California Pizza Kitchen Reinvents Itself with New Look

Restaurants like Pizzeria Mozza, Milo & Olive, 800 Degrees, Stella Barra, and even the pies executed by Travis Lett at Gjelina and GTA have helped fuel Los Angeles' pizza renaissance over the last couple of years. But, remember way back in the day when these such artisan eateries did not exist and there was ... California Pizza Kitchen? That time would be 1985 and that place would be Beverly Hills, where the chain first launched. But now, with so much competition and more sophisticated diners, CPK is looking to modernize.

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On July 10 CPK introduced its new prototype at Westfield Topanga's The Canyon mall (also the first new CPK to open in LA since 2008) with communal dining, a spacious bar around a central hearth, and an adjacent standalone bar/lounge mixing speciality cocktails and CPK's revamped bill of fare. The brand is banking on a lighter and crispier pizza dough they advertise as "hand-tossed" (as opposed to machine-pressed). The company is already working to transition pre-existing CPKs to a similar such new "rustic" outfit moving forward. [EaterWire]