining chain specializing in premium pizzas, pastas and salads.

"We're maximizing the talent of some of our best people by promoting them, which we are quite proud of, as well as recruiting outside the organization to bring in some of the industry's most respected talent," said Larry Flax, co-chairman and co-CEO of California Pizza Kitchen. "As California Pizza Kitchen focuses on future growth and development, it is essential that our senior team be comprised of the most skilled and talented people."

Tom Beck has been appointed as Senior Vice President of Construction, to oversee on-site development of new locations throughout the country. Beck was the director of construction for CPK from June 1993 to June 1995. Prior to rejoining California Pizza Kitchen, he was the National Construction Manager for Shawmut Design & Construction from November 1997 to August 2003.

California Pizza Kitchen named Clint Coleman to the position of Vice President of Development. In this new role, he will lead the design and remodeling of CPK restaurants as well as play an important role in the development of new concepts and the Company's CPK ASAP concept. Coleman joined the California Pizza Kitchen team in 1987 and has since held several operational positions. In December 2002, Coleman served as Chief Operating Officer for the new LA Food Show concept, an initiative launched by Flax and CPK co-CEO Rick Rosenfield in conjunction with California Pizza Kitchen as a minority partner.

Garry J. Gay has been appointed as California Pizza Kitchen's new Vice President of Human Resources. Gay will be responsible for leading benefits, risk, management training and recruitment and other corporate-wide employee functions. Formerly, Gay was Vice President of Human Resources for Dallas based Spaghetti Warehouse, Inc./ Consolidated Restaurant Operations. He has over 25 years of restaurant operations experience.

California Pizza Kitchen has chosen Joel K. Mayer as its Vice President of Real Estate. In this role, Mayer will lead the lease negotiation and landlord relationship function as well as share the responsibility with the development team for the development process. Formerly with Madison Marquette, Mayer has experience in all facets of development and leasing, including urban street retail, neighborhood, community, power and regional shopping centers.

Brian Sullivan was promoted to Vice President of Food Operations. Sullivan will work with the co-founders in the creation of new menu items and will be responsible for the coordination of national roll-outs of new menu items. He also will be responsible for the quality assurance team which is being reinstated. Sullivan, formerly director of menu development, continues his culinary education by studying at the Culinary Institute of America in Greystone, in addition to numerous programs across the country.

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc., founded in 1985 by attorneys Larry Flax and Rick Rosenfield, is a leading casual dining chain in the premium pizza segment. The company's full service restaurants feature an imaginative line of innovative hearth-baked pizzas, including the original BBQ Chicken Pizza, and a broad selection of distinctive pastas, salads, soups, and sandwiches. The average guest check is approximately $11.50. The chain operates, licenses or franchises 165 restaurants of which 134 are company-owned and 31 operate under franchise or license agreements. For more information on CPK, please visit www.cpk.com.