California Pizza Kitchen Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
California Pizza Kitchen is a casual-dining franchise known for its inventive, oven-fired California-style pizzas, plus pastas and salads. Franchisees run full-service restaurants managing kitchen, bar, and service staff.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A California Pizza Kitchen franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.6M – $5.4M, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.6M – $5.4M
- 37th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 121
- 32nd pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $1.6M – $5.4M including a $50K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSFY ended Dec 31, 2023. Total revenues $3,916,258 = royalty fees $3,903,044 + franchise fees $13,214. Net loss $(585,420). Auditor firm name not present in extracted text (logo only); report signed Los Angeles, CA, April 2, 2024.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 66/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- CPK Franchise LLC
- Parent company
- CPK Holdings LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Convive PK Holdings LLC
- Predecessor
- CPK Franchise Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Jonathan Weber
- CEO experience
- 12 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 575 Anton Blvd., Suite 100, Costa Mesa, California 92626
- Auditor
- Moss Adams LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $3.5M
- vs $3.5M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jonathan Weber
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 1985
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 7
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 198% above the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown38 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (New CPK Restaurant) | $50K | $50K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements (New) | $1.5M | $5.0M | |
| Architects and Design (New) | $150K | $240K | |
| Signs (New) | $15K | $50K | |
| Furniture and Fixtures (New) | $47K | $100K | |
| POS System, Back Office Technology and Software (New) | $35K | $100K | |
| Equipment and Security Systems (New) | $300K | $500K | |
| Lease Deposit (New) | $15K | $25K | |
| Lease Rent (3 months) (New) | $35K | $150K | |
| Utility Deposits (New) | $10K | $30K | |
| Licenses and Permits (New) | $5K | $20K | |
| Liquor License (New) | $10K | $200K | |
| Professional Fees (New) | $5K | $25K | |
| Initial Food Inventory (New) | $12K | $20K | |
| Initial Supplies and Non-Food Inventory (New) | $3K | $5K | |
| Insurance (New) | $10K | $15K | |
| Training Expenses (New) | $20K | $50K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing (New) | $10K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months (Working Capital) (New) | $100K | $350K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (Conversion Restaurant) | $50K | $50K | |
| Total initial investment | $3.3M | $11.8M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.6M – $5.4M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $100K – $350K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 0.1%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $8K |
| Training fee | $20K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $15K – $25K |
| Total fee load | 0.1% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
California Pizza Kitchen did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one California Pizza Kitchen unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
2%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
FY ended Dec 31, 2023. Total revenues $3,916,258 = royalty fees $3,903,044 + franchise fees $13,214. Net loss $(585,420). Auditor firm name not present in extracted text (logo only); report signed Los Angeles, CA, April 2, 2024.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 0.1% — below the Full-Service Restaurants average of 7.6%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Multi-unit rate
50% of franchisees own multiple units, a moderate multi-unit rate.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How California Pizza Kitchen Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 121
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 7.1%
- Company-owned
- 107
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 12%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 50.0%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 3
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Termination rate
- 0.2%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 0.7%
- Units that stopped operating
No multi-year history disclosed and no opening/closing activity in the last reporting year.
Item 20 · 6 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Material lack of financial transparency (no Item 19) combined with flat unit growth and high capital requirements creates unquantifiable ROI risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation disclosed in Item 3.
Largest disclosed settlement: $50,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
California Pizza Kitchen Inc. (affiliate) and CPK Holdings (parent) filed Chapter 11 on July 29, 2020, discharged March 3, 2021. Separately, current CEO Jonathan Weber and CFO Penny Lindemann Smith previously led NPC International Inc., which filed Chapter 11 on July 1, 2020 and was dissolved.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Moss Adams LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 66 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORUnit count stalled at 148 with unknown/likely flat growth — suggests mature or contracting system
- 02MINORHigh capital requirement ($2.3M–$6.9M) with no revenue benchmarks creates severe information asymmetry
- 03MED5% royalty on undisclosed revenue base — cannot validate sustainability of franchisor support model
- 04HIGHGoing Concern classification FALSE — potential ambiguity in financial stability signals
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 0.1% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Costa Mesa, California (location of franchisor's principal offices at time of filing) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 113 hrs
- Training location
- CPK Certified Training Restaurant or Restaurant Support Center (Costa Mesa, CA), or at franchisee's CPK Restaurant
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee proposes, franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- NCR Aloha POS System / One-Dine
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: NCR Aloha POS System / One-Dine
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
15 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
California Pizza Kitchen · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a California Pizza Kitchen franchise?
The total investment to open a California Pizza Kitchen franchise ranges from $1.6M – $5.4M, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do California Pizza Kitchen franchise owners earn?
California Pizza Kitchen does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the California Pizza Kitchen FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the California Pizza Kitchen FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is California Pizza Kitchen's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for California Pizza Kitchen (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many California Pizza Kitchen franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, California Pizza Kitchen has 121 total units in the United States, including 14 franchised units and 107 company-owned units.
Is California Pizza Kitchen a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates California Pizza Kitchen as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 66 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent California Pizza Kitchen, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Full-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Full-Service Restaurants category
Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.