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California Pizza Kitchen

California Pizza Kitchen review: treat their customers like garbage 10

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Author of the review
12:00 am EST
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While California Pizza Kitchen has decent service most of the time, my recent experience there was bad enough to ensure I won't eat there again anytime soon. My trip to the restaurant was on Labor Day 2006. We arrived a full hour before closing time (9:00 PM) and were given a thirty minute wait time. Forty-five minutes later, we were seated.

Without any sort of a greeting or anything, our server threw down four menus and instructed us that she was coming back in two minutes and we had to select our drinks and entree or we wouldn't be able to get our orders in. I would have walked out then if I hadn't already waited for forty-five minutes.

The rudeness continued throughout the entire meal. We were being asked to hurry, while everything we ordered took twice as long to get out to us. There we're three or four items we ordered that our server told us were sub-par, but that they we're about to close. For example, our server brought out some sweet tea and said, "Sorry about the tea, but we're about to close."

We were hurried through the entire meal, treated poorly, and received food that was inferior. I don't think, "we're about to close," is a good excuse for any business, much less a restaurant, to treat their customers like garbage. Normally, I would write an experience like this off with "waiter was having a bad day," or "I'm being crazy," but to me it seemed that the staff at California Pizza Kitchen was giving bad service and were completely okay with it. That's inexcusable, especially when you're selling overpriced pizza and part of the premium price is supposed to be off-set by good service.

If you're around Atlantic Station, go to Rocky Mountain Pizza on Hemphill Ave, or order a pizza twice as large as you would get at CPK for the same price at Papa Johns and rent a movie. If you're stuck in Atlantic Station, Rosa Mexicana (sp?) is also close to CPK and isn't that much more expensive. I would seek out these alternatives before I went back to CPK.

I hope this is helpful. Thanks.

Mike

California Pizza Kitchen - Atlanta, GA - Atlantic Station

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Tamara Kessener
May 16, 2007 12:33 pm EDT

My daughter worked for the Fashion Island CPK and I tell you if you think eating at CPK is a bad experience try working for them. the manager there is the most abusive man I have ever seen. The harassment this man causes for these kids needs to be stopped. The corporate off does nothing to protect these kids from this mans abuse. The list of complaints filed on this man and nothing is done. The man is still haunting her after she has left also. One of the worst companies ever for a kid to work at.

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woodbreeze
Brea, US
Jan 18, 2009 10:31 pm EST

This past Friday night, January 16th, I stopped by the CPK in Brea to watch the second half of the Laker game. I arrived close to mid-way throught the 3rd quarter and ordered my usual double shot of JW Black Label. About 45 minutes as the game was ending I asked the waitress for my check. She replied sweetly, "Are you sure you don't want another one?' Being soft and naive, thinking she might even be coming on to me, I accepted. Five or ten short minutes later after only drinking a quarter of the glass I again asked the waitress for my check. Just then, the shift manager came over to me and said she thought I had a little too much and insisted I take a cab. I have been a regular at this place and have had at times two or more drinks and had never been approached like this. I refused telling the manager that I only had one drink and two sips of the second. When I proceeded to get up she said I have a cab coming and handed me a free pizza. I refused the pizza but they insisted I take it, so I did and hustled out to the parking lot, where I was greeted by mall security and some the the restaurant staff trying to block me from going to my car. Two minutes later the Brea Police pulled up. Of course I gave in and took their cab home which I had to pay for. A word to the wise: "STAY AWAY FROM ALCOHOL AT BREA CPK. THEY ARE WILLING TO CALL THE COPS ON YOU SO YOU CAN GET A DUI!" They only care about getting as much money they can out of you, insisting you drink more spend more and tip more, then call the cops on you. The mall security was already out in the parking lot and cops got there in two minutes. I wonder if this CPK has a deal worked with the Brea Police handing them DUIs on a silver platter and maybe some kick-back deal with this cabby who happened to by right outside when I was leaving.
By the way, the police greeted my very professionaly and treated my fairly. I assumed they were going to get tough with me since this Feminatzi Manager told them I was a drunk. They asked if I wanted to take a breathalizer test and I agreed. The officer said I was slightly over the limit, however, he never showed my my score. I know my limits and one drink does not mean I am unable to drive safely. Anyhow I had to sit in the parking lot with these wonderful officers for another half an hour until the next cab driver came over. I forgot to mention earlier that I jumped in the first cab, went about twenty yards in the parking lot and told him to stop, at which time I got out and ran to my car. That is when the police were pulling up in the parking lot. That driver said I owed him $3.50 and I told him to go blow and get it from that blonde bimbo who called him out in the first place.

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dr.jeff parker
West Bloomfield, US
Jan 25, 2009 4:10 pm EST

we went ot california pizza for a supposedly nice dinner...we odered our drinks and was served ranced pinot noir...!we were so upset...we sent it back but the server did not care we asked for the manager she then smelled and tasted it and agreed..she told us thye have a system of taking the air out of the wine...my husband who is a doctor said that was a health riak...we did get the wine taken off of our bill but still no answer on the way they serve the wine and store it...we were worried about how they serve wine!dr, and mrs.jeff parker.

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vsatya25
Alpharetta, US
Jun 14, 2010 5:34 pm EDT

Last week, we went to Alpharetta, GA CPK around closing time 9:30 pm. They just heated the frozen item and served us. If you go late, they dont prepare fresh food, beware of that. We complained, but they did not seem to bother about it.

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zstu
mont vlg, US
Apr 04, 2011 12:39 am EDT

Nomally, we have fairly good service and food but tonite took the cake! We were seated right a way and the numnut server took our order in a hurry. Seemed rude when we said "no" to appetizers. It took another 25 minutes to get our cold food and it was not what we ordered. They took off the charge for my wife's dish but, mine was highly seasoned and the meat was over cooked. It tasted like wood! I told the numnut waiter and he just handed my bill to me. I relunctantly paid for it and left. As we were leaving, I overheard people say thier dish was bad aswell. I asked to talk to a manager and was told " no one was on duty."

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Nicole Raphael
Los Angeles, US
Jul 03, 2012 10:09 pm EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I was having lunch at CPK in Palm Springs on this past Memorial Day Weekend. Ordered the Tricolore Pizza Salad. It was delicious until a small-meduim size SAFETY PIN POKED ME IN MY MOUTH. I was shocked! Thank god I didn't swallow it. Filed a formal complaint with the Health and environmental food service department. They sald they will investigate the matter. As for the manager on duty, he comped my meal..GEE, thanks and said none of his kitchen staff ever have safety pins on their uniforms. unreal.. I hope they get an "F" rating. Nicole Anna Raphael

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Amackown
Chester, US
Aug 29, 2013 11:45 pm EDT

Cpk sucks.. I got fired for telling another employee she was being disrespectful to my family.. She sent text messages to me previously telling me she was going to punch another employee in the face if they showed up to work. These messages were sent to corporate but she didn't get fired because she has a "mental illness" and knew she could get disability from Cpk. So the violent, mentally ill ### still has a job and I don't.

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Ana Solorzano Miller
US
Oct 22, 2018 2:10 pm EDT

Great service cheery disposition great food!

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Malik Mudassar
Lahore, PK
Oct 23, 2022 6:06 pm EDT

Call center staff behavior very badly

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Samina Suleman
US
Jun 04, 2023 2:26 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Already mentioned

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Order received too much late and food was cold

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  1. California Pizza Kitchen Contacts

  2. California Pizza Kitchen phone numbers
    +1 (800) 919-3227
    +1 (800) 919-3227
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    +1 (310) 342-5000
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    Head Office
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  4. California Pizza Kitchen address
    12181 Bluff Creek Drive, 5th Floor, Playa Vista, California, 90094, United States
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    Nov 21, 2024
California Pizza Kitchen Category
California Pizza Kitchen is ranked 3 among 6 companies in the Pizzerias category