Rick Rosenfield, co-founder of California Pizza Kitchen (CPK), stated that if he were to launch his business today, he would choose Florida over California. Rosenfield cited California's increasingly challenging business climate, contrasting it with Florida's more welcoming environment.
"If it were me today, I would open in Florida before I would open it in California," Rosenfield told Fox News Digital. "I think it has a lot going for it. The difference is [it's] very business friendly and California is less business friendly today, and they make it apparent."
Rosenfield noted that while California was once an ideal location for businesses, the state has struggled to recover since the COVID-19 pandemic, experiencing labor shortages, increased regulation, and rising costs. He explained that higher taxes and operating expenses for restaurants ultimately translate to higher prices for consumers.
"Because what happens, you raise costs, you raise minimum wage, businesses have to respond to that," he said. "But it isn't just the businesses that pay more, it's the customer that pays more."
Rosenfield, who relocated to Florida in 2024, described his experience with the Sunshine State as positive, noting "less bureaucracy in Florida and there's more bureaucracy [in] California."
CPK, founded in 1985, has approximately 185 locations across the United States, with about 40 percent of them located in California. A spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom's office expressed pride in the chain's California roots, stating, "Florida Pizza Kitchen doesn't have the same ring to it."
In recent years, several major corporations, including Tesla, Oracle, and Chevron, have moved their headquarters from California to Texas. In June, Texas surpassed California as the state with the most Fortune 500 companies, with 57 corporate headquarters compared to California's 56.
Rosenfield acknowledged that California still possesses advantages such as pleasant weather and a strong labor base. However, he emphasized that the state's current climate is less conducive to the restaurant industry and other businesses. "You have a supermajority in California that enacts business-unfriendly laws, and that's uncomfortable," he stated. "When you bash businesses, it's not encouraging for entrepreneurs."
He expressed a hope that California can revert to a climate that fosters entrepreneurship, similar to the environment during CPK's inception.