California Pizza Kitchen Surfs Into Santa Monica on June 21, 2001; Heal the Bay to Receive Proceeds From June 26th Pizza Sales.

Business & Metro Editors

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 2001

California Pizza Kitchen (Nasdaq:CPKI), home of hearth-baked pizzas, pastas, salads, soups and sandwiches, will open the doors of its 51st California location in Santa Monica on June 21, 2001.

Located at 210 Wilshire Blvd., just south of the heavily trafficked 3rd Street Promenade, the colorfully appointed restaurant will occupy more than 5,000 square feet with inside seating for 172 patrons. The restaurant will serve its popular fresh fare seven days per week for lunch and dinner.

"We have received numerous requests from Santa Monica residents and the office community asking when CPK was coming to the area. For years we've searched for an easily accessible location and finally found it on Wilshire Boulevard. This new store is walking distance from many homes and office buildings as well as hotels," said Fred Hipp, President and CEO of California Pizza Kitchen.

In celebration of the chain's first Santa Monica location, CPK will raise funds and awareness for one of the city's most respected charities, Heal the Bay. On Tuesday, June 26th, 100% of the day's pizza sales will be donated to Heal the Bay.

"We are pleased that CPK, as a new member of the Santa Monica community, is committed to local environmental issues. By supporting Heal the Bay, CPK will assist us in our effort to restore our coastal environment. We encourage anyone who shares this concern to come out on Tuesday and support us," said Mark Gold, Executive Director, Heal the Bay.

In CPK's 16-year history, the company has hosted fundraisers for every restaurant opening to benefit charities across the United States. In addition, all proceeds from CPK's two cookbooks are donated to children's charities.

California Pizza Kitchen Inc., founded in 1985, is a leading casual dining chain in the premium pizza segment. The restaurant features hearth-baked pizzas, salads, soups and sandwiches. The chain operates, licenses or franchises 118 restaurants of which 87 are company owned, and 31 operate under franchise or license agreements. The restaurants feature an imaginative line of innovative premium pizzas including the Original BBQ Chicken pizza. The California Pizza Kitchen website is www.cpk.com.

Heal the Bay is a non-profit environmental group founded in 1985 to fight for a "swimmable, fishable Bay." The group works to make Santa Monica Bay and Southern California coastal waters safe and healthy again for people and marine life. Research, education, community action and policy programs are utilized to achieve this goal. Heal the Bay has more than 10,000 members worldwide.