Which pizza chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020?

California Pizza Kitchen filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020.

The California-based chain entered voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings on July 29, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurant closures, dining-room restrictions, and reduced customer traffic sharply damaged casual-dining businesses. CPK’s restructuring plan aimed to reduce roughly $230 million in debt while allowing the company to keep operating.

California Pizza Kitchen was founded in Beverly Hills in 1985 by attorneys Rick Rosenfield and Larry Flax. The chain became especially known for California-style pizzas, including its influential barbecue chicken pizza, which helped popularize nontraditional toppings in American restaurants.

Bankruptcy did not mean the chain immediately disappeared or liquidated. CPK emerged from Chapter 11 in November 2020 with substantially less debt. A common mix-up is Chuck E. Cheese’s: its parent company also filed for Chapter 11 in 2020, but that filing occurred earlier, in June.