CPK unveils new menu, increased pricesCPK unveils new menu, increased prices

Lisa Jennings

California Pizza Kitchen unveiled a new menu on Wednesday that highlights more healthful options and a commitment to all-natural meats.

The new menu rollout also features a 0.7 percent price increase – the first for the chain in almost two years.

Ten new items have been added to the Los Angeles-based pizza-chain’s menu, as well as a gluten-free pizza crust option. The chain said it has switched to the use of only all-natural chicken, turkey, pepperoni, salami, Italian sausage and Canadian bacon as ingredients.

Seven underperforming items have also been cut from the menu, a second-round of cuts for the 265-unit chain following the purge of about 14 items earlier this year.

Gone from the menu are the Tuscan panzanella salad, the Tuscan white bean minestrone, a buffalo chicken pizza, a pepperoni supremo thin-crust pizza, Portobello mushroom ravioli, wild-caught mahi mahi and the turkey stack sandwich.

In a call to analysts following the report of first-quarter results in May, CPK said the new menu also includes a reduction in sodium and calorie levels overall.

CPK in May announced a proposed $470 million buyout by San Francisco-based private-equity firm Golden Gate Capital. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter.

In addition to the two items listed below, view a slideshow of CPK's eight other new options:

SLIDESHOW: CPK’s new menu options

--Mediterranean focaccia spiked with herbs and cheese and served with Mediterranean olive oil and Parmesan. Added to the Small Cravings menu, the focaccia is priced at $2.50.

--Non-fat Yogurt Smoothies, priced at $4.75. CPK is joining the smoothie wars with flavors that include strawberry, strawberry-banana, mango, mango-banana, and peach.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].
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