California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) filed motions to close its Dunwoody location near Perimeter Mall by the end of August, according to documents presented relating to their Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The Los Angeles-based casual dining chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy July 30, saying at the time it planned to close "some" of its nearly 200 restaurants. New filings indicate the chain plans to "reject" the leases of 77 of its 183 restaurants.
The Dunwoody CPK, located just north of Perimeter Mall, opened in 1993, and is nearly 5,800 square feet, according to DeKalb County property records. ToNeTo Atlanta visited the restaurant earlier this week and found it operating as normal and quite busy. There is no indication of exactly when the restaurant will close, only that it will likely happen no later than August 31.
Also included on the chain's 77 unit closure list is its East Cobb location in Pine Straw Place, which as ToNeTo Atlanta previously reported, closed as of June 30.
Founded in 1985, CPK started looking for buyers last fall. For now, the company is being kept afloat thanks to a $47 million loan from a group of lenders which will fund operations through the bankruptcy proceedings, The Wall Street Journal reports. "The unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on our operations certainly created additional challenges, but this agreement from our lenders demonstrates their commitment to CPK's viability as an ongoing business," CEO Jim Hyatt said in a statement.
CPK is the third casual dining restaurant in the Dunwoody area to close in recent months following the closures of Zinburger Wine & Burger Bar at Sterling Pointe and P.F. Chang's at Ashford Restaurant Park.
ToNeTo Atlanta exclusively reported on Zinburger's planned closure of their Dunwoody location in February, weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic brought many in the restaurant industry to their knees. The chain has since closed its outpost at Lenox Square in Buckhead and most of its other East Coast locations. P.F. Chang's closure was not a surprise, as it related to the overall redevelopment of the center in which it was located. A new Publix as well as several restaurants and retailers will open in what is being called Perimeter Marketplace in late 2021.
Following the closures in East Cobb and Dunwoody, CPK will operate four restaurants in metro Atlanta: Lenox Square in Buckhead, near North Point Mall in Alpharetta, at Atlantic Station in Atlanta, and at The Forum on Peachtree Parkway in Peachtree Corners.
Are you surprised by the metro locations CPK has elected to close? What is your favorite chain pizza restaurant? What would you like to see open in place of CPK in East Cobb or Dunwoody?
Please share your thoughts below.
1 comment:
Had some great dinners there and PF Chang's down the street since high school. Sad to see both of them go.
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