California Pizza Kitchen to Open in North Avenue Collection on Aug. 21; Pizza Sales on Sept. 12 to Benefit the Gus Foundation

Business Wire, August 19, 2002

Business Editors & Retail/Restaurant Writers

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 19, 2002

California Pizza Kitchen (Nasdaq:CPKI), a leading casual dining restaurant chain and home of the Original BBQ Chicken pizza and many other innovative hearth-baked pizzas, creative pastas, salads, soups and sandwiches, will open its first Lincoln Park location, in Chicago, at the new North Avenue Collection on Wednesday, August 21, 2002.

To celebrate the opening, California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) will donate 100% of all pizza sales on Thursday, September 12, 2002, to the Gus Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1995 by the family and friends of Gus Evangelides. The Foundation provides hope for children with brain tumors by raising funds for laboratory and clinical research at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

"What a simple and enjoyable way to play a part in supporting such important research," explains Gus Foundation founder Eleanor Evangelides. "Currently, there is no cure for brain tumors -- it's a devastating disease. By eating pizza on this special day, people are helping to give children with brain tumors a chance for a long, healthy life."

Customers at the new North Avenue CPK can expect the same friendly open-style kitchen, light woods and colorful pizza box art on the walls -- all signatures of the California Pizza Kitchen contemporary decor. The restaurant, located on the corner of North Avenue and Sheffield Avenue, is just over 5,000 square feet with 155 seats. The full-service restaurant is the sixth CPK to open in the Chicago area.

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc., founded in 1985, is a leading casual dining chain in the premium pizza segment. The restaurant features hearth-baked pizzas, pastas, salads, soups and sandwiches. The chain operates 138 restaurants of which 107 are company-owned, and 31 operate under franchise or license agreements. The California Pizza Kitchen Web site is www.cpk.com.

Hours of operation for the new CPK will be: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday.