California Pizza Kitchen, Inc., home to the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza and other innovative hearth-baked pizzas, made-to-order pastas, creative salads, appetizers, soups, sandwiches and desserts, today announced the opening of two new locations.

The first California Pizza Kitchen location in Delaware opened in Newark at the Christiana Mall, next to Macy’s. The new 5,600 square-foot restaurant will be open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Guests can dine-in or place a take-out order by ordering online at cpk.com, from their iPhone app or by calling 302-533-2541.

Also open is a new quick-serve CPK restaurant on the University of Southern California campus. Opened by franchise partner, USC Hospitality, which operates 38 dining concepts on the University of Southern California’s two campuses, the new CPK will open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the USC Ronald Tutor Campus Center Food Court.

USC students will be able to choose from a selection of CPK’s most popular pizzas, pastas, salads, sandwiches, soups and desserts including the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza, Chinese Chicken Salad and Chicken Tequila Fettuccine. Also available will be a selection of breakfast pizzas and sandwiches served daily from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc., founded in 1985, is a leading casual dining chain featuring an imaginative line of hearth-baked pizzas, including the original BBQ Chicken Pizza, and a broad selection of distinctive pastas, salads, appetizers, soups, sandwiches and desserts. Of the chain’s 261 restaurants, 206 are company-owned and 55 operate under franchise or license agreements. CPK premium pizzas are also available to sports and entertainment fans at three Southern California venues including Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium of Anaheim and STAPLES Center. Also included in the Company’s portfolio of concepts is LA Food Show Grill & Bar, which has locations in Manhattan Beach and Beverly Hills, California. The Company also has a licensing arrangement with Nestle S.A. to manufacture and distribute a line of California Pizza Kitchen premium frozen products. For more details, visit www.cpk.com.

Last Summer, ‘Día del Patrón’ or ‘Day of the Patrón’ was a popular promotion sparking record sales for Pizza Patrón, the nation’s number one Latin pizza brand. Today, the chain announced it is bringing it back, by popular demand, for a limited time.

The ‘Dia del Patrón’ promotion features the company’s 12-inch medium Amigo Pizzas™ with one topping priced at $2.99 each — with no limit on purchases. The offer will run in every location for two months, July through August, available to customers every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Last Summer, we saw a huge increase in sales and traffic at our locations due to this incredible offer,” said Andrew Gamm, brand director for Pizza Patrón. “It was developed as a weekly customer appreciation day, but the response was so good, we expanded the offer to three days per week and ran it for several months. Customers love a good deal, and with ‘Día del Patrón’ they get the best pizza offer in the industry.”

Pizza Patrón is famous for its ultra-competitive pricing and unbeatable every day values like its 12-inch medium AMIGO PIZZAS® starting as low as $4, and its X-Large LISTA-NOW READY™ pepperoni pizzas starting as low as $6, every day. The chain, however, credits the popular ‘Dia del Patron’ promotion for attracting many new customers and strengthening its relationship with current customers.

“This value is unprecedented in the industry, and it allows us to give back to the community that we serve,” said Guillermo Estrada, president of Pizza Patron. “Our mission is to offer the best food at the best price to our customers and this is made possible by the extraordinary group of team members, franchisees and employees that live this promise daily in every Pizza Patrón restaurant. We were recently named by a trade publication as a chain that is expected to be dominant in the year 2060 — expect it!”

About Pizza Patrón

Pizza Patrón, America’s #1 Latin pizza brand, offers traditional pizza, wings and sides in its community based, Latin-influenced stores. Pizza Patrón was founded by restaurateur Antonio Swad in 1986, in Dallas, Texas, and today operates 100 dine-in and carry-out restaurants in seven states with 40 more under development. Pizza Patrón has franchise opportunities available in prime markets throughout the country offering a proven system for hard-working franchisee candidates. In 2007, the brand received international news coverage when it decided to accept Mexican Pesos at all of its locations, gaining over 500,000,000 media impressions worth over $30 million in the U.S. alone. The company’s medium AMIGO PIZZAS® start as low as $4 and X-Large LISTA-NOW READY™ pepperoni pizzas start as low as $6 all day, every day.

Website – www.pizzapatron.com
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/pizzapatron
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/pizzapatron
MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/mypizzapatron
YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/user/pizzapatroncorp

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. (Nasdaq: CPKI) today announced that revenues decreased 4.6% to $163.1 million for the second quarter ended July 4, 2010 versus $170.9 million in the second quarter of 2009. Comparable restaurant sales decreased approximately 5.9% compared to a 6.5% decrease in the second quarter a year ago. In a June 21, 2010 press release, the Company forecasted comparable restaurant sales for the second quarter of negative 6.0% to negative 7.0% and earnings in the range of $0.10 to $0.15 per diluted share. Based upon preliminary results, management now expects earnings in the range of $0.15 to $0.17 per diluted share for the second quarter.

Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax, co-CEOs of California Pizza Kitchen, stated, “Second quarter preliminary results are consistent with our previous comments which indicated that comparisons would be negatively impacted by strong results from the Thank You Card Program conducted in the second quarter of 2009. As we move past lapping last year’s program and into the third quarter, we are pleased that same store sales through Sunday, July 11^th have improved to approximately negative 0.6%. We are also excited that our 2010 Thank You Card Program will launch on July 28^th and this year includes a cash grand prize of $100,000.”

During the second quarter, the Company opened a new full service restaurant in Murray, UT. The Company’s franchise partners also opened four quick-service restaurants in King of Prussia Service Plaza in Philadelphia, PA; Honolulu International Airport in Honolulu, HI; Kahului Airport in Maui, HI; Fresno Yosemite International Airport in Fresno, CA; as well as one full service restaurant in the Coyoacán neighborhood of Mexico City, Mexico.

The Company intends to release its second quarter earnings on August 5, 2010 at approximately 4:00 pm ET with a conference call to follow on the same day at approximately 4:30 pm ET. A webcast of the conference call will be accessible at www.cpk.com.

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc., founded in 1985, is a leading casual dining chain featuring an imaginative line of hearth-baked pizzas, including the original BBQ Chicken Pizza, and a broad selection of distinctive pastas, salads, appetizers, soups, sandwiches and desserts. Of the chain’s 260 restaurants, 206 are company-owned and 54 operate under franchise or license agreements. CPK premium pizzas are also available to sports and entertainment fans at three Southern California venues including Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium of Anaheim and STAPLES Center. Also included in the Company’s portfolio of concepts is LA Food Show Grill & Bar, which has locations in Manhattan Beach and Beverly Hills, California. The Company also has a licensing arrangement with Nestle S.A. to manufacture and distribute a line of California Pizza Kitchen premium frozen products. For more details, visit www.cpk.com.

This release includes certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include projections of earnings, revenue or other financial items, statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations, statements concerning proposed new products or developments, statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, statements of belief and statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Forward-looking statements may include the words “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “intend,” “continue,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “forecast,” and similar words.

Investors are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and, therefore, undue reliance should not be placed on them. Our actual results may and will likely differ materially from the expectations referred to herein. Among the key factors that may have a direct bearing on our operating results, performance and financial condition are changing consumer preferences and demands, the execution of our expansion strategy, the continued availability of qualified employees and our management team, the maintenance of reasonable food and supply costs, our relationships with our distributors and numerous other matters discussed in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. California Pizza Kitchen undertakes no obligation to update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Flippin’ Pizza, the neighborhood pizzeria offering New York Pies & Slices in Carlsbad, Encinitas, La Costa and Vista, has debuted a Flippin’ Pizza truck that will expand its reach throughout San Diego County. The park-and-serve truck will allow the neighborhood pizzeria to serve thousands more San Diegans as a store on wheels in business parks and residential communities, as well as on-location catering vehicle for parties and community events. San Diegans will be able to “Track the Truck” online via Google Maps, Twitter and Facebook, furthering the brand’s social media platform.

“The Flippin’ Pizza Truck allows us to serve the entire community of San Diego, rather than just the areas where our restaurants are located,” said Patrick Farley, owner of Flippin’ Pizza. “In addition, we will be able to get more involved in the community through events and fundraisers throughout the county.”

Last Thursday, July 1, 2010, Flippin’ Pizza played host to a community celebration that unveiled this newest addition to the brand, featuring cutting-edge graphics and promoting the brand’s pizzas with no added sugars, oils or high fructose corn syrup. The community event brought many San Diegans together in celebration of Flippin’ Pizza’s latest growth platform. Prior to the presentation, Flippin’ Pizza revealed the winner of its June Pizza Perks contest for Free Pizza for a Year. Throughout the month of June, San Diegans racked up points by catching the “Word of the Day” online and in stores. Warren Osher of Encinitas was the lucky winner of the “Frequent Flipper” competition, which entitles him to free pizza for a year and tickets to the Museum of Making Music. Carpeteria and the Museum of Making Music teamed up with Flippin’ Pizza on the contest to reward points for stopping in their respective locations. The competition brought additional business to local companies in North County and also got participants involved through the use of social media.

For more information about Flippin’ Pizza and its menu offerings, visit a local North County store in Carlsbad, La Costa, Encinitas or Vista, or check the pizzeria out online at http://www.FlippinPizza.com, http://www.facebook.com/FlippinPizza and http://twitter.com/FlippinPizzaCA.

About Flippin’ Pizza and Knockout Pizzeria

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. (CPK) (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, opened two new full-service restaurants today.

The first Northeast Florida California Pizza Kitchen location opened at the St. Johns Town Center in Jacksonville, FL. The 5,300 square foot restaurant is located near Barnes and Noble, at the intersection of Midtown Parkway and River City Drive. Hours of operation will be Sunday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

A second San Antonio-area CPK opened at 255 E. Basse Road in the Alamo Quarry Market, across from Chico’s. Hours of operation at the 5,500 square-foot restaurant will be Monday through Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Guests can dine-in or place a take-out order by ordering online at www.cpk.com, from their iPhone app or by calling the restaurant.

The menu at each restaurant will feature all of the popular favorites along with the newest menu additions including a Four Seasons Pizza with imported Italian tomatoes, oven-roasted artichoke hearts, salami, fresh mushrooms, mild onions, Mozzarella and fresh Mozzarella cheeses topped with fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese; Roasted Artichoke and Spinach Pizza, inspired by CPK’s popular Spinach Artichoke Dip, with a blend of oven-roasted artichoke hearts, sautéed spinach and garlic, Fontina, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses and a spinach artichoke sauce; Baby Clam Linguini featuring linguini fini and baby clams with garlic, fresh Italian parsley, Parmesan cheese, white wine and red pepper flakes tossed in either a light lemon cream sauce or imported Italian tomatoes and fresh basil; Italian Deli Sandwich, a combination of spicy Capicola ham, salami and pepperoni topped with Mozzarella and Fontina cheeses, basil and shredded lettuce tossed in a herb-mustard Parmesan vinaigrette; Turkey Stack Sandwich oven-roasted turkey breast, sliced fresh Roma tomatoes, mayonnaise, shredded lettuce and Grey Poupon Dijon honey mustard; and Butter Cake, CPK’s newest dessert, an oven-baked butter cake served with fresh whipped cream.

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc., founded in 1985, is a leading casual dining chain featuring an imaginative line of hearth-baked pizzas, including the original BBQ Chicken Pizza, and a broad selection of distinctive pastas, salads, appetizers, soups, sandwiches and desserts. Of the chain’s 260 restaurants, 206 are company-owned and 54 operate under franchise or license agreements. CPK premium pizzas are also available to sports and entertainment fans at three Southern California venues including Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium of Anaheim and STAPLES Center. Also included in the Company’s portfolio of concepts is LA Food Show Grill & Bar, which has locations in Manhattan Beach and Beverly Hills, California. The Company also has a licensing arrangement with Nestle S.A. to manufacture and distribute a line of California Pizza Kitchen premium frozen products. For more details, visit www.cpk.com.

CiCi’s Pizza, a leading family-dining restaurant serving endless flavor, variety and value with its hot and fresh pizza buffet, announced today franchise expansion in Phoenix as part of the company’s 2010 strategic growth plans. The company is currently seeking franchisees to develop 25-30 new restaurants in Phoenix and surrounding cities including Tempe, Glendale, Scottsdale and Tucson. CiCi’s expects to open 50+ new units per year over the next five years.

Currently, there are three CiCi’s operating in Phoenix with an additional two restaurants in development, and in Tucson there is one CiCi’s currently operating and an additional three in development.

“For more than 25 years, CiCi’s has been serving its quality, made fresh daily pizza buffet and we’re excited to expand our footprint in Phoenix,” said Jim Sheahan, vice president of franchise sales, CiCi’s Pizza. “We are now actively seeking franchisees in and around Phoenix who want to own and operate their own restaurant and become more involved in the communities in which they serve.”

Executives from CiCi’s Pizza will be hosting an all-day franchising expo on July 15th from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Courtyard Marriott – Tempe at 601 South Ash, Tempe, AZ. CiCi’s encourages all entrepreneurs interested in franchising to attend to learn more about the business opportunity of owning a CiCi’s Pizza.

Formal presentations will be held at 12:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. However, the CiCi’s team is available to meet one-on-one throughout the day to discuss opportunities and answer any questions. For more information or to RSVP, visit cicispizza.com or contact Jim Sheahan at 972-745-9318 or JSheahan@cicispizza.com.

The company has embarked on a national growth plan that includes expanding in existing markets, while entering new cities throughout the country. CiCi’s is focused on attracting new qualified operators to open restaurants in priority markets, specifically California, New York, New Jersey, Arizona, Nevada, Philadelphia, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Start-up costs for a single unit averages $550,000 and includes a franchise fee of $30,000. Franchisees are required to fund 30 percent in cash. CiCi’s franchisees are provided the tools and resources needed to sustain and grow their restaurants. Franchisees benefit from multi-million dollar nationwide advertising and sales programs designed to promote and enhance the collective success of all restaurants in the CiCi’s system.

“Since our founding in 1985, we have shown consistent growth year after year,” added Sheahan. “We are looking for energetic, dedicated professionals to help us bring the freshest concept in affordable dining to more families in Phoenix and across the U.S. We encourage individuals in the Phoenix area who are interested in owning a restaurant to attend our franchising expo to learn more about the benefits of becoming a CiCi’s Pizza franchisee.”

With more than 630 restaurants in 35 states and 150 new restaurants at various stages of development, CiCi’s has ranked number one for Sales and Unit Growth in the pizza chain category by Nation’s Restaurant News for the past three years and number one franchise in the pizza industry by Franchising Business Review. Additionally, StartupJournal.com, Wall Street Journal’s guide for entrepreneurs, listed CiCi’s as one of the top 25 highest performing brands in the nation.

About CiCi’s Pizza

CiCi’s first restaurant opened in Plano, Texas in 1985. The family-oriented restaurant is known for its popular pizza, pasta and salad buffet featuring up to 20 varieties of pizza and fresh ingredients for $5 and change. Today, the expanding company has more than 650 restaurants in 33 states. CiCi’s commitment to value was recently recognized in USA Today, Restaurants & Institutions and Nation’s Restaurant News, which ranked CiCi’s No. 1 in sales and unit growth among pizza chains for the past three years. Entrepreneur magazine ranked CiCi’s Pizza first in the Italian restaurant industry category in 2009 and 2007. Also a franchise veteran, CiCi’s was named to a list of the top 25 performing brands in the Wall Street Journal’s guide for entrepreneurs and a top 200 franchise concepts by Franchise Today. For more information about CiCi’s, visit www.cicispizza.com or www.facebook.com/cicis.

In an effort to display Domino’s Inspired Pizza as authentically as possible, all Domino’s national advertising pieces will feature food photography without the fancy food artistry or fake food touch-ups.

Whether it be a commercial on TV or an advertisement in the local paper, the landmark advertising approach promises that all product shots of the Inspired Pizza have been untouched by stylists or model makers typically found on food photography shoots.

“How many times have you wondered why the products you buy don’t look as good in person as they do in TV ads?” said Russell Weiner, Domino’s Pizza chief marketing officer. “That’s because most of the time companies use artificial techniques to make their products look better than they do when served to you in person. At Domino’s, we’re proud of the way our pizza looks – and tastes – right out of the oven.”  

The new approach to food photography follows the same line of transparency that began in late 2009 with the launch of the company’s “Pizza Turnaround” advertising campaign – sparking critical acclaim from media, and overwhelmingly positive consumer response to the pizza itself. The campaigns following the launch of the pizza have, in one way or another, been featured in almost every major media outlet, as well as more than 1,000 local TV affiliates.

“It’s a natural progression for us now to take this step,” Weiner continued. “If we’re going to be real and honest about the taste of the product, we want to be as authentic as possible about how it looks. And there’s nothing more mouthwatering than a Domino’s pizza straight out of the oven.”

Also part of the latest chapter in transparency is Domino’s launch of an online component called Show Us Your Pizza, inviting consumers to submit their best natural Domino’s food photography to earn one of four prizes of $500.

Customers can visit ShowUsYourPizza.com to learn about Domino’s Pizza’s “photo promise,” which prohibits any artificial manipulation of the product during shooting, among other rules. The best amateur food photographers who adhere to the photo promise might also have their shots featured in future Domino’s advertisements.