Rick Rosenfield, co-founder of the iconic California Pizza Kitchen chain, stated that he would not launch the company in California today, asserting that the state has become less business-friendly.
Rosenfield, who co-founded the brand with Larry Flax in Beverly Hills in 1985, told Fox News that Florida would be his preferred location if starting the company now. "California is less business-friendly today, and they make it apparent," he said.
The California Pizza Kitchen chain has grown to 185 locations, with many still in California. However, Rosenfield believes the state that once helped define the brand has become a more challenging place to operate. He noted that conditions have deteriorated since the COVID-19 pandemic, citing labor shortages, rising costs, and the state's fast-food minimum wage law.
California Pizza Kitchen filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020, a period when the chain, like many others, was impacted by pandemic-related shutdowns. Rosenfield himself relocated to Florida in 2024 and observed a significant difference between the two states. "Florida is quite friendly," he commented. "There's less bureaucracy in Florida, and there's more bureaucracy in California, and that's basically my experience."
Rosenfield's comments align with a broader trend of companies relocating their headquarters from California. In 2019, McKesson Corporation and Charles Schwab moved their headquarters to Texas. Oracle and Hewlett Packard Enterprise followed in 2020, and Tesla shifted its headquarters in 2021. More recently, Chevron, SpaceX, and X relocated their headquarters to Texas in 2024, with SpaceX and Chevron citing regulatory and political frustrations.
Despite his current criticisms, Rosenfield acknowledged the significant role California's image played in the restaurant's initial success. He recalled that the name "California Pizza Kitchen" was chosen because it evoked a sense of health, innovation, and energy, setting the brand apart from competitors with more traditional Italian names. "I absolutely believe that the California name resonated not only in California, but around the world," Rosenfield told The Post. "It has a connotation of being healthy and innovative and clean and energetic."
Rosenfield's book, "The California Pizza Kitchen Story: How Two Federal Prosecutors Changed the Way America Eats Pizza," was released on July 21.