Franchising

California Pizza Kitchen breaks ground on Canada location

Provided

October 28, 2021

California Pizza Kitchen has broken ground on a store in Edmonton, the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta.

The store will bring CPK's signature California-style pizzas, pastas, salads and more to the country for the first time and signals the company's commitment to increased international expansion through franchise partnerships. Alongside longtime Alberta restaurateur, Samira Shariff, CPK will serve its diverse and creative menu dishes to all lunch and dinner guests in the Edmonton community, according to a press release.

The store will be located within the Currents of Windermere shopping center. Once up and running, the 4,500-square-foot indoor space and 1,800 square foot enclosed, heated patio is expected to seat 225 people.

"Expanding our franchise operations now beyond the U.S. is a top priority for CPK and affirms our broader strategy for long term growth in our international markets," Giorgio Minardi, executive vice president of global development & franchise operations at CPK, said in the release. "Since announcing the partnership in 2020, our excitement continues to grow for the Alberta market and we have every confidence in Naheed and Samira to deliver an excellent guest experience beginning with Edmonton. While Alberta will be the first province to see the CPK brand open a restaurant, we look forward to selecting the right franchisees to bring our 'California Creativity' to other provinces in Canada."

As the CEO of CPK's Alberta location, Naheed Shariff brings more than 25 years of experience in the restaurant franchising industry coupled with the 40 years of experience his mother and partner, Samira Shariff, brings. Together, Naheed and Samira have helped successful brands grow in the Alberta region and are excited to bring California Pizza Kitchen into Edmonton.

"In anticipation of the opening next year, we're extremely excited to take the first step in bringing California Pizza Kitchen's first franchise in Canada to life," Naheed Shariff, CEO of CPK's Alberta footprint, said in the release. "Beyond welcoming new guests, we're eager to partner with this iconic global brand to help support the local economy by creating more than 100 stable jobs for those in the food and beverage industry."

California Pizza Kitchen also has plans to open restaurants in additional markets throughout the country, including Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario.

California Pizza Kitchen operates more than 240 restaurants in 10 countries and U.S. territories.