California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) announced current board member Jeff Warne as the company’s new chief executive today effective immediately, replacing former CEO and president Jim Hyatt.
Warne has been a part of CPK’s board of directors since Nov. 2020 and takes over the top role with over 23 years in the restaurant industry.
He was previously CEO of Perkins, Marie Callender’s LLC and O’Charley’s Inc. and was also a part of the executive team at Pick Up Stix, TGI Friday’s International and Carlson Restaurants Worldwide in various roles.
“[Warne] is uniquely positioned to take CPK to its next phase of growth and has already had a huge impact on the organization,” chairman Michael O’Donnell said in a statement. “We look forward to supporting him as he continues to bring to life his vision.”
The Costa Mesa-based pizza chain ranked No. 8 on the Business Journal’s list of locally based restaurant chains with $490 million in 2021 systemwide sales.
