California Pizza Kitchen Names Director of Real Estate and Regional Vice-President of Operations.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 31, 2002

Building out its executive ranks with senior level talent, California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. (Nasdaq:CPKI) today announced that it has filled two key management positions.

Cal N. Marsh has been named director of real estate, bringing with him extensive real estate management experience from Texas-based restaurant chains, most recently as national director of real estate for Z'Tejas Southwestern Grill. At the same time, Rudy Sugueti, formerly regional director of operations in charge of oversight for the company's Los Angeles/Westside locations, will now serve as regional vice-president of operations, responsible for West Coast, Washington and Hawaii locations. Both appointments are effective immediately.

"Both Rudy and Cal are talented and experienced executives," said Fred Hipp, president and chief executive officer of CPK. "Both understand the complexities and challenges of working in the highly competitive restaurant business."

Prior to working with Z'Tejas Southwestern Grill, Marsh was real estate manager for Brinker International, where he served for five years. Marsh's professional associations include the International Council of Shopping Centers and the International Association of Corporate Real Estate Executives (NACORE). Marsh, who lives in Dallas, Texas, will be responsible for site selection and market strategies for CPK along with Tom Jenneman who is Senior Vice President of Real Estate for California Pizza Kitchen.

Prior to becoming regional director of operations with CPK in 1994, Sugueti was hired one year after the company had opened its first location as a CPK pizza cook. He went on to master every position in the restaurant, including kitchen manager and general manager. Over the years, he has assisted with the successful opening of numerous CPKs nationwide.

CPK first invited its guests to consider creative toppings on pizza 17 years ago when it launched the concept of interpreting food trends on a platform of pizza, pastas, salads and appetizers. The restaurants, which feature an exhibition style kitchen centered around an open-flame oven, provide a distinctive, casual dining experience that is family friendly and has broad consumer appeal.

About California Pizza Kitchen

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. (NASDAQ:CPKI), founded in 1985, is a leading casual dining chain in the premium pizza segment. The restaurant features an imaginative line of premium hearth-baked pizzas -- including the wildly popular Original BBQ Chicken pizza -- as well as creative pastas, salads, soups and sandwiches. The chain operates 135 restaurants of which 105 are company-owned and 30 operate under franchise or license agreements. The California Pizza Kitchen website is www.cpk.com.

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