Grab a Pizza and a Puck - STAPLES Center and the Los Angeles Kings Welcome California Pizza Kitchen to STAPLES Center

By: California Pizza Kitchen | 0 Shares 136 Reads

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 2007--California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) (NASDAQ:CPKI), home of the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza and other innovative hearth-baked pizzas, made-to-order pastas, creative salads, appetizers, soups, sandwiches and desserts, today announced a two-year partnership with STAPLES Center, making CPK the exclusive pizza supplier of the downtown Los Angeles sports and entertainment arena. Three of CPK's popular premium pizzas, Original BBQ Chicken, Cheese and Pepperoni, will now be available at two of STAPLES Center's dedicated refreshment stands - aisle 13 of the Main Concourse and aisle 16 of the Upper Concourse.

In addition to their new home at STAPLES Center, CPK is also an official sponsor of the Los Angeles Kings hockey team for the next two seasons. To celebrate the new sponsorship, Kings player, Kyle Calder, and Kings announcers Bob Miller, Jim Fox, Nick Nickson, Daryl Evans helped pass out hot CPK pizzas to a group of children from the Boys & Girls Clubs, A Place Called Home, Sharefest, and Central City Action Committee, the team and CPK hosted before their game against the Anaheim Ducks on November 15.

"The expansion of our sports marketing efforts into STAPLES Center now puts us in three of the major Southern California stadiums, including Dodgers and Angels Stadiums, and we couldn't be more thrilled," stated Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax, co-founders and co-CEOs of California Pizza Kitchen.

"We are very proud to now offer a selection of the great food that our guests have come to know CPK for," said Lee Zeidman, General Manager of STAPLES Center. "STAPLES Center is all about the best sports, entertainment and amenities and now including CPK in that mix will further enhance our reputation."

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc., founded in 1985, is a leading casual dining chain. Of the chain's 225 restaurants, 190 are company-owned and 35 operate under franchise or license agreements. There are 26 CPK ASAP locations, 10 of which are company-owned and 16 are franchised. Also included in the company's portfolio of concepts is LA Food Show Grill & Bar, which currently has one location in Manhattan Beach, California. The company's full-service restaurants feature an imaginative line of hearth-baked pizzas, including the original BBQ Chicken Pizza, and a broad selection of distinctive pastas, salads, soups, appetizers and sandwiches. The company also has a licensing arrangement with Kraft Pizza Company, which manufactures and distributes a line of California Pizza Kitchen premium frozen pizzas. Children who dine at California Pizza Kitchen choose from an extensive menu, recently named "The Best Kids Menu in America" by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine. For more details, visit www.cpk.com.

Since its October 1999 Grand Opening, Los Angeles' STAPLES Center has hosted more of the most important sports and entertainment events and competitions than any other venue in the world. Hosting five professional sports franchises - the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA, Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, Los Angeles Avengers (AFL) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) - along with events such as the annual Pac 10 Basketball Championships and X Games, NBA and NHL All-Star Games, World Championship Boxing, the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships and concerts starring Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Paul McCartney, Prince, U2, Madonna, the Eagles, Bon Jovi, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, The Rolling Stones, Justin Timberlake and Eric Clapton among others. In just eight years, over 25 million guests have attended events at the arena which has twice been named the Pollstar-CIC Arena of the Year while setting new industry standards for excellence in guest experience, production, amenities and fan convenience. Visit STAPLES Center today at www.staplescenter.com.

CONTACT: California Pizza Kitchen
Sarah Grover, 310-342-5000

SOURCE: California Pizza Kitchen