California Pizza Kitchen Opens in Surf City on March 2, 2005; Opening of New Huntington Beach California Pizza Kitchen Will Benefit KOCE-TV Children's Programming.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. -- California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. (Nasdaq:CPKI), home to the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza and other innovative hearth-baked pizzas, made-to-order pastas, creative salads, appetizers, soups, sandwiches and desserts, will open its doors in "Surf City, U.S.A." Huntington Beach, Calif., on Wednesday, March 2, 2005.

The opening will benefit children's programming initiatives at KOCE-TV through a donation of 100 percent of pizza sales on Wednesday, March 9, 2005, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The menu will feature all of the CPK favorites like the Jamaican Jerk and Thai Chicken Pizzas along with two new menu items being introduced in CPKs nationwide the day of the grand opening. Guests will be able to order CPK's new Bangkok Calamari, served with a sweet Thai dipping sauce and homemade remoulade, and the new Chipotle Chicken Ravioli in a spicy chipotle cream sauce. A full bar will offer an extensive beverage menu with more than 40 specialty drinks, including CPK's original California Cosmo and an extensive list of martinis, margaritas and cocktails.

"We are excited to open our newest location in Bella Terra, Huntington Beach's newest shopping and entertainment destination," said Larry Flax, co-founder and co-CEO of California Pizza Kitchen. "This opening will also give us the opportunity to benefit the wonderful children's programming at KOCE-TV. We will be donating 100 percent of pizza sales at our new Huntington Beach location to KOCE's award-winning children's programming initiatives on March 9," added Rick Rosenfield, co-founder and co-CEO of California Pizza Kitchen.

The new 5,900 square foot California Pizza Kitchen is located in the Bella Terra Mall, located at 7851 Edinger Avenue, off the 405 Freeway at the northwest corner of Beach Boulevard and Edinger Avenue. Hours of operation are 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

California Pizza Kitchen is the leader in California-style cuisine and is widely known for its innovative menu items. The chain operates, licenses or franchises 174 restaurants as of March 2, of which 144 are company-owned and 30 operate under franchise or license agreements. California Pizza Kitchen provides a range of creative California dishes, from the signature California-style, hearth-baked pizzas to creative salads, appetizers, pastas, soups and sandwiches. Children who dine at California Pizza Kitchen choose from an extensive menu, recently named "The Best Kids Menu in America" by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine.

California Pizza Kitchen can be found on the internet at www.cpk.com.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding California Pizza Kitchen's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.